"Surge" of Interest in hybrid Volt.

A national media study conducted by HCD Research using its MediaCurves.com® website obtained viewers’ perceptions of General Motors’ Chevrolet Volt.

The Chevy Volt is a new hybrid vehicle expected to be released in September of 2010. And please bear in mind, this is GM, who was found "guilty" of killing the electric car ten years earlier.

Of 300 respondents who reported that they were likely to purchase a car in the next year 55% indicated that they would consider the Chevy Volt.
A majority of (79%) believe launch of new hybrid vehicle will benefit General Motors.

More in-depth results of the August 11, 2009, survey can be viewed here at
http://www.mediacurves.com/NationalMediaFocus/J7493-ChevyVolt/

But this seems like a perfect place to post They Might Be Giants' "Electric Car". The new album "Here Comes Science" will be available next month.

Americans Rank Space Exploration as Lowest Priority in Federal Budget

A study among 300 viewers of an interview with Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin. revealed that Americans believe that U.S. space exploration should rank as the lowest priority for federal spending compared to other national issues.

The study was conducted by HCD Research using its MediaCurves.com® website on July 16, 2009, to obtain viewers’ perceptions of an interview with Dr. Aldrin, the second man to walk on the Moon, during which he discussed the future of U.S. and global space exploration.

The study also revealed that 44% of Americans indicated that Russia is currently the leader in the global ‘space race’ compared to 41% who reported that the U.S. is in the lead. The majority of respondents (57%) agree that U.S. space exploration is headed in the right direction. But when participants were asked to rate on a scale of 1-7 national issues on importance with regard to what areas should receive the highest priority for federal funding, space exploration came in dead last (4.1), behind education, cancer research, energy supply and creation, environment/agriculture, and military expenditures.

More in-depth results can be viewed at http://www.mediacurves.com/NationalMediaFocus/J7463-Space/

SECME Awarded Grant for Model Solar System

The Education Foundation of Palm Beach County has awarded a $1,000.00 grant to our SECME club for ‘Planets, Proportions and Pottery,’ an interdisciplinary exploration of art, science, and math. Their scale model of our solar system will encompass public school campuses and community supporters across the county, starting with the ‘Sun’ at Seminole Ridge and expanding to sites at other schools and businesses to give students, parents, and the community a visual understanding of the vast distances involved in space exploration. For this project, students will use proportional mathematics and ceramics construction, working with NASA images to create in clay textures and patterns of continents and craters, then glazing their globes. The finished products, with captions and location graphics, will be viewable (at the appropriate ‘scale’ distance) in display boxes at feeder schools and SRHS business supporters—for example, ‘Earth’ at Lion Country Safari; ‘Mars’ at Loxahatchee Groves and Golden Groves Elementary and Western Pines Middle; asteroids at Pierce Hammock, Acreage Pines, Royal Palm Beach, and HL Johnson Elementary). To model the sun, SECME proposes planting an 86-foot circle of sunflowers in the center of our courtyard.

Summarizing SECME in a single sentence

Robots, rockets, and raising your GPA.

Seminole SECME 'Hawk Talk' newsletter Autumn 2009

In the Early Autumn 2009 issue of Seminole SECME 'Hawk Talk'
- Pew researches the public perception of science
- Seminole SECME starts a 'clean sweep' with its VEX robot
- Are YOU science-savvy? Take our quiz
- Seminole Student Signatures in Space this November
- our friend Mr. Edgecomb reaches a Turning Point

Click here to download a PDF issue of the Seminole SECME 'Hawk Talk' newsletter Autumn 2009

Seminole SECME Schedule, Winter 2010

(subject to change)

10/24 SECME Seminar at Seminole: Tech Rpt & Draw
10/28 SAE AWIN Glider challenge
11/4 water bottle rocket construction
11/11 No meeting
11/14 water bottle rocket construction
11/17 "It's Not Rocket Science" blood drive
11/18 water bottle rocket refinement
12/2 water bottle rocket technical report
12/9 water bottle rocket technical drawing
12/12 SECME Seminar at Seminole Ridge - bottle rockets, banners, bridges, brain bowls
12/16 water bottle rocket technical drawing refinement

The vision for SECME is to be a beacon and benchmark for excellence and equity in pre-college education. SECME (Science, Engineering, Communications, Math Enrichment) is a national organization established to increase the pool of women and minorities prepared to enter and complete post-secondary studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, thus creating a diverse and globally competitive workforce. High school student teams at the annual SECME Regional Competition designed vehicles powered by mousetraps, bridges that withstood pressure tests, and water bottle rockets that were launched and evaluated for distance

Seminole SECME Schedule, Fall 2009

(subject to revision)

9/2 Blow Out Kick Off!
9/9 SAE AWIN Motorized Toy Car
9/10 SECME Coordinator Meeting
9/16 MTVs design
9/23 MTVs design refine
9/30 MTVs technical report
10/7 MTVs technical drawing
10/14 MTVs technical report refine
10/21 MTVs technical drawing refine

SECME (Science, Engineering, Communication, and Mathematics Excellence) is a national supplemental program that promotes academic achievement for historically underrepresented students in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math, but it is open to all students who want to participate. The after school SECME club offers students many hands-on activities and project based learning challenges. In the annual Olympiad, students square off in engineering contests to design and build mousetrap cars, water bottle rockets, balsa wood bridges and VEX robots; in general knowledge games with the "Brain Bowl," and in literary and artistic competitions with essays, mission patches, banners, and posters.

SECME - Welcome back!

From : Wendy Spielman, K-12 Science Manager, School District of Palm Beach County

I would like to congratulate our SECME teams from Suncoast High School, Palm Springs Middle School, and Roosevelt Elementary School for their success at the SECME National Competition at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University this summer. Suncoast’s mousetrap car gave the other teams a run for their money as it traveled a record distance. Sadia Khan from Roosevelt Elementary School was selected as the National SECME poster competition winner. You can click the link below to view her poster. Palm Springs Middle School not only placed third at Nationals, but Dawn DeWitt was one of the top three finalists from across the county in the SECME National Teacher of the Year program. Again, congratulations teams!

If you have any questions about SECME, please email Bruce Wear. He will be serving as the SECME Coordinator this year. He is finalizing the SECME Calendar of Events this week and will be emailing it to you shortly. We look forward to seeing you at the first SECME Coordinator’s Meeting on September 10 here at the district office in the cafeteria. More details to follow.

Welcome back! Bruce and I look forward to working with you again this year.

National Poster Competition Winner Sadia Khan from Roosevelt Elementary (click link to view poster)

National Poster Competition Winner Sadia Khan from Roosevelt Elementary (click link to view poster) http://secme.org/home/docs/upcoming/2009_national_competition_winners.pdf