Needed: Students interested in math, science

Salisbury Post, NC ^ | February 7, 2004 | Katie Scarvey

[Cincinatus' Wife]

The message at a technical symposium Thursday afternoon at Livingstone College was that this country needs to work harder to get children excited about math and science.

Participants discussed strategies to get this generation of young people into the math and science educational pipeline as early as possible so they'll be prepared to meet the nation's increasing need for math and science graduates.

Dr. Bernard Harris, a retired astronaut who was the first African-American to walk in space, participated in the panel discussion, which was moderated by John Hairston of NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

Harris told his predominantly African-American audience that they would be either slaves or masters in the 21st century, and that the choice was up to them.

"I want my children to be masters," he said. "Our slavery will be determined by our lack of initiative in our own communities."

The key to becoming masters, he said, is the three E's: exposure, experience and education.

"We need to change our mindset from consumer to producer, or we will be relegated to service jobs," he said.

We're falling behind in preparing our children in the STEMsubjects (science, technology, engineering and math), Harris said.

Nine out of 10 jobs will require skills in math and science Harris said. With a particular concern for the African-American male, he spoke of the need to develop local programs, supported by local funding and foundations.

"You're the one who knows what your community needs," he said. "My call is to engage you. The answer is in the leadership in this room."

Also participating in the symposium was Dr. Adena Loston, the associate administrator for education at NASA headquarters in Washington. Loston began her career with NASA in 2002 as the senior education advisor and is responsible for guiding efforts to organize and enhance NASA's education programs.

Loston spoke of growing up in Mississippi, where she watched the moonwalk on television. She laughed as she shared the memory of hearing some of her relatives say that the astronauts weren't really walking on the moon.

Her mission at NASA, she said, is "to inspire the next generation of explorers."

"That's actually in my job description," she said.

The country hasn't had a presidential vision for space exploration since John F. Kennedy's, she said. Today, however, under the current administration, there is a renewed commitment to the space program and a new vision for its future.

NASA's educational initiatives are committed to making a difference in the nation's communities and classrooms, she said. Livingstone College is now a part of that initiative through participation in its Science, Engineering Mathematics and Aerospace Academy (SEMAA).

Livingstone's SEMAA program, unveiled in 2002 and funded with a $450,000 congressional appropriation, is designed to increase participation and retention of K-12 youth, particularly those from populations that are underrepresented in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math.

Loston talked about some of NASA's initiatives, including the NASAScience and Technology Scholarship Program, which will be rolled out in the fall. Students awarded this scholarship will receive full tuition to public or private colleges if they agree to work for NASA for at least four years after graduation.

She also spoke of the importance of getting students into the science and technology educational pipeline and keeping them there.

Dr. James Johnson Jr., dean of the College of Engineering at Howard University, emphasized the importance of retaining students. "We begin to lose our students in the fourth to the eighth grades," he said.

He spoke of the necessity of keeping students interested and engaged, particularly in math and science. Practical applications of science and technology can help get young students excited about STEM courses and motivate them to take the classes that will give them a good foundation in math and science for college, he said.

Other speakers included W. Mamie Johnson, the project director for the Livingstone College SEMAA program; Dr. Decatur Rogers, dean of the College of Engineering at Tennessee State University; and Dr. Pangie Burns, visiting scholar at Livingstone College.

Keshia Leach, an African-American doctoral candidate in electrical engineering at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, offered students advice about how to navigate graduate school.

Participants emphasized partnerships between colleges and school systems, mentoring and community leadership efforts, all with the goal of inspiring the next generation to pursue careers in science, engineering and technology.

Contact Katie Scarvey at 704-797-4270 or kscarvey@salisburypost.com.

[Chris Talk]

I wonder if California's confiscatory taxes on millionaires, or hundred thousand aires for that matter, has something to do with it.

Here in Fla there is no state income tax, and property and other taxes much more reasonable as well.

I hate to see Californians come in though, they may make this the same kind of hell that C A L I F is!
O N I N L
M D V A
E E

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Companies do look for areas that favor their bottom line. However, employees will more than likely not be sending their children to local public schools.

[AmericanVictory]

In order to do something about it, we'd have to exclude teachers of math and science from contact with the teachers' unions and hire them from outside the educratic establishment so that they were responsive to parents.

[KangarooJacqui]

Heck, I was always INTERESTED in math and science, I just wasn't GOOD enough at either to enter those senior streams at high school...

[hotdogjones]

My friend who has a PHD in Physics is having a hard time finding stable regular work. The outsourcing that hit that IT industry hit the science community back in the 1970's, 1980's.

The US is loosing of the battle for Science & Tech invovation. It is very sad to see our nations resources being stolen without folks realizing what is going on.

The US won't wake up until another nation gets more advanced technology for weapons. I am afraid it will be China. I saw an article today that stated they are 3rd largest high tech exporter.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

In order to do something about it, we'd have to exclude teachers of math and science from contact with the teachers' unions and hire them from outside the educratic establishment so that they were responsive to parents.

As it stands now, parents need to have their children tutored for them to be proficient in math.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I just wasn't GOOD enough at either to enter those senior streams at high school...

Perhaps you just weren't given the tools.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Bump to post #20.

[wideminded]

A corrosive anti-intellectual culture exists in many American schools in which interest in math and science is considered "un-cool" and those who display interest in these subjects are derided as "nerds". Nothing coming out of Hollywood or shown on TV opposes this trend. It will continue to be hard to find students interested in math and science until this changes.

[Chris Talk]

That is even better, for the jobs will come into Fla, and yet no kids into the public schools to raise taxes and be taught to vote Democrat and be lesbians and gays.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Nothing coming out of Hollywood or shown on TV opposes this trend. It will continue to be hard to find students interested in math and science until this changes.

A space program returning men (and yes of course women and robots) to the Moon to stay and develop its resources will.

[KangarooJacqui]

I just wasn't GOOD enough at either to enter those senior streams at high school...

Perhaps you just weren't given the tools.

Perhaps not. In fact, definitely not. Alas, that is now Australia's (and America's) loss...

[I_dmc]

Our children face a future where they'll have the choice of paying 85% of their incomes in taxes to support the welfare state (if they're good boys and girls), or being one of the growing number of prison slaves, which will take over manufacturing in this country (if they're not good boys and girls). Now how interested in an education are they going to be, looking at that future?

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Read something inspiring.

MIT's Zuber [Meet the scientists on Bush's Space Commission]

[I_dmc]

Thanks. Had a bad moment there. Wouldn't it be so cool to watch Earthrise every "morning"?

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Earth Rise from the Moon's North Pole View from Clementine of the full Earth over the north pole of the Moon. Crater with central peak in foreground is Plaskett (110 km diameter). On the Earth, the continent of Africa is clearly visible and nearly cloud free.

[macrahanish #1]

Is that a rocket from Tripoli rocket club?

[Gefreiter]

Interesting. I took an MA in history (I saw the light and opted out of an eventual PhD). I had one seminar, half of the EUropean historiography sequence, with 3-4 people form the School of Ed. They were training to be teachers, and wanted a serious history seminar under their belts.

Lemme put it this way: none of them lasted to the end of the course.

In the Ed school as best I understand it, they do mostly group work and organizational work and not a too too much actual, you know, teaching a subject.

And that's where it starts: the teachers. By the time they get to the university, some students are woefully-WOEFULLY- underequipped to be successful.

[Capitalism2003]

2x + 3y = zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Piquaboy]

We really need teachers who are interested in teaching something besides how to put on a condom. Get rid of the NEA!