• Neuroscience study reveals new link between basic math skills and PSAT math success

    New research provides brain imaging evidence that students well-versed in very basic single digit arithmetic (5+2=7 or 7-3=4) are better equipped to score higher on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT), an examination sat by millions of students in the United States each year in preparation for college admission tests

  • New approach to science education: bite-size YouTube mini-lessons

    A university of Michigan professor created a cheeky, perhaps even quirky, series of mini-lessons posted on YouTube; the series takes interesting facts about risk science — defined as the science of existing and emerging human health risks — and presents them in small, relatable, and easily digestible video segments to help answer the question, “Just how risky is this?”

  • Classroom of the future: next generation of school desks boost math skills

    Researchers designing and testing the classroom of the future have found that multi-touch, multi-user desks can boost skills in mathematics; new results from a 3-year project working with over 400 pupils, mostly 8-10 year olds, show that collaborative learning increases both fluency and flexibility in math; it also shows that using an interactive ‘smart’ desk can have benefits over doing mathematics on paper

  • Exemplary engineering programs at U.S. colleges and universities

    Dr. Charles M. Vest, president of the National Academy of Engineering, says that “This nation’s prosperity, security, and quality of life are direct results of leadership in the engineering achievements that drive society forward”; the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) has released Infusing Real World Experiences into Engineering Education, which showcases twenty-nine engineering programs at colleges and universities across the United States which effectively incorporate such activities into their curriculum; the report also highlights best practices for schools seeking to create new programs

  • Scholarship program invites students to share their enthusiasm for math

    Raytheon Company is calling for submissions to its 2012-13 MathMovesU Middle School Grant and Scholarship Program. To participate, sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students nationwide are invited to illustrate the importance of math in the mission to Mars and in space exploration

  • Study supports move toward common U.S. math standards

    A new study analyzing the previous math standards of each state provides strong support for adoption of common standards, which U.S. students desperately need to keep pace with their counterparts around the globe

  • DOD faces shortfall in quality STEM workers; overhaul of recruitment policies needed

    The principal challenge for the U.S. Department of Defense’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) work force is recruiting and retaining top quality professionals for critical positions, says a new report; the agency must become — and be perceived as — an appealing career destination for the most capable scientists, engineers, and technicians, all of whom are in great demand in the global marketplace

  • “Student-centered” approach to science education more effective

    A group of educational researchers are drawing widespread attention after their paper measuring the superior results of a more “student-centered” approach to teaching science was published in the journal Science; the researchers say that the stakes are extraordinarily high, so it is critical that the United States find more effective ways of teaching the so-called STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) in K-12 classrooms

  • Center for Security Studies receives $3 million grant

    Officials at the Texas Tech University System and Angelo State University (ASU) announced that the U.S. Air Force will provide a $3 million grant to ASU which will be used to continue and expand the school’s Center for Security Studies (CSS)

  • New issues of the Journal of Homeland Security Education is available online

    The latest issue of the Journal of Homeland Security Education is out; it contains a number of articles relevant to the teaching of homeland security practices, which is now one of the top ten majors for undergraduates in the United States

  • Security education is becoming a central part of security hiring, promotion

    There is a growing emphasis on homeland security-related education in security hiring in both the private and government sectors; this growing demand has lead to a rapid growth in college and university degree programs in homeland security – the number of such programs is now estimated to be 350; trouble is, those programs do not have a commonly agreed upon curriculum, and as a result, the classes chosen to be part of an individual’s curriculum are based on the available faculty, rather than proven value to the students

  • Raytheon opens STEM teacher award program

    Raytheon has opened the 2012 application process for its Raytheon-Engineering is Elementary (EiE) Teacher Scholarship Program; during the 2012-13 school year, Raytheon will grant awards of $3,000 each for selected elementary school teachers nation-wide whose applications best demonstrate innovative methods of generating student enthusiasm about engineering concepts

  • NSF awards Norwich University a grant for computer security scholarships

    Norwich University in Vermont was awarded a $975,000 grant from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Scholarship for Service program; the funds will be used to support Information Assurance students; the students will fulfill the “service” obligation through employment by a government agency in their area of information assurance expertise for two years

  • U.S. risks losing out to Asia in medical research

    Medical research saves lives, suffering, and dollars — while also creating jobs and economic activity; the United States has long led the world, with hundreds of thousands of jobs and marketable discoveries generated by government research funding every year; this is now changing: strong, sustained growth in research spending in Asian nations contrasts with U.S. cuts and short-term approach, and a brain drain could result

  • U.S. Army trains rats in explosives detection

    Landmines kill between 15,000 and 20,000 people a year, and continue to kill adults and children decades after a conflict ends; the U.S. Department of Defense currently relies on dogs as the animal of choice for explosives detection, but Pentagon researchers want to see whether rats can be trained to do the job; rats are smaller so they can search smaller spaces than a dog can, and are easier to transport