E2TEAMS CONFERENCE “Education Excellence”

1. E2TEAMS CONFERENCE“Education Excellence” Huntsville Association of Technical Societies (HATS) STEDTRAIN Program

2. SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION & TRAINING STEDTRAIN's Place in HATS and Committee Composition The STEDTRAIN Committee members are volunteers from the technical, business, military, and education professions.

3. HATS STEDTRAIN COMMITTEE • Purpose: To Promote Science and Technology Enrichment Programs for K-12 Grade Students in the North Alabama Area • Duration: Maintained a Seed Grant Program for Past 13 Years • Funding: The Program is Funded Primarily from TABES, Which Owes its Success to its Sponsors, Exhibitors, and Attendees, Supplemented by Donations from HATS Members and Others • Incorporated into the Education Directorate of HATS in 1997 as the STEDTRAIN Committee • Additional Information: http:/www.hats.org/STEDTRAIN/stedtr.shtml

4. PROBLEMS ADDRESSED • Hands-on Experiences are the Best Teaching Tools • Teachers Have Very Little Access to Materials and Equipment for Hands-on Approaches • Teachers are Often Overwhelmed by Technology Programs, Projects, or Expectations Imposed on Them • Supportive Internal and External Communities are Often Lacking in Most Schools • The Outside Community is, for the Most Part, Quite Uninformed and Uninvolved in K-12 Science and Technology Education

5. DESCRIPTION OF SEED GRANT PROGRAM • Call for Proposals to K-12 Schools in North Alabama Issued during the Early Part of the Year • The Requested Grant Amount Can Range From $200 - $1,000 • The Due Date for the Proposals is Toward the End of the School Year • Proposals are Evaluated and rated by Committee Volunteers according to Strict Criteria • Awards are Made in the August-September Timeframe • Grantees Report on Their Projects at Mid- and End-Term • Grantees Prepare Poster Displays and Give Brief Overviews of Their Projects at the Annual STEDTRAIN Mini-Conference (held in conjunction with E2TEAMS - TABES)

6. EVALUATION CRITERIA • Scientific and Technical Merit • Potential for Widespread Student Involvement • Compliance with Proposal Guidelines and Prior Grant Requirements • Innovativeness • School Need (as indicated by Government E-rate Rating) • Budget Realism • Activity Schedule Realism

7. TABES 2000 Poster Displays of Seed Grant Projects

8. HOW THE SEED GRANT PROGRAM ADDRESSES THE IDENTIFIED PROBLEMS • Teachers Conceive Their Own Projects • New Exciting Projects Generate Interest and Enthusiasm in Fellow Teachers and Parents • The Regional Nature of the Program Helps Rapid Diffusion of Technology Education and Resources Throughout the Region • STEDTRAIN Volunteers (mostly technical professional) Benefit the Teachers by providing Them with Technical Insights and Personal Interest • The Public Exposure that Grant Projects Receive at The STEDTRAIN Conference Helps inform the Outside Community about the Advantages of Teacher-Generated, “Hands-on” Science Projects

9. SOME RESULTS OF SEED GRANTS • A Teacher in an “On Alert” Elementary School Used Materials Purchased with Grant Funds for Math Instruction. Youngsters from Her Class Won a National Math Competition. Stephanie Cole, Lakewood Elem. • An “Amusement Park Physics” Grant Inspired a Middle School Math Class to Win a State Mathematics Competition. Jane Jones, Williams Middle • Teachers Who have Received Grant Awards Have Inspired Fellow Teachers to Apply for Their Own Grants. Mark Williams, Decatur City, Dorothy Moore, Athens Elem., Athens City, Cecil Nichols, Challenger Elem., Huntsville City, Meena Singh, Lakewood Elem., Jane Jones, Williams Middle

10. WHAT TEACHERS SAY ABOUT THE SEED GRANTS • “The Money Goes to a Good Use, Not a Bureaucracy.” Teresa Tarter, Bob Jones • “… it Brings the Community Together,” Sara Lowman, Westminster Christian Academy • “My Science Classes Have Been Envied by the Other Science Classes Here at School.” Lynn McQueen, Chapman Middle • “… The equipment Has Been Effectively Used to Make the Abstract Concrete. Students Have Expressed a New Excitement Toward Science.” Matt Dean, Buckhorn High • “… There were no Discipline Problems.” Dottie Main, Academy of Academics & Arts

11. FUNDINGK-12 EDUCATION 1988-2000 • K-12 HATS SEED GRANTS $ 60,048.00 • Educational Projects of HATS $ 12,775.00 Members & other Community Organizations Total $ 72,823.00

12. List of Donors • HATS (Major Contributor) • AISR Inc. • WESTAR • RAYTHEON • SEVERDRUP • AUVSI (ASSOCIATION FOR UNMANNED VEHICLE SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL) • SRS TECHNOLOGIES • SY TECHNOLOGIES • SOLE (SOCIETY OF LOGISTIC ENGINEERS) • DYNETICS • WFS (WORLD FUTURE SOCIETY) • REGIONS BANK • ROTARY CLUB OF GREATER HUNTSVILLE • HUNTSVILLE TIMES

13. SEED GRANTS FUNDING PROFILE

14. REPEATED AWARDS

15. SEED GRANTS AWARDS PRESENTATION Seed Grant Recipients for 2000 Teachers, Principals, and Students

16. STUDENT’S PARTICIPATION

17. STUDENT’S PARTICIPATION