[Andrew Schuetze]

This announcement just came into my inbox from a science coordinator for the Texas Education Agency. If you live in or around the Houston Area, please consider attending this conference and look for opportunities to tell this blue panel committee that FIRST has a program with 14 years of experience attacking this very issue.

You are invited...
On behalf of The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas and Rice University's James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, we invite you to our upcoming conference:

Improving Math and Science Education: Texas Responses to the Gathering Storm
Saturday, October 13, 2007
7:30 am - registration
Baker Institute
Rice University
To attend, please register online at Bakerinstitute.org/education.cfm.
Featured Speakers:
US Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson
Rod Paige, former US Secretary of Education
Tom Luce, former Assistant Secretary, US Department of Education
The 2005 National Academies report "Rising Above the Gathering Storm" described how the United States is losing its preeminence in science and technology. One major fact is the diminishing quality of K-12 science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. In response to the report, U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson charged The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas (TAMEST) with developing a proposal for improving STEM education. Co-founded by Senator Hutchison and Nobel Laureates Michael Brown and the late Richard Smalley, TAMEST consists of Texas' Nobel Laureates and member of the National Academies whose aim is to strengthen Texas' research community. The goal of this event is to engage stakeholders in developing recommendation to make Texas a model state in efforts to enhance STEM education. Topics to be discussed include STEM teacher recruitment and skills training, creating a culture of intent on! the expansion of STEM education, and enlarging the pipeline of STEM students.

Agenda.pdf