Second Early Childhood Institute Concludes
May 2006
Thanks to a generous grant from the
Braitmayer Foundation, PIMMS hosted a second cohort of teachers for the
2005-06 Early Childhood Mathematics and Science Leadership Institute,
drawing participants from Waterbury, Middletown, Meriden, Windham, and
East Hartford.
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MORE
PIMMS to Conduct Two MSP Program Grants
for 2006-07
The
Connecticut State Department of Education announced in January the
awarding of six grants in its Mathematics and Science Partnership (MSP)
Program. Two grants, totaling over $350,000, awarded to lead partners
Ansonia and Hamden Public Schools, will support PIMMS-directed
Mathematics Leadership Academies for middle and high school teachers.
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2005 Vanguard Book Awards
At the 2005 Shackleton Memorial
Symposium, Terri Clark, Tim Craine, Mari Muri, and David Scrofani
received Vanguard Fellows’ Book Awards in recognition of their
significant contributions to the improvement of K-12 mathematics and
science education in Connecticut.
READ MORE
Lorraine
Recognized for 30+ Years of Dedicated Service
Beginning her work in
the office of Wesleyan’s Provost while still a high school student,
Lorraine Karatkewicz shifted her allegiance to PIMM when that
organizations was founded in 1979, and has been our steadfast bulwark as
Office Manager throughout PIMMS existence.
2006 Shackleton Symposium Set for November 9
Manya -- A Living History of Marie Curie
by Susan Marie Frontczak
A one-woman drama exposing the struggles and triumphs of Madame Marie
Curie, an academically impassioned, vehemently private, fervently Polish
scientist, mother, and teacher.
From the Director's
Desk...
Once again, as the
academic year is drawing rapidly to a close, it is a pleasure to look back
on one of the most successful years in PIMMS long history. As
we reported in earlier newsletters, we were fortunate to receive nearly
$700,000 in grants for the year. Those grants allowed us to work with over
300 teachers in nine different programs. Each program provided a summer
institute, academic year institutes, and extensive coaching to improve
participants’ math and science teaching skills. We were able to purchase
more than $80,000 of teaching supplies, an average of over $250 per
participant. Additionally, the grants allowed us to register 330 teachers
for the regional National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
conference in Hartford this past fall.
In November 2005, we celebrated Bob
Rosenbaum’s 90th birthday in conjunction with our annual
Shackleton Memorial Lecture. The 2005 Symposium was an extended event in
honor of the 100th anniversary of Albert Einstein’s “Annus
Mirabilis,” the year in which he published three of his major works. We
were privileged to have Martin Klein, who is a renowned Einstein scholar
and professor emeritus at Yale University, as our headline presenter. The
event was co-sponsored by Wesleyan’s Physics Department with additional
funding from the Edward W. Snowdon Fund, NSM, and the Science Lecture
Series.
One of the more exciting developments this
year has been the establishment of a partnership with the new
Connecticut Center for Science and Exploration (CTCSE). This
partnership, which includes not only PIMMS but also the Natural Sciences
and Mathematics Division of Wesleyan University, will provide significant
opportunities for cooperative endeavors and, will allow Wesleyan faculty
to act as advisors for the Center. The CTCSE, scheduled to open in
2008, will offer innovative, hands-on exhibits and programs in its 140,000
square-foot facility located in downtown Hartford.
To date, PIMMS and CTCSE have collaborated on
a number of grant proposals and have established the basis for a new PIMMS
Fellowship program. PIMMS is also working closely with CTCSE in its GE
Foundation Inquiry Institute, a dynamic professional development
opportunity for Connecticut science teachers, funded through a grant from
the GE Foundation. In the future, we anticipate that Wesleyan will offer
Graduate Liberal Studies Program credit to participants in the Inquiry
Institute.
At the same time, we are eagerly collaborating
with the Ansonia and Hamden Public Schools to direct two Mathematics
Leadership Academies in partnership with 14 districts, Southern CT State
University, and the CT Academy for Education. These Academies are made
possible through grants awarded by the Connecticut State Department of
Education Mathematics and Science Partnership (MSP) Program. These
projects will bring participants to the halfway point to becoming PIMMS
Fellows. See PIMMS to Direct MSP Programs for more information.
Finally, it is with a note of sadness that we anticipate the move of our Founder, Chair and inspiration, Dr. Bob, from Connecticut to Colorado. While we know he will continue to be a guiding force for PIMMS and, more broadly, for Connecticut education through electronic communications and his frequent visits, we will miss his daily presence here at PIMMS House. Please make sure you read his note to us on that move elsewhere in the newsletter. -- Mike Zebarth, PIMMS Director
PIMMS Chair Only Semi-Defects to
the West
A letter from Bob Rosenbaum...
Dear Friends:
As our 2005 Christmas letter indicated, Marjorie and I have bought a small house in Delta, CO, to see more of our three sons and their families. The “boys” and their spouses all live close together on the Western Slope, and our grandchildren get back to that area as much as their schedules allow. An irresistible pull for us!
However, we can’t ignore the attraction of PIMMS and Wesleyan, so we have also bought a small house in Middletown, to replace the over-sized home in which we have lived for the past decade.
We plan to spend about half the year in each place, maintaining electronic communication the while. We’re not easy to get rid of!
Best wishes to all.
Bob Rosenbaum
PIMMS - Wesleyan University
178 Cross Street
Middletown, CT 06459
(860) 685-6454
pimms@wesleyan.edu