UNCA's NEMAC Hosts Chocolate Friday Bonus Session on Improving Science and Math Education

Chocolate Friday is a research and idea-sharing event sponsored by the University of North Carolina at Asheville's National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center (NEMAC). Typically, each Chocolate Friday features presentations from NEMAC staff, UNCA faculty, student researchers, and visiting professionals. The event is open to anyone who is interested.

And yes, chocolate is served!

A bonus Chocolate Friday event "Improving Science and Math Education" will be held April 4th in the Chestnut Ridge Room in the UNCA Reuter Center . America struggles with science and math education as well as technical literacy; too many students are deficient and too many teachers not well qualified. At the same time, schools are increasingly challenged; almost half the public school students in the South are now in poverty. As a result, American innovation and competitiveness is weakened. In Asheville and Buncombe County, employers -- such as Mission Hospital -- struggle to find mathematically competent employees and thus weaken our own innovation and competitiveness.

These talks demonstrate three approaches taken by UNC Asheville to address those challenges: a community-campus project, programs to improve the K-12 to campus linkage, and an innovative mathematics program for college students.

Civil Rights and the Algebra Project
Janet Moore, Director of Community Relations and Marketing, Mission Hospitals
Harry Harrison, Executive Director YMI Cultural Center; Former CEO, African American Museum of Philadelphia; VP Museum of African American History in Detroit.
An innovative approach to combining civil rights and numeracy was pioneered by Robert Moses, a civil rights veteran and organizer of "The Algebra Project." The Algebra Project seeks to impact the struggle for citizenship and equality by assisting students in the inner city and rural areas to achieve mathematics literacy. The project has successfully engaged students in higher order thinking and problem solving; as a result, the Project has spread through many states. On February 27, Mission Hospital funding and strong community support brought Robert Moses for a day and half of workshops and presentations. This presentation describes how this approach developed in the US and the potential application of similar numeracy initiatives here.

Improving STEM Education at UNC Asheville
Sam Kaplan, Associate Professor Mathematics
The National Academy of Science Committee on Science, Engineering and Public Policy has determined that improving mathematics and science education would vastly improve the pool of students interested in pursuing STEM disciplines at advanced levels and entering math and science related Þelds. Preparing the workforce for the 21st century is one of the NSF's 2008 budget priorities including programs that encourage student interest in STEM Þelds at all grade levels as well as programs that build bridges between PÐ12 and higher education.
This presentation describes ongoing efforts of the UNC Asheville Mathematics Department to work with the Asheville City and Buncombe County School systems to improve the problem-solving skills of its teaching staff, increase the number of UNC Asheville Math majors serving the schools and tutors, and bolster the math literacy of the Asheville area workforce.

NSF REU Students at UNC Asheville Perform Original Research in Mathematics
Patrick Bahls, Assistant Professor Mathematics
The UNC Asheville Mathematics Department is home to an NSF-sponsored Research Experience for Undergraduates summer site program. During the summer of 2007, eight undergraduate Mathematics majors from various colleges and universities nationwide came to UNC Asheville to perform original research in mathematics. Having been provided the opportunity to explore unsolved mathematical problems early in their academic careers, these students have been given a head start as researchers, fortifying their interest and proficiency in math research and giving them an edge in obtaining competitive offers from graduate schools. Moreover, they are now well on their way to joining in the international community of scholars in their field. This presentation describes the structure of the program and examines the experience of the first cohort of students to take part in it.

Stay tuned for more Chocolate Fridays in 2008!

March 28: Water Resources

April 25: Land Use Planning

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact Susan Weatherford (250-3890)

UNCA's NEMAC Hosts Chocolate Friday on Urban Sustainability

Chocolate Friday is a research and idea-sharing event sponsored by the University of North Carolina at Asheville's National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center (NEMAC). Typically, each Chocolate Friday features presentations from NEMAC staff, UNCA faculty, student researchers, and visiting professionals. The event is open to anyone who is interested. This academic year, Chocolate Fridays are scheduled to be held from 3:00 to 5:00 at the Asheville Chamber of Commerce in their Board Room, located on Montford Ave. The spring schedule includes a variety of themes, and will attract individuals from our greater community.

And yes, chocolate is served!

The second Chocolate Friday of 2008 is February 22 and features four presentations on Urban Sustainability: The Built Environment:

Sustainability in Asheville Policy Making

Robin Cape, Asheville City Council
How does a local city council member use sustainability as a decision making model for her votes on local policies? What does sustainability look like through the political lens?

The Contribution of Eco-Neighborhoods to Urban Sustainability
Bill Fleming, Westwood Cohousing Community
This presentation will focus on a path toward sustainability. Bill will discuss eco-neighborhoods and eco-villages as paradigm-shifting interventions in response to climate, energy, and water limits to growth.

