Convocation on Rising Above the Gathering Storm to Feature AMSTEC's Response to NAS Report, September 28

The Alabama Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education Coalition (AMSTEC) will be presenting Alabama's response to the issues addressed in Rising Above the Gathering Storm.

To follow-up on the Rising Above the Gathering Storm report, released earlier this year, the National Academies is hosting a Convocation on Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing Regions, States, and Cities that will take place on September 28th in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the Convocation is to:

1. Convene leadership of industry, government, research, and education community from all 50 states and the federal government,
2. Share knowledge and encourage leadership of initiatives at the state and local level to strengthen U.S. competitiveness, and
3. Discuss current national proposals to respond to the nation's competitiveness challenge and their implications for states, localities, and regions.   

State and local policymakers; economic development, industry, and business leaders; K-12 teachers and school board members; university and college leaders; researchers, students, unions, foundations, and non-governmental organization representatives will particularly contribute to and benefit from the convocation workshops, state and regional breakout sessions, and general deliberations.  

Registration for the convocation is free and the event is open to the public. For more information and to register, please visit www.nationalacademies.org/gatheringstorm.

AMSTEC to Lead Stakeholder Speak Out at 2006 Congressional Black Caucus Education Braintrust, September 8

The Alabama Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education Coalition (AMSTEC) will be leading the Stakeholder Speak Out session that follows the Congresional Briefing that is part of Education Partners Ensuring America's Competitiveness on September 8.

The annual Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Education Braintrust Symposium will be held on September 8 in Washington, D.C.  The Symposium, entitled Education Partners Ensuring America's Competitiveness, is a complementary component of the CBC's Annual Legislative Conference, whose theme — Changing Course, Confronting Crisis, Continuing the Legacy — guides events throughout the week of September 6-9, 2006.

Since 1997 the Education Technology Think Tank has collaborated with the Congressional Black Caucus Education Braintrust, chaired by U. S. Congressman Major R. Owens, in the design and coordination of an annual symposium. The Education Technology Think Tank enjoys broad bipartisan support with further support by the White House, numerous federal agencies, major corporations, and professional organizations.

Each year, the Education Braintrust convenes diverse stakeholders from the sectors of public schooling and higher education, private sector, government, and community to:

• celebrate information exchange of research policy and practice;
• highlight exemplary TEC Champion Partnership Programs and Initiatives;
• honor Private-Public Partnerships and Pioneering Leaders who foster 21st Century Learning and Digital Opportunities addressing America's Competitive Challenge; and
• engage and empower youth as NetGeneration of Youth Cyberjournalists through a 2-day NetGeneration of Youth Leadership Academy

For further information, contact Dr. Ronnie B. Lowenstein at 202-262-1729 or rlowenstein@et3online.org.

Commission on 21st Century Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Holds First Meeting August 3-4

Seeking more than just another study highlighting systemic problems in U.S. education, the National Science Board's Commission on 21st Century Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics met in Arlington, VA, to outline specific needs of the nation in STEM education at preK-16. Recommendations include mechanisms to implement an "effective, realistic, affordable and politically acceptable long-term" approach, and "effectively employ Federal resources cooperatively with those of stakeholders," public and private.

In 2005 Congress asked the National Science Board to evaluate the need to reconstitute its 1982-83 Commission on Pre-college Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology. In response, the board held three public hearings nationwide to assess the need and interest within the STEM education community for a new commission. After reviewing the public hearing comments and testimony, the board established the commission on March 30, 2006, and soon thereafter announced its membership and chairs.

The full meeting agenda and other resources are available at www.nsf.gov/nsb/.

Center on Education Policy Releases Report: State High School Exit Exams

The Center on Education Policy has released State High School Exit Exams, its fifth annual report on the policy, practice, and effects of state high school exit exams in the United States.

The report, based on information collected from 25 states with current or planned exit exams, shows that exit exams remain a force in American education, and currently affect the majority of U.S. high school students. The report highlights actions taken in several states that were slated to begin withholding diplomas based on exam performance in 2006, and updates steps taken by states to create alternative routes and expanded options for students to receive diplomas.

The report is available at www.cep-dc.org/.

