Ganas

Jaime Escalante, the Los Angeles math teacher who was the inspiration behind the 1988 movie Stand and Deliver, has died. Escalante died Tuesday, March 30, 2010 after a long battle with bladder cancer. He was 79.



Escalante’s push for students at Garfield High School to learn advanced math inspired Stand and Deliver. Edward James Olmos, who played Escalante in the celebrated movie, confirmed the teacher's death at his son's home in Roseville, Calif., to the Los Angeles Times.

The Bolivian-born educator became famous after the movie, which showed how he taught at-risk, inner-city students calculus and drove them to pass Advanced Placement Calculus tests.

"Jaime didn't just teach math. Like all great teachers, he changed lives," the Times quoted Olmos as saying earlier this month when he helped raise funds to pay for Escalante's medical bills.

"Jaime Escalante has left a deep and enduring legacy in the struggle for academic equity in American education," said Gaston Caperton, former West Virginia governor and president of the College Board, which sponsors the Scholastic Assessment Test and the Advanced Placement exam. "His passionate belief (was) that all students, when properly prepared and motivated, can succeed at academically demanding course work, no matter what their racial, social or economic background. Because of him, educators everywhere have been forced to revise long-held notions of who can succeed."

Escalante left Garfield High in 1991 and moved to a school in Sacramento. He is survived by his wife, two sons and six grandchildren.

Planetary Lander "Egg-Drop" Competition for Florida School

Competition to Take Place at Universal Orlando^® Resort

- Registration Deadline May 7, 2010-

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. (March 25, 2010) – Space Florida, NASA-KSC and the Florida Department of Education have partnered to provide an opportunity for Florida elementary, middle and high school students to participate in an innovative Planetary Lander ‘Egg-Drop’ Competition at Universal CityWalk^®, Saturday, May 29, 2010.

The competition is open to all Florida schools and home-schoolers, and invites Florida teachers and students to register teams through Space Florida. Each team will design and build their own Lander, in which a raw egg will serve as the payload and must survive a drop of nearly 20 feet (just as a real NASA Lander should on the Moon, Mars or an asteroid). Teams must build their Planetary Landers so that they can fit into a 10” x 10” x 10” container, and the Landers may be constructed of aluminum, plastic, wood and/or soft foam. Complete guidelines, prize information and judging criteria are available at Space Florida’s website. Prizes will be awarded in all three categories – Elementary, Middle and High School. Awards will be distributed on the day of competition and include:

• Free admission to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex for each of the three group winners, for the date of their choice


• Invitation to attend a Space Shuttle launch (arrangements to be made through Space Florida)


• One complimentary 1-Day/2-Park ticket to Universal Orlando for each member of the three winning teams


• A recognition plaque for each winning team


• Signed certificates from the event sponsors, including one copy for each student

NASA-KSC will provide FREE special Teacher Workshops on May 1 at the Center for Space Education Building in the NASA Exploration Station, offering NASA materials and guidance from aerospace professionals regarding the building of Planetary Landers.

“This is a wonderful, interactive opportunity for teachers and students – to get them excited about science and engineering experiences as they pertain to space exploration,” said Tony Gannon, Space Florida Director of Education. “All the partners – NASA-KSC, Department of Education and Universal are throwing their weight into this engineering project, so it will be an entertaining and rewarding experience for everyone.”

The deadline for Florida schools teams to register with Space Florida is May 7, 2010. Due to the enormous interest in this competition however, team leaders are advised to register ASAP. Applicants should apply for a Registration Package by contacting Space Florida Education Manager Emma Rader, at erader[at]spaceflorida[dot]gov

The Planetary Lander ‘Egg-Drop’ Competition is being offered to Florida students by Space Florida and NASA-KSC to help generate student interest in and promote their understanding of aerospace technology, engineering and mathematics, as well as increase their awareness of organizations that help promote the space industry.

Tickets into the Universal Orlando Theme Parks are not included in the registration fee; however, competitors may purchase discounted tickets directly from Universal Orlando Group Sales by calling 1-800-YOUTH-15. A special application form providing a discounted rate for this competition will be provided upon request.

About Space Florida: Space Florida was created to strengthen Florida’s position as the global leader in aerospace research, investment, exploration and commerce. As Florida’s aerospace development organization, we are committed to attracting and expanding the next generation of space industry businesses. With its highly trained workforce, proven infrastructure and unparalleled record of achievement, Florida is the ideal location for aerospace businesses to thrive – and Space Florida is the perfect partner to help them succeed. http://www.spaceflorida.gov/.

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SECME Songs & Jock Jams

Whoo-hoo! Two weeks to Olympiad! Let's Get Ready to Rumble!

Jock Jams, Volume 1

Master Teacher Mentors Announced for 34th Annual SECME Summer Institute

Posted by: Deborah Stewart- March 24th, 2010

District Teacher Among Eight Selected Nationally to Lead New SECME Mentoring Initiative

When educators from around the country convene at the 34th Annual SECME Summer Institute set for Clemson University in South Carolina this summer, Northboro Elementary School teacher Kisa Jarrett will not only be present, she’ll be serving as a SECME Master Teacher AND serving the SECME National Advisory Council—responsibilities that last throughout 2010-2011.

