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Gatton Academy Named Intel Schools of Distinction Finalist

April 18, 2012 | Academics, News, People, Staff, STEM Discussions, Student Success, WKU | No Comments

The Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky at Western Kentucky University was named a finalist in Intel Corporation’s 2012 Schools of Distinction Awards in the high school category for its excellence in science.

The Intel Schools of Distinction program recognized The Gatton Academy for its achievement in science, providing a rich curriculum incorporating hands-on investigative experiences that prepare students for 21st century jobs. The Gatton Academy’s program encourages student achievement in sciences and engineering, while simultaneously helping students become knowledgeable consumers of news and data in order to grow as engaged leaders and informed citizens.

The Gatton Academy is the first Kentucky school to become a finalist in the program since Intel introduced the program in 2006.  The other finalists in the high school science category are Boston Latin School in Boston, Mass., and Ossining High School in Ossining, N.Y.

“The schools selected as Intel Schools of Distinction are leaders in preparing their students to become America’s next generation of thinkers and doers,” said Shelly Esque, vice president of Intel’s Corporate Affairs Group and president of the Intel Foundation. “Intel is recognizing these schools as exemplary models of what can be achieved through hard work and innovation in the areas of math and science.”

The Gatton Academy, along with the 17 other finalist schools at the elementary, middle, and high school level nationwide, will receive a $5,000 award from the Intel Foundation and a trip to Washington, D.C., in September, when six schools will be named Intel Schools of Distinction. These six schools will each win an additional $5,000 from the Intel Foundation and a package of goods and services with a total value of approximately $500,000 split among the schools.

Dr. Tim Gott, director of The Gatton Academy, noted that it is an incredible honor for the school to be selected as an Intel Schools of Distinction finalist.

“It is a major affirmation of the work our students have accomplished over the past five years,” Gott said. “Our partnership with WKU has opened exceptional opportunities.  From exploring the micro-world of genomes to the macro-world of dark matter in the universe, the classroom and research experiences here have allowed students the chance to enrich their education in powerful ways. This environment continues to equip our students to be the future leaders in STEM fields.”

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The recognition by Intel is part of a growing portfolio of honors for The Gatton Academy.  Each year since 2009, the school has been recognized among “Public Elites” American high schools by Washington Post education columnist Jay Matthews.  In 2011, the Academy ranked fifth among all U.S. high schools in Newsweek’s annual survey of “America’s Best High Schools.”

Intel Schools of Distinction serve as outstanding examples of leaders in preparing tomorrow’s innovators, noted Corey Alderdice, the assistant director for admissions and public relations at The Gatton Academy.  Alderdice served as the lead author on the school’s application for the award.

“One of the unique elements of The Gatton Academy’s application was that our program serves as an extension of each of the commonwealth’s public high schools,” Alderdice said. “We are proud to offer an innovative curriculum within a residential program for many of Kentucky’s brightest young minds.  We take equal pride in continuing the good work of the educators from students’ sending schools, who have already done so much to challenge, inspire, and engage them.”

One of the six schools will also be selected as “Star Innovator,” will receive $25,000 from the Intel Foundation, and additional prizes and services from sponsors.

Intel’s sponsorship of the Schools of Distinction Awards is part of the Intel® Education Initiative, a sustained public-private partnership with governments in more than 50 countries. Through this $100 million a year initiative, Intel delivers programs which improve the effective use of technology to enhance 21st century skills and encourages excellence in mathematics, science and engineering. For more information, visit: www.intel.com/education.

For more information on the Intel Schools of Distinctions Awards visit: www.intel.com/education/schoolsofdistinction.

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By Corey Alderdice

WKU Receives $500K Challenge Grant for i4 Initiative

January 30, 2012 | Academics, Gifted Ed, News, People, STEM Discussions, WKU | No Comments

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WKU has received a $500,000 challenge grant from the James Graham Brown Foundation in support of the i4 Initiative, a new campus project emphasizing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in Kentucky.  Sue and Brown Badgett Jr. of Madisonville, Ky., have made a lead gift of $150,000 to support the program.

“The Center for Gifted Studies, the Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky and the Honors College at WKU are collaborating on this project,” said Amanda Lich, the Director of Development for the three related areas.  “The i4 Initiative seeks to promote a culture of innovation through a series of outreach and programming opportunities that instill a sense of the importance of STEM exploration, inspire Kentuckians to foster excellence and growth in STEM, and increase the capacity of high-ability students from middle, secondary and postsecondary populations to engage in these fields.”

