Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Math, Science and the Future of Our Nation


Discovery Channel’s MythBusters Join Global Online Town Hall on Student Attitudes Toward Math and Science

Former Vice President Al Gore to moderate live interactive discussion connecting students from the US with those in countries that outperform them

Release Date:11/08/2010

(New York, NY) – Hosts of the Discovery Channel’s MythBusters, Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, will join former Vice President Al Gore, astronaut Sally Ride and inventor Dean Kamen during Time Warner Cable’s Global Online Town Hall called “Math, Science and the Future of Our Nation” on November 17, 2010 at 12pm ET.

This unique, first-of-its-kind town hall event will connect young people from the US with students from around the world, including Australia, China and Finland, and with internationally known science and technology leaders, for a discussion that will focus on attitudes among American youth toward math and science, and how to inspire and motivate them so they will be successful in a competitive global marketplace.

“There is never, at any time, any issue more important to this country than the education of its youth. We are thrilled and humbled to be involved in some way with this crucial initiative, and it has our full support," said Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, co-hosts of MythBusters.

Members of the public can join the discussion at connectamillionminds.com, where – using a new online broadcasting platform from Vokle - they can submit live video questions and comments from anywhere in the world in real time. A facilitator’s guide is available for those teachers and principals who would like to bring the conversation into the classroom by hosting a town hall viewing of their own. To access the guide, and for more information about Time Warner Cable’s Connect a Million Minds program or the global online town hall event, please visit http://www.connectamillionminds.com/.

About Time Warner Cable’s Connect a Million Minds Initiative

Time Warner Cable (TWC), the second-largest cable operator in the U.S., launched Connect a Million Minds (CAMM), a five-year, $100 million philanthropic initiative to address America’s declining proficiency in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), which puts our children at risk of not competing successfully in a global economy. Using its media assets, TWC creates awareness of the issue and inspires students to develop the STEM skills they need to become the problem solvers of tomorrow.

Program highlights include: original PSAs that challenge public perceptions of STEM; a unique website, http://www.connectamillionminds.com/, where parents and community members can pledge to connect young people with the wonders of science; “The Connectory”, a one-of-a-kind online resource that makes it simple and easy for parents and students to find informal science and technology learning opportunities in their communities; grants to support non-profit organizations that bring stimulating, high-quality and affordable after-school STEM learning to students; TWC employees, over 47,000 strong, who volunteer their time at community events like science fairs and robotics competitions, and share their passion for engineering and technology with students at CAMM career days. TWC’s national CAMM partners are CSAS (Coalition for Science After School) and FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). Local TWC markets are activating CAMM across the country with community-specific programs and partnerships.