Connecticut: An Award, a Proclamation, and a Summit

Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell has issued an official proclamation establishing October as Connecticut Teachers of Mathematics and Science Appreciation Month. The proclamation is an outgrowth of Governor Rell's continuing work with the Connecticut Mathematics, Science & Technology Leadership Council, which is supported and administered by the CT Academy for Education in Mathematics, Science & Technology, Inc. On October 26, 2005, the Governor will host a statewide summit entitled CONNvene: a Platform to Advance a Statewide STEM Dialogue and Strategy. The CONNvene summit and year-long planning effort will bring together policy makers and business and educational leaders to identify critical issues related to advancing STEM education in Connecticut. The CT Academy for Education is the administrator for CONNvene. CONNvene is part of the NASSMC State Summits Implementation Program (NSSIP) with funding from NASA and the U.S. Department of Education.

To view and download a copy of the proclamation, go to www.nassmc.org/states/connecticut.html.

For more information about the Connecticut Academy for Education and CONNvene, go to www.ctacad.org/.

New ITAA Initiative Launched to Connect Educators with IT Employers

The Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), one of the nation's leading associations representing 380 companies from the information technology (IT) sector, recently announced the creation of the National Information Technology Education Alliance (NITEA) focused exclusively on public two- and four-year colleges and universities and Workforce Investment Boards. NITEA will offer networking opportunities and other activities to promote increased interaction between educators and IT employers. Program activities will include events, online directories, webcasts, and research studies. All activities will include educators and ITAA industry members.

The primary goal of NITEA is to provide multiple opportunities on an annual basis for interchange between the IT employer community and the IT workforce, education, and training communities. A Steering Committee comprised of senior representatives from each of the member groups has been created to guide the development and programs of NITEA. To learn about NITEA and how you can join this program, visit www.nitea.org.

The Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) is the only trade association representing the broad spectrum of the world-leading U.S. Information Technology (IT) industry and provides information about the IT industry, its issues, association programs, publications, meetings, seminars, and more.

Triangle Coalition Staff Changes

Andrea Bodmann has accepted the position of Program Manager for the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program. Former program manager John Ortman retired this summer. Many of you will remember Andrea as one of the extremely competent people helping us with our Linking Leaders National Conference in February. Eric Ohlsen has been added to the Triangle Coalition Team. Eric will be taking over as the Membership and Programs Coordinator from Andrea. His background includes work on Capitol Hill and support to several key political figures.

The Triangle Coalition for Science and Technology Education is a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit organization comprised of more than 100 member organizations with representation from three key stake holders: business, education, and scientific and engineering societies. Triangle Coalition's Mission is to bring together the voices of government, business, and education to improve the quality and outcome of mathematics, science, and technology education.

An Organization You Should Know About: The Biotechnology Institute

Biotechnology companies nationwide have a strong and growing interest in improving STEM education. NASSMC is conducting an informal survey to determine the extent of biotechnology industry involvement in state coalitions. Please drop us a line when you have the time and let us know: (1) if you know of existing biotechnology business ventures in your state, and (2) if these businesses are involved in your organization. Send your feedback to jgeorge@nassmc.org.

State coalitions are always looking for sources to help expand their coalitions to include major employers and emerging technologies. The Biotechnology Institute is one such source. The Biotechnology Institute is dedicated to educating teachers, students, and the public about the promise and challenges of biotechnology. Through year-round programs, the Institute is creating a base of understanding and awareness about biotechnology among teachers and students and building the next generation of leaders in the industry. Member companies include Pfizer, Amgen, Novartis Institutes of BioMedical Research, Johnson and Johnson Development Corp., Merck, Genzyme Corp., Chiron Corporation, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and many others.

Biotechnology is a $30 billion a year industry that has produced some 160 drugs and vaccines. The biotechnology industry is additionally responsible for medical diagnostic tests, industrial biotechnology application, environmental biotechnology, biotechnology foods, and DNA fingerprinting. Biotechnology is one of the most research-intensive industries in the world. The U.S. biotech industry spent $17.9 billion on research and development in 2003.

It is increasingly important that emerging technologies be included in current and future education. According to the (2004) Kentucky Teacher Survey of Critical Technologies, there is "an alarming disconnect between technologies with significant economic and social impacts that are emerging from scientists, engineers and successful entrepreneurial companies worldwide ... and their infusion into today's P-12 classrooms." These technologies and concepts included things such as biotechnology, natural products, proteomics, alternative fuels, nanotechnology, astrobiology, and quantum computing.

For more information about The Biotechnology Institute, visit www.biotechinstitute.org/ or contact President Paul Hanle at 703-248-8681 or phanle@biotechinstitute.org.

Mark Your Calendars: Upcoming Events

The following upcoming events may be of interest to your coalition:

+ Leadership Conference on Aviation and Space Education (LCASE)
NASSMC Executive Director Jim McMurtray will be a featured speaker at the Leadership Conference on Aviation and Space Education (LCASE), September 28, 2005 in Washington, D.C. The conference theme is "Aerospace Education - Meeting Today's Challenges." Visit www.lcase.info/ for further information.

+ U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business-Education Network Summit
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Center for Corporate Citzenship is hosting a Business-Education Network Summit, October 5-7, 2005 in Washington, D.C. The 2005 Business-Education Summit's focus is to build support for business education partnerships at the state, and local level. The Summit will help business and education leaders make connections and learn from each other, and identify goals and issues that they have in common and can pursue jointly. Visit www.uschamber.com/events/ViewEvent.htm?eventID=409 for further information.

