Summit looks at future of math and science education in U.S.

The future of math and science education in America was the hot topic discussed by more than 100 Baltimore and Washington area pre-kindergarten-through-12th-grade teachers, policy-makers and researchers who gathered on the Homewood campus late last month for the third annual Johns Hopkins Education Summit.

Sponsored by the Johns Hopkins Council on K-12 Education and the Center for Social Organization of Schools, the daylong event focused on generating ideas to boost the country's math and science curricula, which aren't as rigorous as those in other developed nations.

In his opening remarks, President William R. Brody challenged the group to brainstorm ideas and reiterated the university's commitment to the cause. He asked the group to recall the 1960s "space race," the catalyst for that generation's mathematicians and scientists.

"We had exquisite science and math education in this country post-Sputnik," Brody said. "We need to reignite that spark. Careers in math and science might not be the most lucrative, but they can be the most rewarding."

The sessions featured interactive panel discussions using Hodson Hall Auditorium's remote-controlled polling feature, allowing attendees to weigh in with their opinions on how best to tackle the issues as 21st-century educators. Teacher recruitment and support ranked high among the many suggestions from the crowd.

 

Applied Physics Laboratory names Inventions of the Year

A device that will allow an amputee to control a prosthetic device with his brain, a mask that can detect an infectious disease before it spreads, a system that can predict the occurrence of dust storms and a next-generation micro-sensor that can help satellites perform multiple measurements have been named APL's Inventions of the Year. The annual awards event, held May 24 on the APL campus, showcased technologies submitted in 2005 that were developed by APL staff members.

Top inventions were selected by an independent panel of 25 representatives from industry and patent law, based on their benefit to society, improvement over existing technology and commercial potential.

Wayne Swann, APL director of technology transfer, and Steve Fritz, of the Maryland Technology Development Corp., presented plaques and cash awards to teams in the categories of Physical Sciences (the prosthetic device, developed by Protagoras Cutchis; and protein-detector mask, Joany Jackman and Nathan Boggs); Information Science (dust storm forecaster, Benjamin Barnum, Nathaniel Winstead and Raymond Sterner); and Innovative Contributions to Space (sensing detector, Kim Strohbehn and Mark Martin).

 

'Transatlantic' magazine focuses on new sources of energy

In its just-released issue, Transatlantic: Europe, America & the World, published by the Center for Transatlantic Relations at SAIS, focuses on "Discovering New Energy Sources." Among the highlights:

The magazine takes a detailed look at the energy policies — or the lack of comprehensive energy policies — in the European Union countries and the United States.

Joe Fitchett, Paris-based political correspondent for the International Herald Tribune, finds a conspicuous energy gap in Europe.

S. Frederick Starr, chairman of the SAIS Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, says that with the Caspian Sea pipeline, "the grounds for productive EU-U.S. collaboration in the area of Caspian energy are stronger than ever."

Sanim Vakil, assistant professor of Middle East studies at SAIS, explores the "nuclear brinkmanship" going on with Iran and the EU3 and the United States.

Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack speaks out on the advantages of ethanol in meeting the growing energy needs of the United States.

Editor in chief Robert Guttman looks ahead to the 2008 presidential contest to see which of the potential candidates has a coherent foreign policy.

For more about the articles in this issue or for subscription information, go to www.transatlanticmagazine.org.

 

Memorial service to be held June 23 for Catherine A. Neill

A memorial service will be held on Friday, June 23, for Catherine A. Neill, professor emerita of pediatrics at the School of Medicine. Neill died Feb. 23 in her native England at the age of 84. The service will be held from 3 to 4 p.m. in Hurd Hall, East Baltimore campus. A reception will follow in the Houck Lobby of the Phipps Building.

Neill was a student and first assistant of Helen Taussig, the trailblazing cardiologist who in the 1950s led Hopkins' "blue baby" team, which pioneered an open-heart surgery technique to repair congenital heart defects in infants. The technique led the groundwork for modern-day open-heart surgery.

Following Taussig's retirement in 1963, Neill became an interim director of the Division of Pediatric Cardiology at the School of Medicine.

She retired in 1993 after five decades at Johns Hopkins but remained actively involved in the hospital. Pursuing her lifelong interest in the history of medicine, Neill volunteered at the JHMI's Alan Mason Chesney Medical Archives until a month before her death.

A complete obituary is available on the Children's Center's Web site at www.hopkinschildrens.org/pages/news/ archivedetails.cfm?newsid=322.

 

Temporary changes in 'Gazette' deliveries over summer

Because vehicle access to the Homewood campus will be limited to a specific hour each day during the summer due to construction on the Decker Quadrangle, delivery times for The Gazette will be adjusted in many Baltimore locations.

All papers will, however, be delivered on their publication date; due to the biweekly summer schedule, they will appear on June 12 and 26, July 10 and 24, and Aug. 7 and 21.

Anyone with a delivery problem is asked to contact Alicia Campbell at 443-287-9899 or acc@jhu.edu.

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