Science Generation: A National Imperative Summit at the American Museum of Natural History

NEW YORK, April 7, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- Science Generation: A National Imperative, a critical summit to address the urgent need to improve science education in the United States, will convene Tuesday and Wednesday, April 8 and 9, 2008, at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). The summit will seek to find new ways to jumpstart and accelerate cross-sector efforts to improve science education -- and science literacy -- in America. The Science Generation summit will bring together a wide range of nationally recognized leaders in education, business, philanthropy, science, media, and government to focus on achieving consensus on action, explore the roles of the various sectors and partnerships, and identify ways to advance change.

Nationally respected speakers at the summit will include Stephanie Bell-Rose, President, The Goldman Sachs Foundation; Tom Brokaw, NBC News; Shakira Brown, middle school science teacher, Promise Academy, Harlem; Robert Corcoran, President, GE Foundation; Dr. Rudolph Crew, Superintendent, Miami-Dade County Public Schools; The Honorable Bart Gordon, Chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee; Dr. Vartan Gregorian, President, Carnegie Corporation of New York; Robert Hormats, Vice Chairman, Goldman Sachs; Joel Klein, Chancellor, New York City Board of Education; Frank Luntz, Luntz, Maslansky Strategic Research; Dr. Cora Marrett, Assistant Director, Education and Human Resources, NSF; Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium, American Museum of Natural History; and Becca Robison, Founder, Astrotots.

American students have fallen behind their peers around the world in developing the essential capacity and skills to meet the needs of the 21st century, specifically in science. "Despite years of calls to action, there has been little improvement in student science achievement, or in the number of students pursuing studies or careers in science. Our nation, our families, our students need to realize that science isn't just a school topic. It's a life issue," said Ellen V. Futter, President of AMNH. "Every year that shows no improvement puts this country at a dangerous disadvantage as we fall further behind in our ability to confront the enormous science-based challenges facing the world." To help foster more excitement and interest in science, Futter said, "every sector of society -- government, business, philanthropy, schools, and cultural institutions-must be committed to this strategic goal and its successful implementation. A good launching point is science museums, where most parents introduce their children to the mystery and fascination of science, and where teachers can further nourish and develop interest in science."

Long a leader in innovative approaches to science education, and with a mission to educate the public about the natural world, AMNH is well positioned to help lead an effort to accelerate improvement in science teaching and science literacy.

Building upon existing exemplary recommendations, practices, and programs, Science Generation seeks to engage new leadership, mobilize new resources, identify the "tipping point" of specific proposals to stimulate change and achieve scale, and direct educational and public efforts to maximum effect. During an interactive town hall-style session with Frank Luntz of Luntz, Maslansky Strategic Research and Tom Brokaw of NBC News, summit participants will explore new, more effective ways to tell the science education story.

The American Museum of Natural History gratefully acknowledges support for this event from presenting sponsor The Goldman Sachs Foundation and from principal sponsors Carnegie Corporation of New York and the GE Foundation, as well as additional support from Shell Oil Company.

Other key partners in the development of this summit are NASA, NOAA, the National Science Foundation, the New York City Department of Education, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Science Teachers Association, the Council of the Great City Schools, The Field Museum, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and the Zoological Society of Florida at the Miami MetroZoo.

Preliminary results of this summit will be available at the conclusion of the event.

    Panel Topics Include:

    Establishing Priorities for the Future: How Are the Needs of 21st-Century
    America Different from Those of the Past?

    Rowing Together: Building Consensus and Action across Sectors

    Achieving Excellence and Equity: The Debate over National Standards

    Science Generation: Talking Back: Interactive Luncheon Session with
    Parents and Students

    Making It Happen: Leadership and Cross-Sector Partnerships

    Inspiring the Science Generation: Science and the American Imagination


    Panel Speakers Include:

    John Abele, Retired Founder/Chairman, Boston Scientific Corporation, and
    Chairman, FIRST

    Natalie Angier, Science Columnist, The New York Times, and author, The
    Canon

    Stephanie Bell-Rose, President, The Goldman Sachs Foundation

    Tom Brokaw, NBC News

    Shakira Brown, middle school Science Teacher, Promise Academy, Harlem

    Dr. Rodger W. Bybee, Executive Director Emeritus, Biological Science
    Curriculum Study, and past Executive Director, Center for Science,
    Mathematics, and Engineering Education, The National Academies

    Michael Casserly, Executive Director, Council of the Great City Schools

    Dr. Rudolph F. Crew, Superintendent, Miami-Dade County Public Schools

    Robert L. Corcoran, President, GE Foundation

    Timothy F. Geithner, President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of New York

