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Rita Ferrandino Attends White House Community Briefing on Education Issues

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WASHINGTON, DC – July 19, 2011 – Sarasota resident Rita Ferrandino joined roughly 150 Floridians at the White House on Friday, July 15th, as part of the Office of Public Engagement’s Community Leaders Briefing Series. Ferrandino, CEO of Science Companion’s publisher, Chicago Educational Publishing Company, LLC, is involved in a number of education and STEM Education advocacy organizations.

The Briefing Series is a unique opportunity for grassroots leaders to come to Washington to hear directly from White House officials on the issues that are affecting communities and to learn more about the President’s priorities and initiatives from the people that work on them every day. In return, the White House gets to hear directly what is going on in our communities. The goal of the program is to strengthen the dialogue between community activists and their government.

During the briefings, Ferrandino heard from a number of top administration officials, including Deputy Commerce Secretary and Tampa resident Francisco Sanchez and Deputy NASA Administrator Lori Garver. The session included an hour-long Q&A with top White House officials, during which Ferrandino stressed the need for investment in STEM education. Ferrandino also participated in a roundtable discussion with officials from the U.S. Department of Education. President Obama made a unscheduled stop after his press conference on the debt ceiling to address the community leaders.

“Each year, we lose more ground in our global competitiveness because we lag behind in STEM education,” said Ferrandino. “It is vitally important that we support our educators in providing the best STEM education possible, challenging them to help our children build their curiosity and comprehension.”

Rita with DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Shultz

“Most children only get about two hours of science a week in elementary school, despite studies showing that science learning must start early – both because it’s cumulative learning and kids fall behind quickly, and because by middle school, kids have already defined their interests,” continued Ferrandino. “If they don’t get any real exposure to science before that, they rarely find it engaging.”

While in DC, Ferrandino also attended a meeting held by Senator Bill Nelson and Representatives Ted Deutch and Frederica Wilson and Democratic National Committee Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz,. The meeting focused on key education issues, as well as including a discussion about the on-going debt negotiations. If you are interested in engaging and monitoring in activities at the White House, go to www.whitehouse.gov/engage where you can sign up receive e-mails directly.

The Science Companion team and reps had a great time in Philadelphia at our annual Sales Meeting…

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Can one man recreate an ecosystem and slow global warming?

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AP photo of semi-wild Yakutian horses from the Pleistocene Park

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Russian scientist Sergey Zimov is rewilding 40,000 acres of Siberia to promote research of the connections between permafrost, greenhouse gas emissions, and mammoth archaeology.  Click here to read about the Northeast Science Station and his work.

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What about what you can’t see?

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"A wood or heathland Ant, Formica fusca, holding a microchip" from Microcosmos by Brandon Broll.

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Brandon Broll’s Microcosmos: Discovering the World Through Microscopic Images from 20 X to Over 22 Million X Magnification features stunning images of what we can’t see with the naked eye – and may cause you to pause before lending your pen to someone during flu season.  You can see 24 images from the book, including the ant with microchip shown above, by clicking here for a post on melondymaker’s posterous blog.

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Bubbles erupt in the center of the galaxy.

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Bubbles – a “previously unseen structure” –  are erupting in the center of the galaxy, and scientists don’t know why.  Read about it from the New York Times here or from NASA here.

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HOPE

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The PSTA Annual Convention will be December 1-3 with the theme of Humans Observing & Protecting the Planet (HOPE).  This conference also offers several excellent field trips.  A tour of the Indian Echo Caverns will educate visitors about the Indian Echo Caverns geology, history, and limestone formations.   To see examples, you can check out pictures on their website photo gallery. The Indian Echo Caverns website also includes an article about the ecology of caverns and how what we do above ground affects what is below ground.

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If you’d like to take your students on a geological adventure, Science Companion offers a virtual field trip – a Virtual Rock Walk – to learn about the glaciated rock and sedimentary deposits of Indiana.  All of the virtual field trips offered on our website are free and are also posted on Scribd.  Or email us at team@sciencecompanion.com and we’ll gladly send you the PDF file through email.

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It feels like 12.3°F at MWOBS, but at least the views are stunning, if you can see the image from the  webcam video through the fog.

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So why are we visiting Mount Washington this morning?  Because today we tip our hat to the New Hampshire Science Teachers’ Association (NHSTA) and their excellent conference on October 24 & 25.  Day One included many field trip options, including one to the MWOBS Weather Discovery Center.

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The MWOBS website includes a photo journal archive with stunning photographs as well as webcams.  Looking at the photos spanning October 2010, we see the fall scenery transform into a snow covered landscape.  If you are ever in the area and looking for an adventure, the MWOBS offers educational day trips and overnight trips throughout the year. And for those of us not looking for adventure, the Mount Washington Museum educates visitors about the weather, geological history, and flora and fauna of Mount Washington.

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More from Sam and Molly in Nepal.

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On a Buddhist shrine, or stupa, you’ll see a pair on eyes on each side that represent omniscience.

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Sam and Molly spent an evening in Baktapur, a World Cultural Heritage Center.  Batkapur is located in the Katmandu Valley and is known for its strong culture and traditions.  The evening began with a town greeting and a parade of about 400 Americans and a band.  They enjoyed an outdoor dinner and beautiful cultural show.

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An Innovative Free Online Pilot Program!

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We know that both time and financial resources are limited for school districts these days. So, we are delighted to introduce an exciting new digital opportunity for you to try Science Companion materials at no cost, at a scale that is easily manageable.  And it’s high tech, too!

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Come to our Online Pilot Website and find:

• Sample lessons from eight of our modules.
• Conversation and support from content and teaching experts.
• Free digital teacher materials and student resources.
• Directions on how  to order  ‘lending library’ for kit materials.
• A pilot that will give you a rich taste of inquiry science but requires no more than a handful of classroom sessions.

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“I think this is an awesome resource for doing science.” Field Test Teacher

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There are a limited number of online pilots available, so contact us now to  find out how you can explore Science Companion at your pace, for free. (And, of course, we have traditional pilots available too. Just ask!)

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Click here to visit the Science Companion Online Pilot Website!

Email us at pilots@sciencecompanion.com for more information.

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We thought this image of the precise moment that a bubble pops was marvelous!

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For more about bubbles, check out our early childhood module, Rainbows, Color and Light!

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