McLean, VA –Thursday, October 17, 2019 – The Center for Excellence in Education’s (CEE) Teacher Enrichment Program (TEP)– with sponsorship from Amgen Foundation, Boeing, Chevron, Citadel Global Equities, Arnold and Kay Clejan Charitable Foundation, Epic Systems Corporation, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Lockheed Martin, Micron Technology, Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, Parker-Hannifin, TE Connectivity, Thagard Foundation, Unum, the Virginia Department of Higher Education, Vulcan Materials, and The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation – held cost-free professional enrichment sessions for middle and high school teachers across the state of Virginia during the month of September.
“Thanks to our sponsors, CEE is currently engaged with teachers in seven states, including Virginia, offering professional development for teachers to build the U.S. workforce,” said Joann DiGennaro, President of CEE.
Teacher Roundtables were held in the Shenandoah Valley on September 10 and in Fredericksburg, Virginia, on September 24. Teacher Roundtables are forums to connect industry and academic representatives with teachers to create awareness of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career fields, the job skills required, and opportunities for their students to explore STEM subjects and career paths.
“Through TEP’s Teacher Roundtables, teachers connect with local companies, organizations, and universities to broaden their perspective of science and engineering in the classroom and learn about the wide variety of STEM careers and opportunities available to their students,” said Mariah Green, Director of CEE’s TEP program.
Attendees in the Shenandoah Valley Teacher Roundtable were in for a surprise. Arconic made a generous donation of $100 for each teacher who attended the Shenandoah Valley STEM Teacher Roundtable in Harrisonburg, Virginia. “Teachers will be able to use this money to purchase materials needed to conduct a STEM-related activity in their classrooms, further nurturing their interest in STEM careers,” said Ms. Green. Featured presenters at the roundtable were Calvin Johnson, Corrective Action Project Manager, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality; and Harpeet Panesar, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology, Blue Ridge Community College.
In addition to the Teacher Roundtables, TEP held “Bite of Science” programs in Roanoke, Danville, Richmond, and Hampton, Virginia. “Bite of Science” programs are designed to improve a teacher’s ability to provide students a context for how science is applied in the real world and inspire students to pursue careers of excellence and leadership in STEM.
Featured presenters at the “Bite of Science” in Roanoke were Sebastian Requena, Ph.D., Senior Optical Engineer, Elbit Systems of America; Whitney Shamley, Senior System Engineer, Elbit Systems of America; and John C. Chappell, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. Each presentation finished with a short hands-on activity, giving the teachers information and activities to share with their students. Nearly 2500 students stand to gain from this knowledge.
Companies and organizations interested in supporting this innovative program are encouraged to contact CEE.
About the Center for Excellence in Education (CEE)
CEE was founded in 1983 by the late Admiral H.G. Rickover and Joann P. DiGennaro, President of the Center. The Center's mission is to nurture high school and university scholars to careers of excellence and leadership in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and to encourage collaboration between and among leaders in the global community. CEE sponsors the Research Science Institute (RSI), the USA Biolympiad (USABO), and the Teacher Enrichment Program (TEP). For more information, visit CEE’s web site, https://www.cee.org
About Teacher Enrichment Program (TEP)
The mission of the Teacher Enrichment Program (TEP) is to assure a future talented and diverse U.S. workforce in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). TEP provides rural and urban underserved high school teachers the opportunity to connect with experts from industry and academia to explore cutting-edge research and make meaningful professional links with direct benefits for their students. Offering free teacher workshops enables TEP to assure a future talented and diverse U.S. workforce in STEM. TEP currently engages teachers in California, Florida, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Companies and organizations interested in supporting the nonprofit program are encouraged to contact CEE.
| Media Contacts: | Tom Flavell, (703) 448-9062 ext. 237 |
Related websites:
Teacher Enrichment Program: https://www.cee.org/teacher-enrichment-program
Research Science Institute: https://www.cee.org/research-science-institute
USA Biolympiad: https://www.cee.org/usa-biology-olympiad-usabo