National Governors Association: Innovation America Initiative

At the National Governors Association (NGA) Annual meeting in South Carolina, NGA Chair Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano unveiled the NGA Chair's Initiative: Innovation America. This initiative highlights two areas that are critical to the nation's future success. "To be competitive as a nation, we must prepare our young people to meet the real demands of the job market," said Gov. Napolitano. "The goal of my Chair's initiative is to educate our students to be innovators, and to carry that spirit of innovation through their university experience and into the workforce. Math and science education teaches true problem solving skills that, in turn, will increase our nation's capacity for innovation in virtually every field."

As part of the initiative, NGA will:

• raise national awareness of the urgent need to embrace innovation as the U.S. path to maintaining competitiveness;
• share examples of best practices and provide a "tool box" of effective policies and strategies;
• present each governor with an economic profile specific to their state, including high growth innovation centers and science and math proficiencies;
• host regional learning labs and workshops to help states improve education in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math; and
• create new science and math academies to improve student achievement and grow a workforce in emerging occupations.

An Innovation America brochure (PDF, ~2Mb) is available for download at www.nga.org/files/pdf/06NAPOLITANOBROCHURE.pdf.

NASA Education Office Releases Education Strategic Coordination Framework

NASA Education Agency Goals

NASA's Education Office has released a new framework to work with the academic community to prepare the next generation of explorers and innovators. The Education Strategic Coordination Framework highlights agency content, people and facilities as the foundation for sponsored educational opportunities, while developing new non-traditional partnerships.

The framework identifies three priorities for NASA to work with academia, industry and informal educators to foster increased studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. NASA's education priorities include strengthening the nation's workforce, attracting and retaining students, and engaging America in NASA's missions.

Another key element of the new education framework is to involve partners and establish strategic alliances to work with NASA to inspire and engage the nation's youth.

The agency strives to reach students at every level in the education pipeline. NASA remains committed to engaging and retaining underrepresented and underserved communities of students, educators and researchers in its education programs.

Download a copy of the Framework (PDF, ~1.12Mb) at education.nasa.gov/pdf/151156main_NASA_Booklet_final_3.pdf

The National Academies: Technological Literacy of U.S. Population Not Well-Assessed

The federal government, state governments, and the private sector should develop tests and surveys to measure Americans' knowledge of technology, how they use it in their daily lives, and their ability to make informed decisions on issues involving technology, says a new report — Tech Tally: Approaches to Assessing Technological Literacy — from the National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council. Data on technological literacy could allow policymakers to better respond to people's concerns about technology and help educators improve technology-related curricula and teachers' education.

In reviewing nearly 30 surveys and tests that include questions about technology, the committee found that none adequately assessed people's knowledge and use of technology. Many of these surveys and tests — particularly those aimed at adults — determined participants' opinion or attitudes about technologies instead of their understanding of them.

New surveys and tests should be developed or existing ones should be modified to better measure technological literacy. The committee described how to assess three U.S. populations: K-12 students, K-12 teachers, and out-of-school adults.

The report can be downloaded at www.nap.edu/catalog/11691.html.

Related: Kentucky Teacher Survey of Critical Technologies, Kentucky Science & Technology Corporation, 2004

NSRC: Changing the Course of Science Education: A Symposium for Key Stakeholders in America's Future, October 29-31

The National Science Resources Center (NSRC) will be hosting Changing the Course of Science Education: A Symposium for Key Stakeholders in America's Future, a symposium designed for key leaders from business, foundations, scholastic and academic institutions, government agencies, and other organizations that have a stake in improving science education.

This Symposium will focus on ways of leveraging the involvement of myriad organizations in the education of our nation’s youth. Symposium participants are expected to:

• Develop a shared vision for effective science learning and teaching through hands-on, inquiry-based science lessons and visits to virtual classrooms
• Learn about research and best practices that support the vision, including research on how students learn and case studies of effective partnerships between business and K–12 school districts
• Explore ways in which each organization can become an active leader in championing science education reform
• Learn how to form effective partnerships for sustaining systemic K–12 science education reform

The symposium will be held at The Keck Center of The National Academies. For more inforrmation visit www.nsrconline.org.

