Archive for May, 2006

ASEE Workshop on K-12 Engineering Education to Aid Illinois Science Report Card

Posted by Sydney de Lapeyrouse on May 25th, 2006 | No Comments »

Many states in the U.S. are alarmed by news from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Science 2005 Report Card, released Wednesday – science proficiency appears to dwindle as students reach high school. One state fairly concerned with science education is Illinois. About 70 percent of Illinois 4th and 8th graders lack proficiency in physical, life and earth sciences, according to the NEAP results released Wednesday (4th grade snapshot, 8th grade snapshot). Illinois students performed worse than over half of the 44 participating states. The Illinois scores on the rigorous national exam stand in stark contrast to performance on the easier state science exam. Last year, nearly three-quarters of Illinois 4th and 7th graders passed the state science exam.

Ginger Reynolds, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning for the Illinois State Board of Education, argued that

The results are important and we will look closely at them, but our focus is on the state test because we know that teachers align their curricula to the state exams. The state test results show that our schools are teaching according to the learning standards that we have adopted as a state.

What can be done to improve the state of science education in Illinois? The American Society for Engineering Education has proposed one solution: a workshop on K-12 engineering education for Chicago-area K-12 science and math teachers to be held on June 17th in Chicago, IL. Teachers will have hands-on opportunities to learn how to implement K-12 engineering activities mapped to Illinois state standards and bring science and math alive for their students.

Learn more about the nation’s science report card from the Department of Education and the Chicago Tribune and what ASEE is doing to improve STEM education in Illinois at the ASEE Workshop on K-12 Engineering Education website.

Image courtesy of Purdue University

Filed under Education


H-Prize to Spur Hydrogen Fuel Technology

Posted by Sydney de Lapeyrouse on May 11th, 2006 | No Comments »

Ten million dollars is now at stake for engineers, scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs who create breakthrough hydrogen fuel technology in the next 10 years. On Wednesday, the House passed legislation creating the “H-Prize,” modeled after the privately funded Ansari X Prize on a 416-6 vote. A companion bill is to be introduced and is expected to pass in the Senate this week. H-Prize Act would award four prizes of up to $1 million every other year for technological advances in hydrogen production, storage, distribution and utilization. One prize of up to $4 million would be awarded every second year for the creation of a working hydrogen vehicle prototype. The grand prize of $10 million is to be awarded within the next 10 years for breakthrough technology.

Some argue that encouraging hydrogen as an alternative energy source is a mistake because engineers and scientists first have to find a source for extracting hydrogen, which is currently a difficult and energy-intensive process. Authorities would also need to develop a better infrastructure for delivering the hydrogen fuel. Currently, it is not easily transported, requiring very high or very low pressures in tanks or pipes which have yet to be installed on a large scale.

Despite these arguments, the H-Prize should still prove to be beneficial because it creates a real incentive to develop alternative energy sources by establishing a precedent for federally funded prizes of this nature. Read more about the H-Prize here and the Department of Energy’s current hydrogen initiatives here.

Image courtesy of evworld.com

Filed under The Economy


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