Lexus and Scholastic announce Lexus Eco Challenge #2 winners
All Winning Teams Invited to Participate in the Final Challenge for $270,000 in Grants and Scholarships
Creating rain gardens, building a biodiesel processor, and promoting the use of solar chimneys were some of the actions taken by the winning teams in the second round of the Lexus Eco Challenge, an educational program and contest that empowers young people to make a positive difference for the environment. The 15 winning middle and high schools teams in Challenge #2 were awarded $10,000 each and are now qualified to participate in the Final Challenge for a chance at one of two $30,000 grand prizes and 14 $15,000 first-place awards. In all, Lexus will award a total of $500,000 in grants and scholarships throughout this year’s program. All award money is shared among the students, teacher advisor and school.
“Since launching the Lexus Eco Challenge three years ago, we’ve enjoyed watching as thousands of students have stepped up to protect our environment, and this latest round of entries did not disappoint us,” said Mark Templin, Lexus group vice president and general manager. “We’ve been impressed, humbled, and most of all, inspired by the dedication of the teams and their teacher advisors.”
For each of the challenges, teams are required to define an environmental issue that is important to them, develop an action plan to address the issue, implement the plan, and report on the results. The Challenge #2 winning teams that best addressed environmental challenges associated with air and climate were (winners listed in alphabetical order by state along with city, team name. school name, and each project’s subject).
High School Winners:
– Florida (Newberry) – “P.A.N.T.H.E.R. – Providing a New Way to Help Environmental Restoration” – Newberry High School – “Green” Christmas initiative
– Georgia (Atlanta) – “Westminster Greencats” – The Westminster Schools – Reducing greenhouse gases and investing in renewable energy sources
– Hawaii (Honolulu) – “LEXgo” – W.R. Farrington High School – Preservation and recycling
– Illinois (Chicago) – “McAuley EcoMacs: Operation Haiti” – Mother McAuley High School – Built a biodiesel processor and solar-thermal heating system
– Missouri (St. Louis) – “Team Neon” – Parkway North High School -Addressed destruction of natural prairies
– New Jersey (Manalapan) – “Project Blue Sky” – Manalapan High School – Educated about renewable energy sources
– Pennsylvania (Souderton) – “SAVE – Students Against Violating the Earth” – Souderton Area High School – Encouraged use of solar chimneys
– Utah (Orem) – “R.A.W.R. – Rocky-Mountain Area Wildlife Research” – Timpanogos High School – Environmental research and education about effects of climate change
Middle School Winners:
– Florida (Boca Raton) – “Tap In Too” – Logger’s Run Middle School – Recycling plastic water bottles and switching to reusable water bottles
– Kentucky (Lexington) – “E.F.B.S. – Eco-Friendly Bag Savers” – SCAPA Bluegrass – Impact of plastic and paper bags on the environment
– New York (East Greenbush) – “Goff Gone Green” – Howard L. Goff Middle School – Conservation of fossil fuels
– New York (Rosedale) – “The Eco Team” – PS 270 – Air pollution reduction
– South Carolina (Hanahan) – “HMS Hawks” – Hanahan Middle School – Conserving fossil fuels by reducing energy use.
– Utah (Holladay) – “Unplug the Thug” – Olympus Junior High – Energy conservation by unplugging cell phone chargers
– Wisconsin (Milwaukee) – “Bayside Pollution Revolution” – Bayside Middle School – Energy conservation by reducing use of electricity
This year’s Lexus Eco Challenge launched on Sept. 28, 2009, and concludes with the announcement of the first place and grand-prize-winning teams during Earth Month in April 2010. All winners from Challenges #1 and #2 have been invited to participate in the Final Challenge with an entry deadline of March 16, 2010.
In addition to the ongoing contest, the Lexus Eco Challenge also includes educational materials developed by Scholastic to encourage teachers to integrate creative lesson plans into their classrooms to help teach students about the environment. For each challenge, the Web site (www.scholastic.com/lexus) has lesson plans and teacher instructions including questions to help guide a discussion about the current challenge, facts about the topic, and guidelines for a specific classroom project.
The Lexus Eco Challenge is part of The Lexus Pursuit of Potential, a philanthropic initiative that generates up to $3 million in donations each year for organizations that help build, shape and improve children’s lives.
Early College founding and future
Early college – leaving high school before the traditional age in order to enroll in higher education – is likely called that because “offering the option of college at the right time for intellectually curious and capable students” lacks pith. But the point is valid: for many students the age of fifteen, sixteen, or seventeen is not early, it is simply time to attend college.
This is not necessarily a critique of high school, although the challenges of our high schools are well documented. It is a recognition that, despite the standardization of educational progress, young people mature at different social and intellectual rates. For those curious and capable, the right time for an engaged college experience may well arrive prior to the age of eighteen.
We should provide that opportunity. This is why the new initiative put forth by the National Center for Economics and Education has promise. The NCEE is leading an effort in eight states to assess the progress of high school sophomores. Those who pass the assessment will have the chance to attend early college.
The proposal is not based on a theoretical argument. For decades, some students attended college when they were intellectually ready; the University of Chicago offered an early college experience in1939. And since 1966, Bard College at Simon’s Rock has been dedicated solely to providing a rigorous liberal arts college education to bright, motivated students. For the vast majority of early entrants, this has been a good decision. A recent national survey, published in the New York Times, found that 88% of Bard College at Simon’s Rock alumni would choose this education again.
The NCEE effort is a significant step forward in expanding the success of this model. In launching this initiative, it will be important to shatter, rather than duplicate, the problems of our school system. Students must be challenged, and offered the opportunity for social and personal advancement. They should not be prematurely tracked into a profession, but offered a genuine liberal education – the chance for an education that liberates. If we succeed in doing this, we will not only provide individual opportunity for students, we will prove, yet again, that education is a significant path to supporting both our democracy and our economy.