Resources: National Energy Education Development Program and AAAS Forum: Science and Innovation for Sustainable Development

National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project
The mission of the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project is to promote an energy conscious and educated society by creating effective networks of students, educators, business, government and community leaders to design and deliver objective, multi-sided energy education programs. Started in 1980, the NEED Project is a nonprofit education association dedicated to promoting a realistic understanding of the scientific, economic, and environmental impacts of energy so that students and teachers can make educated decisions.

The NEED program includes curriculum materials, professional development, evaluation tools, and recognition. NEED teaches the scientific concepts of energy and provides objective information about conventional and emerging energy sources — their use and impact on the environment, economy, and society. The program also educates students about energy efficiency and conservation while providing tools to help educators, energy managers, and consumers use energy wisely.

NEED currently has programs in 45 states and the U.S. territories. These programs vary in size and scope and are funded by national, state, and local energy interests.

To learn more about the National Energy Education Development Project, visit www.need.org/.

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AAAS Forum: Science and Innovation for Sustainable Development
The Forum: Science and Innovation for Sustainable Development seeks to facilitate information exchange and discussion among the growing and diverse group of individuals, institutions, and networks engaged in the field of science and technology for sustainability. The Forum is a collaborative, virtual effort to draw together emerging ideas, relevant activities, key documents and web sites concerning science and technology for sustainability. This content is organized within a Framework that draws from the United Nations 'WEHAB' Framework, the Millennium Development Goals, and the set of Core Questions facing S&T for sustainability.

The Forum was founded in the belief that there is much more going on than meets most eyes involving the application of science and technology to sustainability issues. In this spirit, the Network for Science and Technology for Sustainability is an effort to help build a virtual community linking disparate scholars, managers, and decision makers, and to promote the sharing of knowledge, ideas, and goals among a community working on science and technology for sustainability.

Learn more about the Forum at sustainabilityscience.org/.

Upcoming Events

• 2006 Congressional Black Caucus Education Brain Trust Symposium, September 8
• Convocation on Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing Regions, States, and Cities, September 28
• 2006 Business Education Network Summit, October 4-6.
• 2006 International IdeaFestival, October 11-14.
• Idaho Summit, October 20.
• 2006 NSRC National Symposium on Science Education for Key Leaders, October 29-31

Barbarian Science

NASSMC has received a limited quantity of Executive Director Jim McMurtray 1999 book, Barbarian Science. These books will be sold with 100% of the proceeds going to NASSMC's general fund. The $20 cost includes shipping. Published by Town Square Books (the Jackson State University Press), Barbarian Science was originally written for marketing to universities offering courses in the literature of science through the English Departments. It later reached a secondary audience in colleges of education.

This short book (100 pages) is about science literacy in America and the need to make science accessible to the general population. The current national attention toward making science available to a larger population has made the book more timely now than when it was written. Barbarian Science has been used in universities across the country and is still sold in college book stores here and there.

To order Barbarian Science, please send your check, payable to NASSMC, at $20 per copy, to Deborah Jones, National Alliance of State Science and Mathematics Coalitions, 1840 Wilson Blvd., Suite 200, Arlington, VA 22201-3000.

Getting to Know the Periodic Table of Elements: Argon, Potassium, Calcium

ARGON
The name is derived from the Greek argon, meaning inactive. Argon was discovered in 1894 by Sir William Ramsay.

Argon is two and one half times as soluble in water as nitrogen, having about the same solubility as oxygen. Argon is colorless and odorless, both as a gas and liquid. Argon is considered to be a very inert gas and is not known to form true chemical compounds. It is used in electric light bulbs and in fluorescent tubes and in filling photo tubes, glow tubes, etc. Argon is also used as an inert gas shield for arc welding and cutting, as blanket for the production of titanium and other reactive elements, and as a protective atmosphere for growing silicon and germanium crystals.

Atomic Number: 18
Atomic Symbol: Ar
Atomic Weight: ~39

POTASSIUM
The name is derived from the English potash: pot ashes. Potassium was discovered in 1807 by Sir Humphrey Davy, who obtained it from caustic potash; this was the first metal isolated by electrolysis.

Potassium is never found free in nature. The greatest demand for potash has been in its use for fertilizers. Potassium is an essential constituent for plant growth and is found in most soils. An alloy of sodium and potassium (NaK) is used as a heat-transfer medium.