    The Honorable Newt Gingrich

    The Honorable Bart Gordon

    Dr. Vartan Gregorian, President, Carnegie Corporation of New York

    Dr. Robert D. Hormats, Vice Chairman, Goldman Sachs (International)

    Walter Isaacson, President and CEO, The Aspen Institute

    Joel I. Klein, Chancellor, New York City Department of Education

    Dr. Frank Luntz, Luntz, Maslansky Strategic Research

    Dr. Cora Marrett, Assistant Director Education and Human Resources,
    National Science Foundation

    Richard Mills, Commissioner of Education, New York State

    Nicholas Negroponte, Founder and Chairman, One Laptop per Child, and
    Founder and Director, MIT Media Lab

    Charles E. Phillips, Jr., President, Oracle Corporation

    Dr. Michael Novacek, Senior Vice President, Provost, and Curator of
    Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History

    Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden
    Planetarium, American Museum of Natural History

    Dr. Gerald F. Wheeler, Executive Director, National Science Teachers
    Association

    Dr. Joyce Leavitt Winterton, Assistant Administrator for Education, NASA


                  Test Your Own Knowledge of Basic Science!

Here are ten questions testing a basic understanding of science. Most of the questions come from the "What Do You Know" quizzes that are part of the Museum's Ology (http://www.ology.amnh.org) Web site which invites children to explore the rich and diverse content of the Museum. Ology is an award-winning project of the National Center for Science Literacy, Education, and Technology, a part of the Museum's Department of Education.

    1.  Nearly three-quarters of Earth's surface is covered with water, but
    how much of that water is available for human consumption?

    a) 1 percent
    b) 15 percent
    c) 50 percent

    2.  Einstein's research and ideas helped create which of the following
    everyday items:

    a) Global Positioning System (GPS)
    b) ballpoint pens
    c) FM radio

    3.  What is one thing that makes one identical twin different from his or
    her other twin?

    a) the type of hair she or he has (curly, straight, etc.)
    b) his or her DNA
    c) his or her fingerprint

    4.  Rocks have stories to tell.  They can tell us:

    a) how a mountain was formed
    b) what the climate used to be like
    c) both a and b

    5.  How are ocean tides created?

    a) the movement of tectonic plates
    b) the pull of gravity from the Sun and Moon
    c) the rotation of Earth

    6.  The biggest threat to the oceans is ...

    a) killer whales
    b) plankton
    c) human beings

    7.  For every evening star you can see from Earth, how many more stars in
    the Milky Way Galaxy remain unseen?

    a) about 20 million
    b) about 3,000
    c) about 40

    8.  When did the last dinosaur become extinct?

    a) 65 million years ago
    b) 25 million years ago
    c) They haven't all become extinct.  Some dinosaurs are alive today

    9.  What is predicted to happen as a result of global warming?

    a) rising ocean levels
    b) increase in severe earthquakes
    c) thinning ozone layer

    10.  Where does the energy stored in food come from?

    a) the soil
    b) the Sun
    c) vitamins

    ANSWERS: 1) a, 2) a, 3) c, 4) c, 5) b, 6) c, 7) a, 8) c, 9) a, 10) b

About the American Museum of Natural History

The American Museum of Natural History is one of the world's preeminent scientific, educational, and cultural institutions. Since its founding in 1869, the Museum has advanced its global mission to explore and interpret human cultures and the natural world through a wide-reaching program of scientific research, education, and exhibitions. The Museum accomplishes this ambitious goal through its extensive facilities and resources. The institution houses 46 permanent exhibition halls, state-of-the-art research laboratories, one of the largest natural history libraries in the Western Hemisphere, and a permanent collection of more than 30 million specimens and cultural artifacts. With a scientific staff of more than 200, the Museum supports research divisions in Anthropology, Paleontology, Invertebrate and Vertebrate Zoology, and the Physical Sciences. The spectacular Frederick Phineas & Sandra Priest Rose Center for Earth and Space, which opened in February 2000, features the rebuilt and rejuvenated Hayden Planetarium and striking exhibits about the nature of the universe and our planet. Home for more than three decades to the Museum's celebrated 94-foot-long blue whale model, the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life reopened in May 2003, transformed through current scientific research and cutting-edge exhibitry into a fully immersive oceanic environment. The Museum shares its treasures and discoveries with millions of on-site visitors from around the globe each year. In addition, the Museum's Web site, http://www.amnh.org, extends its collections, exhibitions, and educational programs to millions more beyond the Museum's walls.