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For more information on these science news and feature story tips, please contact the public information officer at the end of each item at (703) 292-8070. Editor: Bill Noxon Contents of this News Tip:
BURNING ISSUE WINS $25,000 FOR EIGHTH GRADE GIRLSThe most recent results of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) suggests that eighth grade students (and middle-schoolers) in the U.S. are still struggling with mathematics and science compared to their counterparts in some other countries. However, middle school competitors in the recent Bayer/National Science Foundation (NSF) Award for Community Innovation proved that many U.S. eighth-graders excel at applying their analytical skills to real-world problems. The competition gives middle-schoolers a hands-on experience in science and technology, with immediate relevance to their communities. Finalists showcased such diverse problem-solvers as motorized walkers for seniors, techniques for harnessing wind support in electrical generation and corrections to stubborn traffic problems. A winning team of eighth grade girls won $25,000 to implement their plan to turn grass into paper in the Pacific Northwest, thereby turning the annual bluegrass burn and its environmental toll into a cost-effective and environment-friendly alternative. [Mary Hanson] WINNERS OF PRESIDENTIAL EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AWARDS ARE NO FLUKESTeachers who win the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (107 teachers in grades 7-12 received their 1996 awards in Washington, D.C. June 26) share many similar characteristics in their professional practices that place them a cut above the norm. Horizon Research, Inc. recently surveyed previous winners of the award. The survey found that presidential award-winning math and science teachers are more than one and a half times as likely as their counterpart non-winners nationwide to encourage students to employ exploratory methods of problem-solving rather than rely on textbooks. Another survey of presidential winners from the last five years found that these teachers have a more active role than their professional peers in shaping the curricula of their classroooms. At the presidential teaching awards ceremony held at the National Academy of Sciences, NSF director Neal Lane credited honorees for tapping students' creativity in math and science through their own examples of leadership and ingenuity. The presidential awards are administered by NSF, which spends more than $600 million dollars, or 20 percent of its budget, annually on math and science education programs. [Bill Noxon] JAPAN IS ON TARGET TO DOUBLE R&D; BUDGETIn 1992 Japan adopted a goal of doubling its government research and development (R&D;) budget by the year 2000. It appears Japan is well on its way to accomplishing the goal, according to a new Issues Brief produced by NSF's division of science resources studies. The Japanese science and technology plan of 1996 suggested a massive accelerated investment of 17 trillion yen over five years, or about $74 billion. The plan remained intact despite a prolonged economic recession. The NSF brief summarizes Japan's ambitious plan to make it more competitive with other industrialized nations. The analysis shows that Japan's 1996 and 1997 R&D; budget increases "together effectively meet the desired level of growth" while for the last ten years "government sponsored research in the United States has been declining." [George Chartier] See the brief at http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/stats.htm
NSF is making a transition to new forms of electronic distribution of news materials. We will eventually replace the current "listserve" with a new Custom News Service. From the NSF home page, (URL: http://www.nsf.gov), you will be able to automatically sign up for and receive electronic transmissions of all materials (or those of your own choosing). NSF is an independent federal agency responsible for fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering, with an annual budget of about $3.3 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states, through grants to more than 2,000 universities and institutions nationwide. NSF receives more than 50,000 requests for funding annually, including at least 30,000 new proposals. Also see NSF news products at: http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/start.htm, http://www.eurekalert.org, and http://www.ari.net/newswise.
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