The i4 Initiative comprises three main components.  First, the i4 Initiative will launch a statewide public relations campaign showing the power of STEM, the possible career options within STEM disciplines and the course to achievement.  An interactive website with STEM content, social media, a billboard campaign, and other vehicles of community outreach will be utilized throughout the Commonwealth.

Pathways to Innovation, the second element of the project, offers a three-part strategy to engage high-ability middle grades, high school and college students through existing and new WKU programs.  The Summer Program for Verbally and Mathematically Precocious Youth (VAMPY) will add three new Seminars in Innovation that focus on mobile applications development, invention and sustainability.  A Winter Colloquium in Innovation will be added to the WKU class schedule to take advantage of the three-week open period on campus where students from the Gatton Academy, the Honors College and other disciplines can focus on the start-up phase of innovative projects.  A lecture series featuring state and national STEM leaders and entrepreneurial thinkers will be held on campus.

The third facet of the i4 Initiative is the WKU Innovation Incubator that will serve the same role as a business startup accelerator, but will instead focus on students.  Access to the Incubator will be by competition, with students receiving a grant toward materials needed to produce a proof-of-concept.  The Incubator also will serve as a conversion point and outreach tool for younger students, with visits by elementary, middle and high school students for demonstrations and engagement.  The Center for Research and Development, home to the WKU Small Business Accelerator, will be hosting the WKU Innovation Incubator.

“The i4 Initiative is designed around the concept that students should be mentored to take charge of their future,” said Dr. Gordon Baylis, Vice President for Research and President of the WKU Research Foundation.  “As the late Steve Jobs pointed out, the only way to predict the future is to invent it yourself. The i4 Initiative prepares our students for a life of inquiry, inspiration, innovation and invention: it is a path to a bright future for us all. I am delighted that the Student Business Accelerator is an integral part of this initiative.”

WKU is in the process of hiring an individual to oversee the implementation of the i4 Initiative.  This individual will coordinate the public relations campaign and outreach activities of the program and will work to ensure that all facets of the i4 Initiative are effectively implemented.

Dr. Julia Roberts, Executive Director of The Center for Gifted Studies and the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky, said she is thrilled with the opportunities this grant offers.

“A culture that fosters and values innovation drives the economy forward and improves so many aspects of our lives,” Dr. Roberts said.  “We are eager to embark on the i4 Initiative and to explore ways to make innovation important in Kentucky schools and communities as well as at The Center for Gifted Studies, the Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky, the Honors College at WKU and Western Kentucky University.”

The James Graham Brown Foundation was established in 1943.  The Foundation, based in Louisville, was created by Brown to “promote the well-being of the citizens of Louisville and Kentucky.”  Since its incorporation in 1954, the Foundation has awarded more than 2,700 grants totaling nearly $463 million.  In early 2011, the Foundation announced it had allocated $2 million for its first-ever Higher Education Competitive Grant Program.  WKU was one of four higher education entities in Kentucky to receive funding.

The James Graham Brown Foundation will match $1 for every $1 raised up to $500,000 until Dec.1, 2013.

“We are so pleased to partner with WKU and the Brown Foundation to invest in the next generation of innovators in Kentucky,” lead donor Brown Badgett said.  “Sue and I feel strongly that nurturing and supporting the creativity of university scholars will reap benefits for the entire Commonwealth.  We look forward to what the future holds.”

Lich said WKU is excited for the opportunity to leverage the remarkable human and intellectual resources of The Center for Gifted Studies, the Gatton Academy and the Honors College in implementing the i4 Initiative through the support of the James Graham Brown Foundation, Sue and Brown Badgett and others.  In addition to the Badgetts’ lead gift, an additional $34,000 has been raised for the project.

The National Center for Educational Statistics (2009) reports that only 12 percent of bachelor’s degrees conferred in Kentucky are in STEM fields.  The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and The Kauffman Foundation found in The 2010 State New Economy Index: Benchmarking Economic Transformation in the States that Kentucky ranks 46th in the number of inventor patents issues, 43rd in the number of scientists and engineers, 43rd in the number of high tech jobs, 42nd in alternative energy and 42nd in venture capital.  In order for the Commonwealth to be competitive in this century, more engagement in the STEM fields must take place.

Contact: Rick DuBose, (270) 745-5404.