Atomic Number: 19
Atomic Symbol: K
Atomic Weight: ~39

CALCIUM
The name is derived from the Latin calx: lime. Though lime was prepared by the Romans in the first century under the name calx, the metal was not discovered until 1808.

Calcium, the metal, has a silvery color, is rather hard, and is prepared by electrolysis of fused chloride and calcium fluoride (to lower the melting point). Chemically it is one of the alkaline earth elements; it readily forms a white coating of nitride in air, reacts with water, burns with a yellow-red flame. Its natural and prepared compounds are widely used. Quicklime (CaO), which is made by heating limestone that is changed into slaked lime by carefully adding water, is the great base of chemical refinery with countless uses. When mixed with sand, it hardens mortar and plaster by taking up carbon dioxide from the air. Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body, constituting about 1.5-2.0 percent of body weight.

Atomic Number: 20
Atomic Symbol: Ca
Atomic Weight: ~40

[Sources for Getting to Know the Periodic Table of Elements: Chemical Elements.com, A Periodic Table of the Elements at Los Alamos National Laboratory, The Pictorial Periodic Table.]

Of Interest...

The Archimedes Palimpsest sits under plexiglass Wednesday, Nov. 3, 1999, at the Field Museum in Chicago. The palimpsest contains the mathematical treatises of Archimedes that were written over and made into a Christian prayer book in the 12th century. AP Photo/Beth A. Keiser

+ X-rays reveal Archimedes' hidden writings: Previously hidden writings of the ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes are being uncovered with powerful X-ray beams nearly 800 years after a Christian monk scrubbed off the text and wrote over it with prayers. Researchers at Stanford University's Linear Accelerator Center in Menlo Park have been using X-rays to decipher a fragile 10th century manuscript that contains the only copies of some of Archimedes' most important works.

+ Extinction of languages puts plants and animals at risk: The ears of linguists, anthropologists, and conservationists perked up with the recent announcement that the federal government will continue to support the digital documentation of languages on the brink of extinction. More than half of the world's 7,000 languages are endangered; many face extinction in the next century. Interestingly, the projects funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) could save more than just a few mother tongues. It might also protect plants and animals.

+ Baby brains wired for math: Next time someone complains about arithmetic being hard, math lovers can defend themselves by saying "even a six-month-old can do it." Through monitoring the brains of infants, researchers confirmed that infants as early as six months in age can detect mathematical errors, putting to rest a debate that has been ongoing for over a decade. A team of scientists from the United States and Israel exposed 24 infants to a videotaped puppet show. They used the puppets for addition and subtraction while observing the reaction of the babies.

+ Waterproof rice gene identified: Scientists say they have identified a gene that will allow rice plants to survive being completely submerged in water for up to two weeks. Most rice plants die within a week of being underwater, but the researchers hope the new gene will offer greater protection to the world's rice harvest.

+ Arctic Mars Analog Svalbard Expedition (AMASE) 2006: Scientists and researchers are spending two and a half weeks in Svalbard, an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean north of Norway. The objective of the Arctic Mars Analog Svalbard Expedition (AMASE) is to characterize the geology, geophysical features, biosignatures, and possible life forms of volcanic centers, warm springs, and perennial rivers, settings thought to be analogous to sites on ancient Mars.

+ Subtle math turns songs of whales into kaleidoscopic images: What do whale songs and wavelets have in common? Quite a bit, and the wavelets have nothing to do with water. In a Northern California studio, Mark Fischer, an engineer by training, uses wavelets — a technique for processing digital signals — to transform the haunting calls of ocean mammals into movies that visually represent the songs and still images that look like electronic mandalas.

Freshwater flatworms, called planaria, possess extraordinary regenerative capabilities by virtue of a population of stem cells they maintain throughout their lives. Researchers recently identified a key gene that maintains planarian stem cells. Credit: Ricardo Zayas and Phillip Newmark, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

+ Flatworms at forefront of regeneration research: Researchers have identified a gene in planaria–freshwater flatworms renowned for their regenerative abilities–that is key for maintenance of their stem cells. Because planarian stem cells share characteristics with those of humans, the work will aid scientists striving to understand how stem cells can be used to completely repair damaged tissues and organs.

