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Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: Rensselaer Hosts ExxonMobil Bernard
Harris Summer Science Camp for Middle School Students
(M2 PressWIRE Via Acquire Media NewsEdge)
RDATE:18062008
Troy, N.Y. -- While schools around the Capital Region are ending the
year, a group of 50 middle school students are kicking their academic
interests up a notch by participating in the ExxonMobil Bernard Harris
Summer Science Camp at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. From June
15-27, Rensselaer is hosting the program that provides students with an
insider's look at engineering and other science careers.
Throughout the program, students work side by side with ExxonMobil
engineers and scientists as they conduct experiments, participate in
highly interactive projects and demonstrations, attend classes and
weekly field excursions, and interact with guest speakers.
This is the third year that former NASA astronaut Bernard Harris and
ExxonMobil are partnering to provide academic enrichment camps on
university campuses. The camps, which are free of charge, are offered
to middle school students who are academically qualified, recommended
by their teachers, and genuinely interested in math and science. The
program was expanded this year to meet increased demand and will reach
1,200 students at 25 college and university campuses across the
country, an increase from 900 students at 20 camps in the previous year.
Rensselaer was selected this year as a camp host because of its
long-standing commitment to math and science education and its efforts
to support and promote local community youth in these disciplines.
"Rensselaer is honored by the opportunity to host this year's
ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp," said Cynthia Smith,
assistant dean of students, director of pipeline initiatives and
partnerships, and the director of the program at Rensselaer. "More than
220 students applied for the program's 50 spots. Already we have seen
incredible enthusiasm and interest from our campers, sparked by the
connection between the exciting interactive experiments and field
excursions and the core curriculum taught by our highly qualified and
motivated teachers."
Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson has long warned of what she
has dubbed a "Quiet Crisis" in America -- the threat to the capacity of
the United States to innovate due to reduced support for research and
the looming shortage in the nation's STEM workforce. The impending
workforce shortfall results from a record number of retirements on the
horizon in the STEM fields, and not enough students in the pipeline to
replace them. "Our demographics have shifted in the United States,"
Jackson said. "The 'new majority' now comprises young women and the
racial and ethnic groups which, traditionally, have been
underrepresented in STEM disciplines. It is these 'nontraditional'
young people to whom we also must look for our future scientists and
engineers."
"Our country is facing a critical deficiency in students pursuing
engineering and science-related careers, which are the foundation of
innovation in the 21st century economy.
This, in time, could reduce today's technological advantages enjoyed by
the United States," said Gerald McElvy, president of ExxonMobil
Foundation. "At ExxonMobil, we are committed to helping increase
students' interest in these careers by giving them exposure to hands-on
math and science activities and introducing them to role models who
have achieved great success in their careers."
"Students in middle school today have had significant technology in
their hands since birth," said Harris, veteran of two space shuttle
missions and the first African American to conduct a space walk.
"The goal of the camps is to give them a first-hand look at just how
fun it can be to understand the wonders of how math and science play a
role in the electronics they enjoy every day. The expansion of the
camps was a direct result of high demand from students who wanted to
attend last year's camps," Harris said.
Rensselaer's larger effort to engage young people in STEM fields
include several "pipeline" programs: Black Family Technology Awareness
Day, to interest area young people and their families in pursuing
occupations in the fields of science and engineering; Exploring
Engineering Day, to spark the interest of Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts in
STEM fields; Design Your Future Day, to engage young girls in science
and engineering studies and professions; and Rensselaer's
Molecularium(TM) project to teach young children about the smallest
forms of matter, to name a few.
About ExxonMobil Foundation
ExxonMobil Foundation is the primary philanthropic arm of the Exxon
Mobil Corporation in the United States. The Foundation and the
Corporation engage in a range of philanthropic activities that advance
education, health, and science in the communities where ExxonMobil has
significant operations. In the United States, ExxonMobil supports
initiatives to improve math and science education at the K-12 and
higher education levels. Globally, ExxonMobil provides funding to
improve basic education and combat malaria and other infectious
diseases in developing countries. In 2007, together with its employees
and retirees, Exxon Mobil Corporation, its divisions and affiliates,
and ExxonMobil Foundation provided $207 million in contributions
worldwide, of which $70 million was dedicated to education. Additional
information on ExxonMobil's community partnerships and contributions
programs is available at www.exxonmobil.com/community.
About Harris Foundation
Founded in 1998, The Harris Foundation (THF) is a 501 (c) (3),
non-profit organization based in Houston, Texas, whose overall mission
is to invest in community-based initiatives to support education,
health, and wealth. THF supports programs that empower individuals, in
particular minorities and economically and/or socially disadvantaged,
to recognize their potential and pursue their dreams.
The Education Mission of the Harris Foundation is to enable youth to
develop and achieve their full potential through the support of social,
recreational, and educational programs for grades K-12. Through two
primary initiatives -- the Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp and Dare
to Dream -- the Foundation encourages math and science education,
motivates youth to stay in school, fosters youth leadership and
citizenship, as well as instills the values of responsibility,
fairness, and respect. To date, more than 2,500 K-12 students have
participated and benefited from THF programs. For more information, go
to: www.theharrisfoundation.org.
About Rensselaer
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1824, is the nation's
oldest technological university. The university offers bachelor's,
master's, and doctoral degrees in engineering, the sciences,
information technology, architecture, management, and the humanities
and social sciences. Institute programs serve undergraduates, graduate
students, and working professionals around the world.
Rensselaer faculty are known for pre-eminence in research conducted in
a wide range of fields, with particular emphasis in biotechnology,
nanotechnology, information technology, and the media arts and
technology. The Institute is well known for its success in the transfer
of technology from the laboratory to the marketplace so that new
discoveries and inventions benefit human life, protect the environment,
and strengthen economic development.
CONTACT: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
Tel: +1 518 276 6000
Jessica Otitigbe
Tel: +1 518 276 6050
e-mail: otitij@rpi.edu
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Copyright ? 2008 M2 Communications Ltd.
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