Story Tips
August 2008
U of M professors help Mahtomedi schools buck statewide trends and achieve success in science
August 22, 2008
Recently released figures by the Minnesota Department of Education show that only about 40 percent of the state’s fifth-grade, eighth-grade and high school students can be labeled at least “proficient” in science, according to results from the Science MCA-II test administered last spring.
However, with the help of University of Minnesota professors Tamara Moore and Gillian Roehrig, the small northeast metro community of Mahtomedi achieved unmatched success in science education. Nearly 72 percent (549 of 764) of students tested in the Mahtomedi district either met or exceeded proficiency levels, the highest percentage in the entire state. This success can be at least partially attributed to the district’s implementation of an “Engineering and Leadership” program at the middle school and high school levels. Moore and Roehrig, professors in the university’s department of curriculum and instruction, were instrumental in the design and are assessing the ongoing implementation and results of the program.
Mahtomedi’s Engineering and Leadership program, which began in 2005, is designed to grow the interest of students in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. The program also serves to make the curriculum in those subjects more rigorous in order to prepare students for success in the 21st century.
Moore is taking leave from the university this fall to work in classrooms around Mahtomedi, while both Moore and Roehrig serve on a state committee that reviews state education standards.
Both can speak about science assessments and designing rigorous curricula, among other related topics.
To interview Moore or Roehrig, contact Ryan Maus at (612) 624-1690 or maus@umn.edu or Diane Cormany at (612) 626-5650 or dcormany@umn.edu.
U of M professor plays key role in central online geological map portal for the world
August 19, 2008
While Google has made it easy for anyone to see what our planet looks like from above the Earth, locating what lies beneath our feet is much more difficult. Geologists and computer scientists from more than 80 countries around the world are working together to make this data much more accessible through a new online Web portal called OneGeology. The project was recently presented to the 33rd International Geological Congress in Oslo, Norway.
Harvey Thorleifson, professor in the department of geology and geophysics at the University of Minnesota and director of the Minnesota Geological Survey, is one of the lead scientists for the OneGeology project. “OneGeology is a tool that seeks to pull geological data from researchers around the world into a single, easily-usable interactive map,” said Thorleifson.
The benefits of OneGeology may seem obvious to geologists but Thorleifson explains that the portal is useful to everyone. “We all rely on water for our homes and for industry,” said Thorleifson. “Locating clean groundwater requires knowledge of geology, and the basis for that knowledge are geological maps -- OneGeology will help make that map data accessible to anyone with a computer and an internet connection.”
The portal will be used for such things as understanding earthquakes, determining soil structure and helping to solve the problem of excess C02. It can be be viewed at www.onegeology.org.
To interview Thorleifson about the OneGeology project, contact Ryan Mathre at (612) 625-0552 or mathre@umn.edu or Drew Swain at (612) 625-8962 or dswain@umn.edu.
U of M alum and decorated World War II hero to visit campus
August 6, 2008
From England, down to North Africa, up to Sicily, over to Italy and then on to France and Germany. While it might sound like the itinerary for a splendid vacation, for one University of Minnesota alumnus, it was a very different journey. For most of World War II retired Maj. Harold Hicks, a 1941 graduate of the university's chemical engineering program, fought on nearly every front of the European Theater, earning him the rare European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal along with seven Bronze Stars.
Hicks will be on campus at 9 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 8 at the university Armory, 15 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis. He will visit and talk to the U of M Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) and hang the citation of his award in the Armory for permanent display.
“Considering the fact that there were only 16 campaigns from 1939 to 1945, completing seven of them without loss of life is miraculous,” said Major Mark Weber of the University of Minnesota’s Army ROTC Program.
With 1,000 World War II veterans dying every day, Weber says Hicks’ visit is an important recognition.
Media are welcome to attend the morning visit.
For more information on the visit, contact Drew Swain at (612) 625-8962 or dswain@umn.edu or Elizabeth Giorgi at (612) 624-0214 or egiorgi@umn.edu.
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