Embry-Riddle Hosts SECME Summer Institute

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Embry-Riddle Hosts SECME Summer Institute for K-12 Educators and Students

Educational Alliance Paves the Way for Diverse Student Populations to Succeed in Science, Technology, and Engineering in College

Daytona Beach, Fla., June 16, 2009 -- A crucial K-12 educators conference will take place at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University this month, infusing math and science instruction with hands-on, career-relevant activities that interest and educate minority and underrepresented students in majors and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Embry-Riddle and its College of Engineering are hosting the 33rd annual SECME Summer Institute June 22-28, bringing together approximately 250 teachers, administrators, university partners, corporate partners, parents, and students to participate in an array of workshops, classes, and special presentations.

SECME, which originally stood for Southeastern Consortium for Minorities in Engineering, is now known as SECME Inc. This nonprofit corporation links 37 universities in 15 states, the District of Columbia, and the Bahamas with nearly 50 school districts, including those in Volusia, Seminole, and other counties in Florida.

Michele Williams, SECME interim executive director, stated, “It’s our goal that every SECME school district partner with one of our prestigious member universities, and I can’t imagine a better opportunity for our teachers and students than to participate in the Summer Institute at Embry-Riddle, where a wealth of science and technology will challenge, inspire, and renew our SECME educators.”

Embry-Riddle is hosting this year’s Summer Institute, as it previously did in 2007, to demonstrate its continued commitment to diversity. That dedication was recognized in 2008, when the College of Engineering and the University Office of Diversity Initiatives won the prestigious ABET President’s Award for Diversity, presented by the national accrediting agency for engineering education.

“Embry-Riddle is the world's oldest and largest university specializing in aviation, aerospace engineering, and related disciplines. As such, we are happy to support the SECME participants,” said Dr. John P. Johnson, Embry-Riddle president. “SECME’s goal of promoting and mentoring a diverse population of students in their pursuit of engineering and technology degrees and providing an avenue for educators to develop ‘best practices’ in teaching and learning is certainly in keeping with our objective to develop the next generation of STEM leaders.”

During the conference, Embry-Riddle is sponsoring the SECME National Student Competitions that will culminate on June 27, when more than 100 middle and high school students will display their engineering design skills in robotics and mousetrap cars.

Guest speakers include representatives from Embry-Riddle, Clemson University, Pratt and Whitney, the Society of Automotive Engineers, and the University of Central Florida College of Education, a co-sponsor of the Summer Institute’s Teacher Academy and provider of continuing education credit for participants. Corporate sponsors of this year’s event include DuPont, ExxonMobil Foundation, John Deere, and Lockheed Martin.

The SECME Summer Institute consists mainly of multiple workshop offerings in which teachers will learn new and better ways to help K-12 students prepare for the study of science, technology, engineering, and math in college. Embry-Riddle will lead sessions on bringing aviation and aerospace into middle and high school classrooms, giving K-12 instructors tips on how to teach math and science to gifted girls and how to introduce physics experiments.

As part of their in-service during the Summer Institute, participating educators will work directly with curriculum specialists from their home-state departments of education to align their SECME programs with state standards for maximum impact and continuity in instruction.

Highlights of the Summer Institute include the following:

Teacher Academy (June 22-28)
Leadership Academy (June 24-28)
SECME Annual Meeting and Teacher of the Year Recognition (June 25)
STEM Workforce Pipeline Diversity Summit, an event that promotes further engagement of corporate and government partners in the enhancement of K-12 math and science instruction and postsecondary opportunities for diverse student populations (June 25-28)
SECME-ExxonMobil Scholarship Award Presentations (June 27)

In 2008, SECME African-American and Hispanic seniors scored on average more than 300 points higher on the SAT than the U.S. African-American and Hispanic SAT averages. Overall, SECME seniors scored 150 points higher on the composite SAT than the national average and 72 points higher on the math SAT than the national average.

Additional details and the 2009 Summer Institute schedule of events can be found online at www.secme.org.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering, educating more than 34,000 students annually in undergraduate and graduate programs. Doctoral programs in aviation and in engineering physics are pending approval by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) for the University to offer programs at the doctoral level. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Prescott, Ariz., and Daytona Beach, Fla., through the Worldwide Campus at more than 130 campus centers in the United States, Europe, Canada, and the Middle East, and through online learning. For more information, visit www.embryriddle.edu.