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800 Fort Negley Blvd. Nashville TN 37203 615-862-5160 www.adventuresci.com |
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800 Fort Negley Blvd. Nashville TN 37203 615-862-5160 www.adventuresci.com |
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Adventure Science Center 800 Fort Negley Blvd. |
 Press Releases
March 2, 2006
THE ADVENTURE SCIENCE CENTER LAUNCHES INAUGURAL ‘SCIENCE AMBITION MISSION’Metro Students Selected to Explore Academic Opportunities at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in MarchContact: Amy Vineyard Shana Witherow - Adventure Science Center, in cooperation with Metro Nashville Public Schools and Southwest Airlines, will launch its inaugural Science Ambition Mission program this spring by sending 12 Metro Nashville Public School students to the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge for an on-site exploration of the school’s science and research programs from March 21 to March 24. This groundbreaking experience will show talented young science students many of the academic opportunities available to them and will encourage each to consider careers in science. The 8th and 9th grade students, each of whom will be accompanied by an adult, will tour the campus, visit the MIT museum, interact with scientists and MIT students, visit laboratories, and participate in lab activities. The program was developed by Kevin Caldwell who is a former Adventure Science Center volunteer, Hunter’s Lane High School graduate and current MIT sophomore. Caldwell, an Adventure Science Center educator and a Metro Nashville Public Schools representative will lead the excursion. Southwest Airlines is providing roundtrip tickets for each student, guardian and trip supervisor, for a total of 26 participants. "Southwest Airlines, Nashville's hometown airline, is proud to partner with the Adventure Science Center and Metro Nashville Public Schools. We look forward to Sharing our Spirit by providing airfare for these talented students," said Diane Cox, Nashville Marketing Manager for Southwest Airlines. “This is a terrific opportunity for students to experience the application of scientific principles and to see real work performed by scientists, students, and educators,” said Caldwell. “Our hope is that Science Ambition Mission offers concrete examples to students of scientific work in action, and encourages them to excel in school so that they’ll one day be able to take advantage of all the possibilities available to them.” More than 300 8th and 9th grade students were invited to apply, based on standardized test scores and exceptional classroom performance. A selection committee, made up of representatives from Metro Nashville Public Schools and Adventure Science Center, evaluated more than 120 applications, teacher recommendations, and student essays to select the 12 participants and 12 alternates. “We are eager to welcome Nashville’s students to MIT’s Edgerton Center, which has a rich tradition of offering hands-on learning and discovery activities to youth groups,” said Dr. J. Kim Vandiver, MIT Dean, Professor and Director of the Edgerton Center, which frequently hosts pre-collegiate students interested in science. “Our mission at the Center and at MIT is to make scientific thinking and ideas more accessible to young students by offering them an opportunity to visit, meet and talk with MIT undergraduates and professors about their studies.” On Saturday, March 11 at 10:00 a.m., Adventure Science Center will host a celebration of the launch of the Science Ambition Mission program for the 12 participating students, 12 program alternates, their guardians, local and state dignitaries, representatives from Southwest Airlines, and Metro Nashville Public School representatives. At the ceremony, Adventure Science Center will provide supporters and participants with detailed information about the program. The event will also give attending media an opportunity to speak with program coordinators, student participants and community supporters. “The Science Ambition Mission program is yet another way for Adventure Science Center to further our own mission to improve science education in Middle Tennessee,” said Ralph Schulz, CEO of the Adventure Science Center. “Exposure to opportunities in science education during this impressionable age will help keep young adults motivated academically throughout high-school and into college.” Adventure Science Center is pleased to announce the students selected for the program (below with grade level):
Bellevue Middle |