News - May 21, 2001
NSF PR 01-44 (NSB 01-102) |
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Dave Vannier |
(703) 292-8070 |
dvannier@nsf.gov |
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Science Board Honors the Bronx Zoo's Education Division for Public Service
The National Science Board (NSB), the 24-member policy body
of the National Science Foundation and advisor to the President
on national science policy is honoring the Wildlife Conservation
Society's Bronx Zoo, Education Division with the 2001 NSB Public
Service Award for organizations.
The society's education programs of the Bronx Zoo reach
thousands of students and teachers every year nationwide. They
serve as prototypes for many similar education programs at zoos
around the world.
"The reach of the Bronx Zoo's education programs is so wide,
and the impact is so dramatic, that we will see a whole new
generation of young people appreciating the life sciences and the
sensitivity of our environment," Eamon Kelly, NSB chairman, said.
"It's hard to imagine any organization more deserving of this
award."
The NSB award cited the Wildlife Conservation Society's
education activities in fostering awareness of science and
technology among broad segments of the general public, and for
engaging scientists in public outreach and ecological literacy.
The society's Bronx Zoo Education Division has been a leader in
many of these activities since its creation in 1929. It is now
the oldest such division of any zoological institution in the
nation. It was the first to use its resources to develop
comprehensive K-12 life science curricula and the first to design
hands-on teaching environments, while offering major national
workshops and instructional leadership seminars for educators.
In the mid-1980s, the society pioneered a classroom program
for grades 6-12 that used a focus on wildlife to capture
students' imagination and motivate them to pursue studies of the
life sciences. The program--WIZE (Wildlife Inquiry through Zoo
Education)--has been used in classrooms across the U.S. and in 13
other countries.
The Bronx Zoo subsequently developed three other life
science curricula, which span kindergarten through the 12th grade
and are used in every state in the nation. The zoo's Education
Division has received 17 awards for its curricular programs from
organizations such as the American Zoo and Aquarium Association,
the National Science Teachers' Association, and the U.S.
Department of Education. It was also the first zoological
organization to compete successfully for a major NSF grant in
curriculum development.
"We dedicate ourselves to being the most effective
conservation organization, protecting and promoting a world rich
in wildlife and wilderness," said Annette Berkovits, Senior Vice
President of the WCS Education Division. "WCS manages more than
300 field projects in 53 countries in addition to the award
winning environmental education programs for schools in the U.S.
and abroad. Our wildlife parks and centers bring in over 4.5
million visitors each year, leaving them the important message to
care about wildlife and wild lands and to participate in their
conservation."
Berkovits will be accepting the NSB organizational Public
Service Award at a ceremonial dinner on May 23 at the Department
of State in Washington, D.C.
The NSB's annual Public Service Awards were established in
1996 to recognize one or more individuals and an organization for
achievements in increasing the public's understanding of
scientific discovery and innovation, as well as for inspiring the
next generation of scientists and engineers.
The organizational Public Service Award has been bestowed on
the NOVA PBS series, "Bill Nye the Science Guy," also a PBS
series, and Science Service, the organization that publishes
Science News and sponsors other education activities and national
awards. The Bronx Zoo's Education Division is the fourth
recipient of the NSB honor.
The individual winner of the 2001 NSB Public Service Award
is Dava Sobel, author of the current best seller, Galileo's
Daughter.
For more information, see: http://www.wcs.org.