+ NASA finds direct proof of dark matter: Dark matter and normal matter have been wrenched apart by the tremendous collision of two large clusters of galaxies. The discovery, using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes, gives direct evidence for the existence of dark matter. "This is the most energetic cosmic event, besides the Big Bang, which we know about," said team member Maxim Markevitch of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass. These observations provide the strongest evidence yet that most of the matter in the universe is dark. Despite considerable evidence for dark matter, some scientists have proposed alternative theories for gravity where it is stronger on intergalactic scales than predicted by Newton and Einstein, removing the need for dark matter. However, such theories cannot explain the observed effects of this collision.

+ Science reveals secrets of invisibility: Invisibility has long been a fantastical ability exclusively enjoyed by teenage wizards, super heroes and the ultra-advanced civilisations of science fiction. But more pragmatic-minded scientists and engineers now believe that invisibility-enabling technology may be within reach of lesser mortals as well. The key to that possibility is the development of increasingly complex metamaterials–manmade composites engineered on a nano scale with properties entirely different to anything found in nature.

+ Landscape influences human social interaction: Contrary to the old adage, green grass may make for better neighbors, not jealous ones. According to preliminary results from an ongoing long-term study of landscapes and human interaction, neighbors are more likely to be social when living among lush lawns. These results from six mini-neighborhoods in Phoenix may not bode well for the ongoing conflict between environmental and social wants.

Under strong magnetic fields and cold temperatures, magnetic order in barium-copper silicate emerges like pieces of a puzzle clicking into place. Credit: D. Griffin, Michael W. Davidson, Sara Vetteth and Suchitra E. Sebastian

+ Ancient pigment reveals secrets about unusual state of matter: More than 2,000 years ago, craftsmen in China created a fiery-violet pigment from barium-copper silicates that historians now call Han purple. Once prized by artisans for painting such icons as the Xi'an terra cotta warriors, the pigment is now finding new fans in the world of physics and may help guide future research into high-temperature superconductivity, quantum computers and other materials at the forefront of technological research.

+ Cosmic chemical complexity: In just two years of work, an international research team has discovered eight new complex, biologically-significant molecules in interstellar space using the National Science Foundation's Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) in West Virginia.

+ Flight tests confirm new technologies can help quiet the skies: According to recent flight tests involving NASA and corporate industry, new technologies can help silence jet aircraft, both in the passenger cabin and on the ground. The three-week flight test program, called the Quiet Technology Demonstrator 2, confirmed the effectiveness of a number of significant airplane noise reduction concepts. The tests were a cooperative effort between NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va.; The Boeing Company, Seattle; Goodrich Corporation, Charlotte, N.C.; and GE Transportation Aircraft Engines, Cincinnati. All Nippon Airways, Tokyo, Japan provided one of its new 777 airplanes for the test.

Sand-laden jets shoot into the polar sky in this view by noted space artist Ron Miller. It shows the Martian south polar ice cap as southern spring begins. Image Credit: Arizona State University/Ron Miller

+ NASA findings suggest jets bursting from Martian ice cap: Every spring brings violent eruptions to the south polar ice cap of Mars, according to researchers interpreting new observations by NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter. Jets of carbon dioxide gas erupting from the ice cap as it warms in the spring carry dark sand and dust high aloft. The dark material falls back to the surface, creating dark patches on the ice cap which have long puzzled scientists. Deducing the eruptions of carbon dioxide gas from under the warming ice cap solves the riddle of the spots. It also reveals that this part of Mars is much more dynamically active than had been expected for any part of the planet.

+ Mathematics, physics, and engineering applets: These education java applets include oscillations and waves; acoustics; signal processing; electricity and magnetism; electrodynamics; quantum mechanics; linear algebra; vector calculus; and thermodynamics.

+ Backward sunspot signals beginning of next solar cycle: On July 31st, a tiny sunspot was born. It popped up from the sun's interior, floated around a bit, and vanished again in a few hours. On the sun this sort of thing happens all the time and, ordinarily, it wouldn't be worth mentioning. But this sunspot was special: It was backward. "We've been waiting for this," says David Hathaway, a solar physicist at the Marshall Space Flight in Huntsville, Alabama. "A backward sunspot is a sign that the next solar cycle is beginning." Backward means magnetically backward.