CHATTANOOGA ENGINEERS CLUB
www.ChattanoogaEngineersClub.org
 
 
NEXT WEEK_________________________________________________
 
Monday, September 29 - 12:15 p.m.    
 
Topic: A Tour of UTC's New Engineering, Math, and Computer Science Building, Dr. Phil Kazemersky
 

  

    

  

        
Location:  UTC Campus, Corner of Vine and Palmetto Streets, Chattanooga, TN  37403
 
The Tour:  We will gather at 12:15 p.m. in the breezeway plaza that separates the two main portions of the building. Please wear comfortable shoes.  The tour will be finished by about 1 p.m.  For more information about the new building, please visit:  www.utc.edu/homenews/emcs.html.
 
Parking:  There will be 18 to 20 spaces available in the lot behind the building where members may park with a pass from Dr. Kazemersky. He will be waiting for you to give you the pass at our gathering place in the breezeway plaza.  Entry is from East 5th Street or Palmetto.  You are encouraged to car pool to the site since parking spaces are at a premium, especially at that time of day. You may also park at the parking garage (pay lot) on East 5th Street. Yet another, but time consuming option is to park at Engel Stadium.  From there you can take a shuttle bus that will let you off at the building.
 
 
OUR PREVIOUS MEETING_______________________________________
 
The complete meeting summary may be found at http://www.ChattanoogaEngineersClub.org/MeetingMinutes/CECMinutes092203.pdf
 
Laura Tew, the chairperson for Coalition for Mathematics and Science Excellence, is a volunteer.  She is the Director of Stakeholder Relations for Arch Chemicals and has worked in the chemical industry for 25 years.  Ed Colucci is also a volunteer for the Coalition for Mathematics and Science Excellence.  He has worked in Marketing for Tennessee Valley Authority for 23 years. 
 
The Mathematics and Science Coalition was formed in 2000 and is a liaison with the community in facilitating partnership and cooperation toward educational excellence in Math and Science.  There are many stakeholders and education support groups with common goals.  A total of 160 participated in three half day workshops held earlier this year.  The workshops were videotaped by students.  The participants were business people, government employees, educators, parents, and leaders of community groups.  In the first workshop, the attendees helped to identify the needs of the future of workforce:

 * Skills:  technological, communications, and second language proficiency
 * Personal characteristics:  self direction, positive attitude, adaptability, flexibility, openness
 * Global awareness
 
What is the current reality?  Where are we?  What are the gaps?  A panel of educators and a panel of business leaders discussed these questions during the second workshop.
 
During the third workshop, they established a path forward giving these recommendations to the coalition:

 * Build strong relationships; breakdown barriers; form effective partnerships between business and education
ü      Re-invent partners in education
ü      Ensure access by the classroom teacher to partnership resources
ü      Linking careers and jobs to the classroom
 * Inquiry based teaching and learning strategy at all levels
ü      Effective professional growth and development
Ed Colucci described in more detail the progress being made on one suggestion--to ensure access by the classroom teacher to partnership resources.  If classroom teachers need a career speaker, a science fair judge, a math tutor, want to schedule a tour of a manufacturing plant, or want to know about summer job opportunities for students, they need only link to one site for volunteers in our community and surrounding area.  The New Economy Institute is helping with this effort to get a database of volunteers ready for classroom teachers to use.  Ed handed out a 3-page form similar to a form that will be available soon on the www.educationequation.org web site.  Ed asked for suggestions to improve the form and also for volunteer information to begin coming in through these sample forms.  They would like the database to be populated with real volunteers when it is unveiled to the teachers in January. 
 
Resources already available on the website for Hamilton county teachers are located at: www.hcde.org/teachers/default.htm.  A link to these volunteer resources Ed Colucci described will be added.
 
Comments from the audience included:  The problems begin in 3rd - 5th grade when students don't get a good foundation of skills in reading, writing, and arithmetic.  Setting goals for the class of 2008 ignores the root of the problem and attempts to correct the problems that result.  A search of the www.hcde.org  web site indicates that some progress is being made in K-5, also funded through the NSF grant, using Everyday Math.  Many school systems are seeing results.  Here is a quote about success in Hamilton County:  "The latest TCAP Mathematics results from the 2001-2002 school year show an encouraging trend: the highest scores in the history of the merged school system. A Grade 6 teacher remarked that students who have followed the Everyday Mathematics curriculum are so much more able to think mathematically and in the abstract."
 
Respectfully submitted by Judy Driggans
 
 
FUTURE MONDAY MEETINGS_____________________________________
 
October 6:  The Soldier of the Future - Dr. George Fisher Jr., National Security Directorate, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
 
October 13:  (NO MEETING - In observance of Columbus Day)
 
October 27:  Technology-Based Economic Development - Greg Laudeman, GA Tech, Economic Development Institute

November 10:  Controlled Fusion - How Real?  How Soon?  Dr. Stan Milora, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
 
November 17:  Tennessee-Georgia Water Issues - speaker to be arranged by Sam Powell
 

WHERE WE MEET ____________________________________________
In October, we will be meeting at the Read House in downtown Chattanooga.  We may continue to park at the Days Inn on Carter Street (being sure to leave a notice on your dashboard that indicates you are attending the Chattanooga Engineers Club meeting).  A map showing the location of the Read House may be found at http://www.ChattanoogaEngineersClub.org/ReadHouse.gif .
 
 
QUESTIONS, SUGGESTIONS? ______________________________
If you have any questions or suggestions about program items please call Brad Baucom at 423-648-3582 or email him at baucombe@epb.net. You can find references to other Chattanooga Engineers Club members at our web site: www.ChattanoogaEngineersClub.org.