SECME seeds - grow diversity in STEM education!

(based on an idea from Shelby Weininger, Class of 2010. Thanks, S.)

Photorealistic Patrick

(based on an idea from CC Lindo, Class of 2010. Thanks, Patrick for posing. And thank you CC, Blaine, and Kevin)

10 Science and Math Applications for the iPod Touch

Science and math applications (Apps) for iPod Touch offer students and teachers excellent tools to help students spend more time learning science content in class and laboratory situations.

Although many Apps are loaded with ads and other distracting information, Dr. David Wetzel recommends several that are free of ads on his website http://www.teachscienceandmath.com/. Visit his site for more information.

iPod Touch Science Apps

LabTimer
ExoPlanet
Worlds Apart
USGS Seismic
NASA
iFormulas
Science Glossary
LabCal
Promega
Mild EleMints

Resource
All of these Science Apps are available from iTunes and are free.

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Math iPod Touch Apps

Math Tutor Lite
ePuzzle
ArithmeTick - Math Flashcards
Graphing Calculator
Pi Cubed Lite
Number Line
Fraction Factory
Freddy Fraction
Basic Math

Why we need SECME more than ever

U.S. Women and Minority Scientists Discouraged from Pursuing STEM Careers, National Survey Shows

PITTSBURGH, MARCH 22, 2010 -- Significant numbers of today’s women and under-represented minority chemists and chemical engineers (40 percent) say they were discouraged from pursuing a STEM career (science, technology, engineering or mathematics) at some point in their lives, according to a new Bayer Corporation survey.

U.S. colleges are cited by them as the leading place in the American education system where discouragement happens (60 percent) and college professors as the individuals most likely responsible for the discouragement (44 percent).

The U.S. K-12 education system falls short, too. On average, the survey respondents give it a “D” for the job it does to encourage minorities to study STEM subjects and a “D+” for girls.

The Bayer Facts of Science Education XIV survey polled 1,226 female, African-American, Hispanic and American Indian chemists and chemical engineers about their childhood, academic and workplace experiences that play a role in attracting and retaining women and under-represented minorities in STEM fields.

“If we want to achieve true diversity in America’s STEM workforce, we must first understand the root causes of underrepresentation and the ongoing challenges these groups face,” said Greg Babe, President and CEO, Bayer Corporation. “We want to knock down barriers. If we can do that, we’ll be able to develop the attitudes, behaviors, opportunities and resources that lead to success.”

2010 Palm Beach County SECME Seconday Olympiad

2010 Palm Beach County SECME Secondary Olympad schedule

Santaluces High map

We are going to meet in the lobby of the Auditorium located on the north side of the school at 8 AM.

Directions from I-95:
· Exit Hypoluxo Blvd. Go West approx. 2 miles to Lawrence Road (you will see the school on the north side of the road),
· turn north on Lawrence Road (light), go to the access road on the north side of the road, turn right,
· go to the second parking lot (student parking lot), park in front of the auditorium.

For more detailed directions, click on http://tinyurl.com/SeminoleRidgeHigh to Mapquest from Seminole Ridge High to Santaluces High School, 6880 Lawrence Road, Lantana, Fl.

Aviation History in March: March 16, 1926 - Robert Goddard launches first liquid propellant rocket

Aviation History in March: March 16, 1926 - Robert Goddard launches first liquid propellant rocket

Robert H. Goddard constructed and launched the first liquid-propellant rocket to achieve flight. The rocket, launched on March 16, 1926, at Auburn, Massachusetts, was damaged upon impact. The flight reached an altitude of 12 meters (41 feet), lasted 2.5 seconds, and covered a horizontal distance of 56 meters (184 feet).
Goddard experimented with liquid-propellant rockets before anyone else, but details of his work were so poorly known that he had little direct influence on later technological developments. Goddard recognized that liquid propellants could provide more energy for propulsion than an equal weight of gunpowder or other available solid fuels. In his earliest rockets, he placed the engine at the top of the vehicle and the fuel tanks below. However, he soon found that this "nose drive" arrangement was too unstable, so he placed the motor at the bottom, as in all modern rockets. Almost all of Goddard's liquid-propellant rockets burned liquid oxygen and gasoline.

Olympiad Appeal

Dear Community Partners,

President Obama said last January in a speech, “The nation that out-educates us today is going to out-compete us tomorrow.” On Saturday, April 10th, students from 13 middle schools and 11 high schools will rise to the challenge and compete in the Palm Beach County SECME District Olympiads to showcase their education. Students square off in engineering competitions: design and build model cars; bridges; VEX robots; and water bottle rockets. In addition, students compete in general knowledge games at the Brain Bowl; and in literary and artistic competitions with essays, mission patches, banners, and posters.

We are requesting a small donation for the 2010 Palm Beach County SECME Regional Competition. Your personal, business or organization’s assistance will help provide awards and incentives for students who are competing at this year’s Olympiad. All of the students in the contests attend schools in our community. Your assistance will help encourage these “gladiators of grey matter” to continue to strive for excellence in education.

Please consider donating $25, $50, $100 or more. It is an investment in our schools with immediate benefits for our SECME students. Any donation is very much appreciated.