STARKVILLE, Miss.--Mississippi State will partner with nearby Red Hills Mine next summer to help science, mathematics and technology teachers in a 12-county area acquire real-world skills and high-tech resources they can pass on to their students.
Utilizing a grant of $197,600 from the Appalachian Regional Commission and another $21,500 from the Choctaw County mine, the university's Center for Science, Mathematics and Technology will conduct Project SMART July 11-22.
"These funds are an investment in our teachers and will impact students for years in the future," said U.S. Rep. Chip Pickering, who helped secure the ARC grant along with U.S. Sens. Thad Cochran and Trent Lott, all R-Miss.
Project SMART--Science and Mathematics Advancement and Reform utilizing Technology--will allow eight teams of three teachers each to participate in intensive technology training during a two-week workshop on the MSU campus and at the Ackerman-based mine, which is operated by Mississippi Lignite Mining Co.
"We are very pleased to partner with MSU in Project SMART," said Mike Thomas, manager of land, government and public affairs for the mining company. "It is essential that teachers possess the skills in science, math and technology that relate directly to the skills utilized in industry."
Targeted for participation in the program will be science, math and technology teachers in grades 7-12 from school districts in a dozen ARC-designated counties in Northeast Mississippi: Chickasaw, Choctaw, Clay, Kemper, Marshall, Montgomery, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Panola, Webster, Winston, and Yalobusha.
"Students in Mississippi classrooms will become the workforce of tomorrow," said Sandra Harpole, a physics professor and director of the MSU center. "It is critical that ARC counties use all available resources to attract industries that bring much-needed jobs and revenue.
"In today's knowledge-based economy, teachers must prepare students for the advanced technological careers that address the needs of industry," she added. "Teachers must possess those skills in science, mathematics and technology that are to be passed on to their students."
MSU co-principal investigators on the project are Darrel Schmitz, professor and interim head of the department of geosciences; and Giselle Thibaudeau, associate professor of biological sciences.
At Red Hills Mine, teacher participants will spend time researching the development and operation of a lignite coal mine--and an adjacent power plant, Tractebel Electricity and Gas--and learning how to integrate the technology into their classroom curricula. Each team will develop a presentation on a selected phase of the mining process and its impact on the community.
"The teachers must understand before they can be truly effective in passing that information on to students," noted Thomas. "Exposing and involving them in on-site research and exploration of industrial processes is an ideal way to accomplish this. Related equipment, technical support and follow-up will be provided to participants to ensure their success in the classroom."
Upon completion of the summer workshop, each team of teachers will be provided with a "SMARTcart" that can be used to conduct hands-on technology training in their respective classrooms. Each SMARTcart will include a laptop computer, SMARTboard, computer projection system, digital camera, printer, and mobile cart.
PASCO Scientific, a Roseville, Calif.-based company that designs, manufactures and services high-quality scientific equipment, will provide training in the use of sensors and curriculum materials that will be made available to the teachers. An MSU graduate student also will visit each team at least once a semester to support classroom implementation of the technology.
Project SMART links to and supports other projects in the area, including "BLUEPRINT MISSISSIPPI: A Business Approach to Mississippi's Future." BLUEPRINT is a private initiative designed to improve education and advancing economic development through a partnership among business, education and the government.
"SMART is an example of how a collaborative partnership between a private company and an institution of higher learning can enhance opportunities in science, mathematics and technology in ARC counties," said Colin Scanes, MSU's vice president for research and graduate studies.
SMART's design is based on successful projects operated by MSU's Center for Science, Mathematics and Technology. They include ARC's Regional Youth Entrepreneurship for Career and Research Exploration for Students and Teachers, as well as the National Science Foundation's Learn to Work, Research Experiences in Industry and Career and Research Exploration for Students and Teachers (CREST).
"We'll be doing some of the same things we've done in CREST and some of the other projects, in that we'll be doing real-world applications," said Harpole, who also is SMART director and MSU interim associate vice president for research. "The difference with this grant is that we'll actually be able to provide participating schools with the technology."
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