[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 7 (Thursday, February 5, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E110]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             PENNSYLVANIA'S SCIENCE EDUCATION SUCCESS STORY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOSEPH R. PITTS

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 5, 1998

  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, Pennsylvania's West Chester University, a 
pioneer teacher training institution, has been blazing new trails to 
lead students toward greater enthusiasm for math and the sciences. The 
vehicle for this effort? An Educational Center for Earth Observation 
Systems. March 11-13 this year, West Chester University will host the 
eleventh annual `Satellites and Education'' Conference for teachers as 
part of this program. West Chester's innovative program has attracted 
thousands of elementary, middle and high school educators by focusing 
on inexpensive ``hands on'' classroom exercises that enable students to 
participate in actual satellite communications and earth observations.
  While serving in the Pennsylvania State Legislature I was pleased to 
be an early advocate of this innovative experiment in educational 
leadership. I have also been proud to serve as Chairman of the 
Satellite Educators Association, an outgrowth of West Chester 
University's novel approach to science instruction composed of teachers 
and school system supporters across the nation.
  Each year the University hosts its ``Satellites and Education'' 
Conference for teachers during Pennsylvania's ``Spaces Satellite and 
Technology Week,'' an observance established by a Special Resolution of 
the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
  The tenth anniversary conference was attended by more than 300 
students, educators, and federal and state scientists, from 25 states, 
the District of Columbia, Canada, Finland, Indonesia and Japan. 
Enthusiastic sponsors and exhibitors were Lockheed-Martin, DuPont 
Aerospace, Hughes Aircraft Corp., National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration (NASA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
(NOAA), the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Center 
for Rural PA, Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium, Accu-Weather Inc., 
Analytical Graphics Inc., Aquila Systems Inc., Center for Image 
Processing in Education, Civil Air Patrol, Maryland Space Grant 
Consortium, Orbital Sciences Corporation, PCI Enterprises Inc., Sargent 
Welch, Satellite Educators Association, Service Argos, and The Wether 
Underground. Keynote speaker at the 1997 conference was Dr. Mary Cleav, 
NASA Aeronaut who is now managing NASA's Sea WiFS Program. Exciting 
Ocean-color images for the Sea viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (Sea 
WiFS)--the first readily available ocean-color data in more than ten 
years--should play a major role in studying El Nino and other global 
warming research. Other speakers included Dr. Michael Hanes, former 
Dean of West Chester's School of Education and now president of Georgia 
Southwestern University; Helen Martin, President, Satellite Educators 
Association; Tom Pyke, Director of Project GLOBE, the international 
youth environmental study program; Dr. Ronald McPherson, President 
American Meteorological Society; Robert Winokur, NOAA Assistant 
Administrator in charge of the National Weather Service's 4.5 billion 
modernization program; Dr. Shelby Tilford, Chief Scientist, Orbital 
Sciences Corporation; Dr. Perry Samson, Director of the Atmospheric, 
Oceanic and Space Science Program at the University of Michigan. The 
1998 program will be equally outstanding. The day conference offers 
many workshop sessions where educators and government and industry 
experts exchange ideas, with students as kibitzers, to evaluate 
instructional materials, equipment and techniques. A popular feature of 
the conference is the distribution of dozens of door prizes useful to 
teachers. These have been contributed by supporting industries and 
other vendors including a complete Aquila system for receiving earth 
images from satellites.
  Primary objects of these conferences are: To introduce educators to 
satellite and related technologies; to demonstrate equipment affordable 
to educators and help teachers employ them in the classroom; to examine 
successful programs for integration into math/science curricula; to 
provide mentor-ship and follow-up activities for teachers; to network 
locally and globally with educators who have successfully incorporated 
satellite applications into their curricula; and to conduct concurrent 
workshop sessions dealing with the Internet applications for various 
computer systems, as well as to show students how to assemble and 
operate satellite receiving stations.
  I know my colleagues will applaud and join me as I offer 
congratulations to Dr. Madeleine Alser, President of West Chester 
University; Dr. Michael Hanes, President of Georgia Southwestern 
University; Nancy McIntyre, Director of the West Chester University's 
Educational Center for Earth Observation Systems; Helen Martin, 
President of the Satellite Educators Association; and sponsoring 
government agencies and corporations for their efforts to help young 
people, and especially to the many far-sighted educators who have 
participated over the years in this educational success story.

                          ____________________