Adding Up the Built Environment
Joe Minicozzi, Projects Director, Public Interest Projects
In assessing the built environment, especially with an eye toward sustainability, one has to be cognizant of the current practice of urban design and what one is shooting for in the built environment. Does policy and practice of city making meet the goals of the Asheville community and is it sustainable? Joe will present the work of the Asheville Design Center in addition to other works of planning and design to highlight the current practice of urbanism in the context of sustainability.

The Youth Climate Movement: Mobilizing for the 21st Century and Beyond
Ellie Johnston, Co-Chair of Active Students for a Healthy Environment (ASHE)
The youth of our nation are quickly becoming organized and stepping up to the challenge of global climate change. In the past year alone youth have mobilized in unprecedented numbers to fight against climate change and for a sustainable future. This presentation will overview the dynamics of the growing Youth Climate Movement as well as review some of its milestones at the national and state level, as well as on UNC Asheville's campus.

Stay tuned for more Chocolate Fridays in 2008!

March 28: Water Resources

April 25: Land Use Planning

WHERE: The Chamber of Commerce

36 Montford Ave , Asheville 28801

WHEN: 3:00-5:00 on Fridays
(check the schedule for upcoming days)

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact Susan Weatherford (250-3890)

NEMAC Hosts Chocolate Friday on Climate

Chocolate Friday is a research and idea-sharing event sponsored by the National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center (NEMAC). Typically, each Chocolate Friday features presentations from NEMAC staff, UNCA faculty, student researchers, and visiting professionals. The event is open to anyone who is interested. This academic year, Chocolate Fridays are scheduled to be held from 3:00 to 5:00 at the Asheville Chamber of Commerce in their Board Room, located on Montford Ave. The spring schedule includes a variety of themes, and will attract individuals from our greater community.

And yes, chocolate is served!

The first Chocolate Friday of 2008 is February 8 and features four presentations on Climate in Asheville:

A Vision for Asheville's National Leadership in Climate for the Public Good

Ron Gordon, Director for Economic Development, North Carolina Arboretum and Program Manager, Centers for Environmental and Climatic Interaction

The Centers for Environmental and Climate Interaction (CECI) is an emerging non-profit partnership between government, academia, and commerce that leverages the extraordinary assets of the Asheville region in translating the results of scientific observation and assessment into useful public tools for mitigating or adapting to predicted climate change. CECI seeks to create the resources and collaborative alliances needed to promote the critical mission of the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), to act as an honest broker of scientific information, and to influence the course of the national response to the emerging grand challenge of Climate Change Management. CECI is a HUB Alliance sponsored initiative that enjoys growing support from many government, academic and commercial partners to include NCDC, ORNL, UNCA (RENCI/NEMAC), TNCA, IGES, the Nicholas School (Duke), and John Hopkins Center for Genetics & Public Policy.

NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center – Climate Services and Drought

Tim Owen, Educative Officer, NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)

From its roots as the nation's official archive for climate information, NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) has emerged as a national leader in supporting climate services to a broad community of users and stakeholders. This presentation will outline the Center's current emphasis on climate monitoring, product delivery through web services, and its role in climate assessments at the national and international levels. NOAA's lead role in the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) will also be discussed.

Climate Change and Society Masters Program: An Asheville Graduate Center Update on the UNC Office of the President Planning Grant

Sandra Byrd, Assistant Provost for Graduate and Continuing Education and Associate Professor of Education, UNC Asheville

Dr. Byrd will lead an informal presentation and Q&A on the who, what, where and when of a future masters program on Climate Change and Society in Asheville.

A Most Convenient Truth: As global attention focuses on climate change, Asheville continues its efforts to attract weather, climate, and environmental technology companies to the area

Pamela McCown, Director of Marketing, Education and Research Services

The timing could not be better – Buncombe County and local leaders are actively marketing Asheville as the prime location for companies that wish to venture into the emerging climate-related business sector. As the home to NOAA's National Climatic Data Center, Asheville is positioned to be a prime location for companies that will develop products and services based on the data archived at NCDC. Education Research Services, the Buncombe County Economic Development Commission and others are working together to build the collaborations necessary to support such an economic base and to make Asheville attractive to relevant companies and government agencies.

Stay tuned for more Chocolate Fridays in 2008!

February 22: Urban Sustainability: The Built Environment

March 28: Water Resources

April 25: Land Use Planning

WHERE: The Chamber of Commerce

36 Montford Ave , Asheville 28801

WHEN: 3:00-5:00 on Fridays
(check the schedule for upcoming days)

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact Susan Weatherford (250-3890)
Here's a flyer you can download and hang in your office.