Exciting news to report here at the Battelle Center! We have received word from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) that our grant applications have been approved. That means a grand total of $1.439 million is headed our way to start work on three grants (1 with NIH and 2 with NSF). See below to read the full press release and hear more about the grants we will be working on.
Battelle Center awarded $1.439 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Ohio's March 2nd STEM Event at COSI: An Intern's Journey
The Ohio STEM event at COSI was really eye-opening. Seeing STEM initiatives in research is informative and it gave me an understanding of the scope of the programs around the country, but the experience of seeing all of Ohio's initiatives really put the number of initiative names on a computer screen into perspective. STEM education is not improved by these initiatives alone, and the Ohio STEM convention illustrated that the people who make up those initiatives are the true energy and the true passion driving Ohio’s STEM education forward.
For those of you who have not visited the COSI building - it's huge. Governor Strickland gave a speech in a conference room that could hold at least three private jets. The entire first floor lobby (just about as big as the assembly room) was used by the convention to display posters and computers detailing tons of programs all across Ohio. In the middle of the displays were all kinds of projects that students of the various initiatives had created, such as LEGO robots designed to skitter away as a simulation of a frightened animal. Most of the programs I had heard of, such as the Ohio Design Challenge project, and (of course) OSLN, but the sheer amount of people ready and willing to take up the STEM education cause was truly remarkable.
Governor Strickland and his coalition of university and local school district leaders announced a renewed state vigor to increase the quality and number of Ohio STEM teachers for the primary and secondary classrooms. The partners in education all converging on one stage highlighted the efficiency and accomplishment of all of the STEM collaborators there, and also highlighted the fact that STEM education movements have so many resources, both in communication and funding, that Ohio can only continue to pave the way for innovative thinking.
It just goes to show that you can read all the press releases, news updates, and program descriptions to understand the need for STEM, but only at a function like Ohio STEM can you understand the impact of better STEM education, and the number of people – from the powerful to the ordinary – that are dedicated to improving the education of students for years to come.
Friday, February 19, 2010
BC Inter Blogpost #2 - America's Problem
America has a problem – a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) problem. With a decline in STEM proficiency, our students may not be adequately prepared for the jobs of the future. If left un-fixed, this problem will impact our country’s ability to be a global economic competitor. Recent statistics confirm this threat:
On the 2009 Ohio Achievement Test, only 62% of eighth grade students scored at or above proficient in science, and only 71% were at or above proficient in mathematics. This means over 50,000 Ohio eighth grade students were not proficient in science and over 38,000 were not proficient in mathematics (Ohio Department of Education, 2009).
In 2009, only 36% of Ohio eighth grade students scored at or above proficient on the NAEP mathematics assessment. On the most recent science assessment (2005), 35% scored at or above proficient (National Center for Education Statistics, 2009).
Less than 15% of U.S. high school graduates have the mathematics and science proficiency required to begin pursuing an engineering degree (Norman Augustine, 2007).
In 2004, less than 31% of college freshmen reported plans to major in a STEM field (Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA, 2010).
Nearly 50% of U.S. college freshmen who enter engineering programs do not graduate with an engineering degree (Ohio Stem Learning Network, 2007).
The above statistics display our limited STEM proficiency and how this limited proficiency can impact student interest in the STEM fields. A drop in proficiency and interest will propagate the continued weakening of the STEM pipeline. Education, business and government leaders must work together to not only promote the need for basic proficiency in STEM, but also work together to encourage more students to pursue and stick with careers in the STEM fields. By improving the STEM education of future generations, the U.S. will remain a force to be reckoned within the global economy.
References
N.W., Washington D.C.: The National Academies Press.
Epstein, Jennifer. (January 17, 2010). Graduation Gaps for Science Majors. Inside
Higher Ed. Retrieved from http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/02/17/stem.
Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA. (January 2010). Degrees of Success.
HERI Research Brief. Retrieved from
http://heri.ucla.edu/nih/HERI_ResearchBrief_OL_2010_STEM.pdf
National Center for Education Statistics. Summary of NAEP results for Ohio
[Data File]. Retrieved from
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/states/Default.aspx
Ohio Department of Education. Ohio Achievement Test Assessment Results 8th grade
2009 [Data File]. Retrieved from
http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/DocumentManagement/DocumentDownload.aspx?DocumentID=69516
Ohio STEM Learning Network. (2007). Why Does the OSLN Matter?. Retrieved from:
http://www.osln.org/about-osln/why-osln-matters.php
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)