+ Conventions 2005 - 2006
NSTA regional conventions: www.nsta.org/conventions; NCTM regional conventions: www.nctm.org/meetings/index.htm#regionals; ITEA 2006 annual conference: www.iteaconnect.org/; AAAS annual meeting: www.aaas.org/meetings/Annual_Meeting/

Getting to Know the Periodic Table of Elements: Helium

Etymology
New Latin, from Greek Helios ("the Sun")

What it is
Helium is the second most abundant element. It has the lowest melting point and is the only liquid that does not solidify when the temperature is lowered.

What it is used for
Of course Helium is used to fill balloons. We all know that and we all know what it does to our voices if we inhale some in from said balloons (although this is generally a bad idea as it can occasionally cause seizures and cerebral embolisms). But it has other uses: pressuring liquid fuel rockets; use in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); fueling radar-equipped blimps for the Drug Enforcement Agency and companies such as Goodyear; atmosphere and weather balloons; and superconductivity.

When does the next shipment arrive?
Probably never. As it happens, almost all of the Helium on Earth came about is the nuclear fusion that created the Sun so getting another shipment here would be awkward. A small portion comes from radioactive decay and a tiny bit more can be extracted from natural gas. There is, however, no practical way to manufacture large quantities. When the government realized this, it started storing billions of cubic feet of compressed helium in giant storage tanks.

Atomic Number: 2
Atomic Symbol: He
Atomic Mass: ~4

Of Interest...

+ Caligula's Ships of Nemi: For hundreds of years an enormous sailing ship and an enormous oared galley lay beneath the water of Lake Nemi near Rome. Mussolini made it possible to finally raise the two huge wrecks by using an ancient Roman waterway to drain the lake and rescued the ships. Discoveries included two kinds of ball bearings; two types of sophisticated bilge systems; exquisite bronzes; two modern-style anchors, one of iron and one of lead and wood; mosaic fragments and the enormous hulls. In 1944, retreating German Army torched the boats but there is film footage and photography and some pieces survived. View the reconstruction project at nemiship.multiservers.com.

Image credit: Peter Allen, University of California, Santa Barbara

+ Bioengineering - Everybody's Doing It: Biologists at the University of California, Santa Barbara, working with materials scientists have developed smart bio-nanotubes. In principle, a nanotube could encapsulate a drug or a gene, and then open on command to deliver the cargo where it would have the best effect. The tube's components play roles similar to skin and bone. The "skin" is a soap-bubble-like arrangement of molecules known as a lipid bilayer, akin to the bilayer that forms the cell's protective outer membrane. The "bone" is a hollow, cylindrical structure known as a microtubule, which is ubiquitous in the cell's internal cytoskeleton, the system of nanoscale struts and girders it uses for internal transport, structural stability and many other purposes. The researchers have found that when they combine the two components and control the conditions properly, open or closed bio-nanotubes will assemble themselves spontaneously. | Yale University has committed to focusing on specialized disciplines; as a result the biomedical engineering program is currently the most popular engineering major. Work being done at Yale right now includes biomechanics; biomaterials for immune system diagnostics; biomedical image processing and analysis; biomaterials, synthesis of new degradable polymers; tissue engineering; spinal cord repair; retinal regeneration; drug delivery for optic nerve preservation and repair; controlled drug delivery to the brain; polymers for supplementing or stimulating the immune system; cell interactions with polymers; and tissue engineering. | The mission of the National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (founded in 2000) is to "improve health by promoting fundamental discoveries, design and development, and translation and assessment of technological capabilities. The Institute coordinates with biomedical imaging and bioengineering programs of other agencies and NIH institutes to support imaging and engineering research with potential medical applications and facilitates the transfer of such technologies to medical applications."

+ Homo Erectus Skull Found Near Tbilisi, Georgia: Claiming them as the oldest human remains found outside of Africa, archaeologists in Georgia (the former Soviet republic) have unearthed a skull and some other fragmentary remains they say are approximately 1.8 million years old. This find provides further evidence that humans may have left Africa far earlier — perhaps half a million years — than scientists thought. The skull and fragments (including a jawbone found in 1991) were found about 60 miles southeast of Tbilisi. Unearthed this past Sunday, the skull has been sent to a museum for further study.

Image credit: NASA/GSFC/Chris Meaney

+ Newborn Black Holes Found: Scientists using NASA's Swift satellite say they have found newborn black holes, just seconds old, in a confused state of existence. The holes are consuming material falling into them while somehow propelling other material away at great speeds. These black holes are born in massive star explosions. An initial blast obliterates the star, yet the chaotic black hole activity appears to re-energize the explosion several times in just a few minutes. This is a dramatically different view of star death, one that entails multiple explosive outbursts and not just a single bang, as previously thought.

+ Parrots and Zero: Brandeis University researcher Dr. Irene Pepperberg has shown that Alex, an African grey parrot with a walnut-sized brain, understands a numerical concept akin to zero. The research findings, published in the current issue of The Journal of Comparative Psychology, add to a growing body of scientific evidence that the avian brain, though physically and organizationally somewhat different from the mammalian cortex, is capable of higher cognitive processing than previously thought. Chimpanzees and possibly squirrel monkeys show some understanding of the concept of zero, but Alex is the first bird to demonstrate an understanding of the absence of a numerical set. Lest you think this is nothing (Nothing — ha! Get it? Okay, nevermind.), the concept of zero was the last numeral to be created in most numerical systems, did not formally exist in Europe until the Middle Ages, and is an abstract notion that (human) children rarely grasp until around the age of four.