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By Corey Alderdice

Finding Ada, Creating Pathways for Young Women in STEM

October 7, 2011 | STEM Discussions | No Comments

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We like to celebrate a variety of weird and nerdy “holidays” here at the Gatton Academy.  From Pi Day to Mole Day and a host of minor celebrations in between, these moments present an opportunity to remind students about why STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is such an exciting field.  Today marks the day of which I’m the most fond: Ada Lovelace Day.  More than celebrating a number or measurement, this online event champions the work of women across STEM disciplines by honoring a true innovator who was way ahead of her time.

The Finding Ada website offers this brief summary of Lovelace’s life and work:

Ada Lovelace is widely held to have been the first computer programmer. Close friends with inventor Charle Babbage, Lovelace was intrigued by his Analytical Engine and in 1842, she translated a description of it by italian mathematician Luigi Menabrea. Babbage asked her to expand the article, “as she understood [it] so well”, and this was when she wrote several early ‘computer programs’. Ada Lovelace died of cancer at 36, her potential tragically unfulfilled.

Few were able to grasp the concepts Babbage pitched, but that didn’t stop Ada from testing the boundaries of thought.  More important–as you can see in the sentiment below–was her realization of the continual progress of science, the promise of future realization, and the simple fact that others would someday take up her work:

“Even in the utilitarian aspect, however, we do not doubt that very valuable practical results would be developed by the extended faculties of the Analytical Engine; some of which results we think we could now hint at, had we the space; and others, which it may not yet be possible to foresee, but which would be brought forth by the daily increasing requirements of science, and by a more intimate practical acquaintance with the powers of the engine, were it in actual existence.”

We’re certainly proud to do our part in the effort to train a new generation of young women who will be innovators, thought-leaders, and key players in the scientific discussions that will shape this young century.  Recent graduates like Sarah and Clarice are already making their mark. (I could easily fill this post with the great research and accomplishments of many of our female students.)  The Gatton Academy is also fortunate to have numerous female faculty members in Ogden College of Science and Engineering at Western Kentucky University who educate and inspire our students.  Programs on campus like Women in Science and Engineering and SKyTeach are doing great work with young women as well.

We’re not the only group in Kentucky who seeks to inspire young women.  Today is also a great day to talk about the Kentucky Girls STEM Collaborative.  In 2009, Kentucky Educational Television aired a panel discussion that included several Kentucky Girls STEM Collaborative members outlining the importance of encouraging participation in STEM career paths, highlighting challenges to STEM engagement, and providing an overview of Collaborative services and goals.  Participants reviewed factors that hinder girls’ involvement and success in STEM subject, including a lack of role models and the perception that smart girls are not socially successful. Panelists also outlined Kentucky Girls STEM Collaborative specific services, short- and long-term goals, financial aid available to Kentucky girls interested in the sciences, parents’ and teachers’ roles in the initiative, and much more. You can view the episode of Connections with Renee Shaw on the KET website.

There are other ways to get young women excited about learning.  The culture blog The Mary Sue offers their review of the new book Geek Girls Unite.  While tech geeks are somewhat of an afterthought, the book does remind girls that one should take pride in their interests.  She’s Such a Geek is also a fun collection of essays in which women “write about science, technology, and other nerdy stuff.”

Earlier this week, Boing Boing spotlighted an intriguing manga and novel series making the move from Japan to the US titled Math Girls (you can preview the forthcoming book here [PDF Link]).  Publisher Bento Books offers their take on what makes the book so exciting:

“Math Girls” is a very unique book, a young adult novel that is both a teen romance and an introduction to higher mathematics. There isn’t much out there quite like it, but Joe here at Bento Books once summarized it as “like Glee for math nerds,” and I think that’s a pretty apt description. The book covers a wide variety of topics in mathematics, from basics like how letters are assigned as variable names to quite challenging problems like finding a general term for the sequence of integer partition numbers.  The book is currently in its eighteenth printing in Japan, and has been one of the top 5 general interest mathematics books on amazon.co.jp since its original release in 2007.

XKCD, with their always thoughtful and acerbic wit, offer a bit of advice from Zombie Marie Curie about pursuing science and math not for the purpose of becoming the “next Marie Curie.”  Instead, do it for the following reason:

You don’t become great by trying to be great.  You become great by wanting to do something, and then doing it so hard that you become great in the process.

So… how can you celebrate today?  Celebrate the legacy of Ada Lovelace and thousands of women who have provided inspiration and innovation in STEM by saying thank you to a teacher who sparked your interest in science. Write a blog post about a lady scientist who is doing amazing work.  Tell people with pride that you love science and math!  You can even wear that pride with a t-shirt, the image of which it at the top of this post.

Most of all, celebrate by doing.

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By Corey Alderdice