Leaders at the SENCER Centers for Innovation‒South and ‒Southwest are organizing a symposium hosted by Belhaven University Division of Science and Mathematics on Friday September 29, 2017, 11:00 a.m. ‒ 8:30 pm. This symposium is sponsored by the Mississippi Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and will focus on STEM Education in Mississippi: Issues and Innovations. Dr. Reid Bishop, Professor and Chair of Chemistry and Division Chair of Science and Mathematics at Belhaven University has initiated this effort to bring nationally known SENCER leaders to Mississippi to share their expertise with area STEM educators. Symposium events will take place in the Billy Kim Center on the Belhaven University campus in Jackson, MS.
You can download the meeting agenda here.
The keynote dinner speaker for this event, Dr. Catherine Middlecamp (University of Wisconsin‒Madison), immediate Past Chair of the ACS Division of Chemical Education and Editor-in-chief for several editions of Chemistry in Context, will address the audience on Teaching (and Learning) with Energy Food and Trash.
Drs. Karen Oates (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) and Stephen Carroll (Santa Clara University) will deliver plenary talks during the afternoon. Karen Oates will discuss innovative programs to strengthen science and engineering education. Stephen Carroll will focus on why SENCER works to engage students and transform learning. Following the plenary session, several nationally known SENCER leaders will present a series of concurrent talks on a variety of topics linking civic responsibility to various STEM disciplines and courses.
At 5:30 p.m. Dr. Garon Smith (University of Montana) and Cynthia Maguire (Texas Woman’s University) will perform their first-ever wizard show together on American soil, appearing as Garon the Wizard and the Mistress of Potions to deliver an entertaining science lesson for kids young and old. Garon has been doing wizardly chemical demonstrations since 1978; Maguire saw a need for a female role model for young girls and recently completed a wizard apprenticeship. In late 2016 the pair completed a 3-month tour of New Zealand where they delivered shows to nearly 4000 students. This portion of the symposium is sponsored by a partnership of eight student chapters of the American Chemical Society from public and private universities from across the state of Mississippi. There is no charge for the wizard show--all are welcome to attend this performance without registering for the symposium.
The opening session of the symposium will be a poster session where those attending are invited to present their work in teaching STEM and related courses in Mississippi. Poster submissions may be entered during registration. Costs vary from $45 for faculty and professionals/$15 for students who attend the entire symposium to $30 for faculty and professionals/$10 for students who attend only the dinner and keynote address. For more information, contact Claire W. Strebeck at cwaycaster@belhaven.edu or call 601.968.8966.