Wesleyan University

CT Department of Education
Awards MSP Grant
to PIMMS
PIMMS will work with three CT districts to develop teacher leaders during a 3-year Leadership Academy for Middle School Science.
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2006 Shackleton Symposium:
Manya -- A Living History
of Marie Curie
Susan Marie Frontczak presents a one-woman drama exposing the struggles and triumphs of Madame Marie Curie
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PIMMS to Conduct eesmarts™ Energy Education Workshops for Teachers

Wesleyan University’s Project to Increase Mastery of Mathematics and Science (PIMMS) has been selected by The United Illuminating Company (UI) and The Connecticut Light and Power Company (CL&P) to provide eesmarts professional development workshops for CT teachers regarding energy and energy-efficient behaviors and technologies.

eesmarts is an energy-efficiency learning initiative that is funded by the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund (CEEF) and administered by UI and CL&P.  The vision of eesmarts is to develop an energy-efficient ethic among all school age students in Connecticut, encouraging them to incorporate energy-efficient practices and behaviors into their lives at home and at school.  The program is supportive of the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT), Connecticut State Framework and the National Science Standards.  The eesmarts program offers packaged curriculum units, professional development workshops, Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and educational tours of the SmartLiving™ Center in Orange, Conn.  The eesmarts program’s products and services are available to teachers at no cost and all schools within both companies’ service territories are eligible to participate.

Tyfannie Mack, UI’s eesmarts Program Administrator indicated that “PIMMS is recognized as the premier supplier of professional development for teachers of math and science in Connecticut.  We are delighted that they will enhance the reputation of the eesmarts program.”  CL&P’s eesmarts Program Administrator Rebecca Meyer stated, “Our relationship with PIMMS will allow us to take advantage of their extensive contacts throughout the educational community to further the goals of the program.”

PIMMS’ overall objectives in the contract are to:

• Promote and execute CEUs and on-site Professional Development programs associated with the eesmarts program to Connecticut schools and teachers

• Provide services to effect adoption, proficiency of execution, and teacher evaluation of the eesmarts program.

Mike Zebarth, Director of PIMMS stated, “We are delighted to be selected as the eesmarts program professional development provider. The program is closely aligned with the new Connecticut State Framework for science and is a good fit with our new workshops for the state’s embedded curriculum tasks.  With science becoming a part of the CMTs in 2008, eesmarts provides a very economical means for districts to provide professional development in science for teachers.”

The CEEF was created by the Connecticut legislature to promote efficient energy use, help residents and businesses save on their electric bills, promote economic development, reduce electric demand and help reduce air pollution. UI and CL&P administer the CEEF through conservation programs that serve residential customers, including low- and fixed-income customers, as well as business and municipal customers.  Connecticut’s energy-efficiency programs are funded by the conservation charge on customer electric bills.  Additional information on Connecticut's energy-efficiency programs can be found on the Internet at www.CTSavesEnergy.org.

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The United Illuminating Company (UI) is an investor owned utility incorporated in 1899.  Its service territory of 17 towns includes approximately 320,000 customers in a 335 square mile area in Southern Connecticut, from Fairfield to East Haven, including New Haven and Bridgeport. 

The Connecticut Light and Power Company (CL&P) has been part of everyday life in Connecticut for more than 100 years, providing safe and reliable electric service to homes, neighborhoods and businesses.  With nearly 1.2 million customers in 149 cities and towns, CL&P is an active member in the communities it serves, offering programs in energy conservation, economic development and environmental education.

Wesleyan Signs Partnership Agreement With Connecticut Science Center                     

Wesleyan University has reached an agreement to partner with the new Connecticut Science Center (CSC). A team from Weselyan composed of Joe Bruno, Peter Patton, Billy Weitzer and Mike Zebarth engaged in discussions with staff from the new Science Center for several months to define mutually beneficial areas of cooperation. The agreement, signed by John Meerts and Dr. Theodore Sergi, President and CEO of CSC, provides for Graduate Liberal Studies Program credit for the Science Center’s Institute for Inquiry, a professional development program for Connecticut teachers of science. It also provides a framework for Wesleyan’s Project to Increase Mastery of Mathematics and Science to partner with the Center to deliver grant-funded professional development and to conduct PIMMS Fellowship programs.

Wesleyan Science and Mathematics faculty will collaborate with the Center in advisory capacities and will, on occasion, present seminars of public interest. The Center will also provide opportunities for faculty and students to work as docents once the center has opened.

To learn more about the CT Science Center, visit their website at

 http://ctsciencecenter.org/.

PIMMS - Wesleyan University
178 Cross Street 
Middletown, CT  06459
(860) 685-6454
pimms@wesleyan.edu