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Embry-Riddle and Campbell Middle School to Co-Pilot New Math/Science Enrichment Program
Daytona Beach, Fla. , May 24, 2007
Faculty from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Campbell Middle School in Daytona Beach, Fla., will collaborate on a special project at the middle school, called Piloting Your Future Through Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
The enrichment program, designed to increase students’ interest and success in math and science, will involve all sixth-graders at Campbell Middle School throughout the 2007-2008 academic year.
“Campbell is excited about participating in this project with Embry-Riddle,” said Vickie Presley, principal of Campbell Middle School. “It will afford our sixth-graders a greater opportunity to be immersed in the fields of math, science, engineering, and technology with a focus on increasing student achievement.”
During the summer of 2007, faculty and staff at the university and the middle school will develop elements of the program, which will be integrated with the sixth-grade math and science curriculum.
“The School District of Volusia County is committed to the goal of increasing student learning and achievement,” said Margaret Smith, superintendent of schools. “This motivational program will provide hands-on activities and experiences that make math and science exciting.”
Activities will include field trips by the sixth-graders to Kennedy Space Center, presentations by NASA astronauts, and a Rocket Day, when students will use Embry-Riddle’s flight simulators and laboratories. The students also will compete in a Science Olympiad at the local, state, and national levels, take part in the MATHCOUNTS enrichment program, and spend a day at Kennedy Space Center.
The program will culminate with a one-week, hands-on summer program in 2008.
“The proposal by Dr. Smith to bring Embry-Riddle to students in Volusia County is exciting,” said Joanne Detore-Nakamura, an assistant professor at Embry-Riddle. “Our research indicates that hands-on involvement with math, science, technology, and engineering can improve grades and increases the likelihood that students will continue their pursuit in college. By 2020, our next astronaut might well be a graduate of Campbell Middle School and Embry-Riddle.”
“This program should help Embry-Riddle in meeting its goal of increasing the percentage of women and minorities who enter aviation, aerospace engineering, and related fields,” said John P. Johnson, president of the university.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, is a nonprofit, independent institution offering more than 40 baccalaureate, master's and Ph.D. degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business and Engineering. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., and through the Worldwide Campus with more than 150 locations in the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The university is a major research center, seeking solutions to real-world problems in partnership with the aerospace industry, other universities and government agencies. For more information, visit http://www.embryriddle.edu, follow us on Twitter (@EmbryRiddle) and facebook.com/EmbryRiddleUniversity, and find expert videos at YouTube.com/EmbryRiddleUniv.
