Education / training

An 8th grader from Indiana, Massachusetts school team, win 2012 math competition
An 8th grader from Sycamore School Carmel, Indiana won the 2012 Raytheon MATHCOUNTS National Competition; he competed against more than 200 other middle school students in the prestigious academic event; the best and brightest middle school mathematics students engaged in a multi-day competition which included a written exam and culminated in the lightning speed Countdown Round; in the team competition, Massachusetts captured the title of National Team Champion
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Oklahoma University gets DHS research grant
The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) was awarded a $490,000 grant from DHS for a 2-year study of how law enforcement officers utilize awareness of their surroundings to collect and then analyze intelligence related to potential terrorist threats
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Feminine math, science role models do not motivate girls
Women who excel in male-dominated science, technology, engineering, and mathematic (STEM) fields are often unjustly stereotyped as unfeminine; if women are perceived as having feminine qualities, however, their success may actually decrease interest in STEM, particularly among young girls, according to a new study
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New academic homeland security journal launched
The inaugural issue of a new academic, peer-reviewed journal — the Journal of Homeland Security Education (JHSE)— is out; JHSE will focus on innovative concepts and models, strategies, technical tools, and theoretical and observational analyses; it also provides a platform for translational research that connects education to practice
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Students need to be “switched on” to maths: researchers
The decline in children’s participation in mathematics can only be reversed by tackling a complex mix of factors, including positive and negative attitudes of a student’s parents, peers, and teachers
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Raytheon highlights Mathematics Awareness Month activities
The importance of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education to U.S. economic well-being and national security cannot be overemphasized; Raytheon is famous for its commitment to STEM education, and this month — Mathematics Awareness Month — the company highlights the many STEM-related activities it sponsors
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2012 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition kicks off 20 April
The National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (NCCDC) is returning to the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) for the seventh consecutive year; the 3-day national championship will kick off 20 April
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U.S. students need new way of learning science
The United States used to lead the world in science education, but now U.S. students are ranked a mediocre 23rd in their science knowledge; a group of prominent scientists says that American students need a dramatically new approach to improve how they learn science
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Raytheon expands Pi Day annual celebration --
Pi, the mathematical constant approximately equal to 3.14, is significance in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) innovation; Raytheon expanded its annual Pi Day tradition, celebrated nationwide 14 March because of the date’s numerical significance; company employees delivered hundreds of apple pies nationwide to math and science teachers at middle and high schools located within a 3.14-mile radius of select Raytheon business locations across the country
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Raytheon launches MathAlive! to encourage math, science education
Results of a new survey of America’s middle school students show that nearly half of students aged 10-14 enjoy learning math outside of school and consider hands-on activities their favorite method for experiencing new subject material; Raytheon launches MathAlive! to encourage students to study math, science, and engineering
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Faculty retention a major challenge for universities
New study shows men and women faculty retained at same rate; but median retention rate for all university professors is only eleven years; if a university hires 100 assistant professors tomorrow, in eleven years only fifty of them will still be at the school
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Influx of ex-Soviet mathematicians changed mathematics in U.S.
One of the little-noticed effects of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992 was the way in which math is studied and taught in the United States; Soviet mathematicians who came to the United States reduced the role of American mathematicians in certain specialties, and in some specialties the likelihood of a competing American mathematician producing a top research paper has declined
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Sector Report for Thursday, 8 December 2011: Education Special
This report contains the following stories.
* Right degree helps grads compete in DHS hiring boom

* Government preps next generation of cybersecurity employees

* Why law enforcement officers should earn a degree in homeland security

* Most affordable online degrees in homeland security

* Community colleges invest in homeland security education

* Pace University launches new cybersecurity institute

* Senate stalls on easing visa restrictions for highly skilled immigrants

* Also noted
Plus 5 additional stories
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Right degree helps grads compete in DHS hiring boom
Even amid the economic downturn, students who graduate with degrees in homeland security can breathe a bit easier knowing that they are more likely to find jobs than their fellow graduates; the agency’s hiring boom is expected to continue over the next several years as more and more baby boomers in their 50s begin to retire
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Government preps next generation of cybersecurity employees
With the increasingly critical role that technology plays in everyday lives and the growing threat of hackers, the U.S. government is actively working to educate the next generation of cybersecurity officials
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