[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 111 (Thursday, August 11, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 11, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                     EARTHVISION: OUR FUTURE IS NOW

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                          HON. JAMES A. BARCIA

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, August 11, 1994

  Mr. BARCIA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
the EarthVision Program being conducted by the Environmental Protection 
Agency, in conjunction with Saginaw Valley State University. The 
objective of this program is to leverage the investment made in the 
intellectual and physical resources held by our Federal agencies, to 
provide further educational opportunities for our Nation's students.
  EPA Administrator Carol Browner and I had a chance to see this 
program in action early in June and meet the 24 students and teachers 
who participated this year. We were tremendously impressed by their 
ability to deal with matters that only a few years ago were thought of 
as dreams for the future. This past year every single high school in 
Michigan was invited, to participate in the competition for an 
EarthVision team slot, and over 60 responded to this growing scientific 
endeavor. In this coming year, the invitation list is expected to be 
expanded to include every single high school throughout the Great Lakes 
region.
  The EarthVision Program is composed of two elements. During the 
academic year teams of teachers and students learn specific skills 
needed to conduct environmental research using computational science. 
Each of these teams is assisted by a mentor and the Saginaw Valley 
State University support team. These skills are learned through hands 
on training at the National Environmental Supercomputing Center in Bay 
City. Additionally, the student/teacher teams attend Saturday 
tutorials, during which they are assisted in the preparation of 
proposals required for admission to the second component of the 
program, the Summer Research Institute.
  During the Summer Research Institute competitively selected teams 
participate in a 3-week educational program. The centerpiece of this 
educational program is instruction in conducting an environmental 
research project of their own design. Through the use of a computer 
workstation, and a telecommunications link to the National 
Environmental Supercomputing Center, participants in the Summer 
Research Institute conduct environmental research activities at their 
high schools during the following academic year.
  Through this computer link the teams analyze data, conduct 
environmental modeling and use scientific visualization to complete 
their research., These teams then prepare a paper describing their 
research and their results.

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