UC Berkeley Extension announces free and low-cost public events for Spring 2010
Programs to highlight green chemistry, technology in education, the Obama administration, and interior design
The newest developments in green chemistry, the impact of technology on education, an in-depth analysis of President Obama’s first 15 months in office, and the latest trends in working with color are the subjects of this spring’s public lecture series from UC Berkeley Extension. These free and low-cost public programs are part of how UC Berkeley Extension fulfills its mission to bring the educational excellence of the University of California, Berkeley, to the community.
Can We Achieve a Sustainable Future? The Role of Green Chemistry
Discover the latest developments in green chemistry, a growing field that is reducing and eliminating the use of hazardous substances in the environment. Join Dr. Robert Peoples, director of the American Chemistry Society’s Green Chemistry Institute, for a lively dialogue about green chemistry’s role in weaning the public off petroleum and tackling the challenges of global sustainability.
Thursday, March 25, 6:30-8 p.m.; UC Berkeley campus, 105 Stanley Hall; free
The 29th Annual Panel on the Presidency: Obama Settles In
During his first 15 months in office, President Obama has faced a series of political challenges: an economic crisis, record-breaking unemployment, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and health care reform. Join political experts and commentators for a lively discussion of the president’s performance and what may lie ahead. Presented by the Institute of Governmental Studies and UC Berkeley Extension.
Monday, April 12, 6:30-8 p.m.; UC Berkeley campus, 155 Dwinelle Hall; free
How Technology Is Transforming the World of Education
Collaborative technology and interactive media are dramatically changing education in the classroom and how students learn. Join Chris Walsh, director of innovation and design for New Tech Network, for an inside look at the major trends in the use of Web 2.0 — from e-learning to professional development — as he outlines important steps that educators, parents, and students can take now to prepare for the changes ahead.
Saturday, April 17, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; UC Berkeley campus, 160 Kroeber Hall; free
The Power of Color
This fast-paced lecture offers insight into working with color, including how to use color indexes, how to pick colors for any space, and how to understand the latest trends in color. Through in-class exercises, learn how seeing and vision are distinguished, how light influences color, and how pigments are harmonized.
Saturday, May 1, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.; UC Berkeley Extension Art and Design Center, 95 Third St.; $10
For more information or to reserve a seat for any of these events, visit: extension.berkeley.edu/prog/public.html
McGraw-Hill quickly exceeds one million users with Connect Teaching and Learning Platform
Surveyed professors say they use Connect to improve student learning and retention. Student feedback proves it’s working.
More than 1.2 million students and professors nationwide are now using McGraw-Hill Connect - the most advanced all-digital teaching and learning exchange for higher education. Since the online platform was introduced last fall, colleges and universities across the country have embraced this 21st century learning tool, which enables professors to easily customize instruction and allows students to master content and succeed in courses.
With Connect, students are now engaged with course content outside the classroom – from wherever they are and from whichever device they use to access the Internet. In fact, a recent survey of Connect users shows that more than 90 percent of students access Connect frequently at home or in their dorm rooms, helping them remain engaged with class content throughout the day, week and semester. With this increased access to course content, nearly three quarters of the students using Connect feel better prepared for exams and assignments, according to a McGraw-Hill research study.
“Connect is an extremely effective and powerful tool for 21st century teaching and learning,” said Ed Stanford, president, McGraw-Hill Higher Education. “We’re very pleased that Connect is yielding excellent results in college classrooms across the country, enhancing faculty productivity and driving greater student achievement.”
Instructors and students cite quality of content, ease of use, integration with text, and the ability to reinforce classroom material 24-7 as key benefits of Connect. Of the professors surveyed by McGraw-Hill, 80 percent stated that they are using Connect to improve student learning and retention. And student feedback proves it’s working. Surveyed students said that Connect helps reinforce classroom concepts through practice tests and quizzes, prepare them for success on assignments and exams, and master course content.
“Connect is a great product, and now I cannot imagine teaching my class without it. My students like the feedback and the practice they get from doing the homework,” said Jerri Buiting, Professor of Marketing at Baker College in Flint, Mich. “Connect really helps keep my students engaged.”
Connect currently covers 26 academic disciplines and about 15 more will be added this year. To view more information about Connect, visit www.mcgrawhillconnect.com.
Source: McGraw-Hill Higher Education; McGraw-Hill Connect
NASA selects New Jersey teacher Peloquin to inspire next generation explorers
Corey Peloquin, Coleman Middle School teacher in Tampa, N.J., has been awarded a fellowship with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The Endeavor Science Teaching Certificate Project was created to allow teachers an opportunity to carry back to the classroom a greater understanding of NASA discoveries to inspire a next generation of explorers, scientists, engineers and astronauts.
“Through the program, educators learn how to deliver cutting-edge science into the classroom, promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics education,” said Joyce Winterton, assistant administrator for education at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This includes proven NASA and NASA-sponsored educational resources to meet specific learning goals.”
The program provides workshops and online graduate courses with NASA content and materials with a focus towards students in K-12 classrooms. NASA is also working in partnership with state departments of education to ensure program participation is accredited towards state certification requirements.
Project fellows will earn graduate credit and a certificate of completion in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) from Teachers College, Columbia University, N.Y.
The project is administered by the U.S. Satellite Laboratory Inc., of Rye, N.Y. Funding for the program is provided through the NASA Endeavor Teacher Fellowship Trust Fund, in tribute to the dedicated crew of the space shuttle Challenger.
For additional information about the Endeavor Science Teaching Certificate Project and other NASA education programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/education
Source: NASA
Unemployed natives available for work: Report finds huge number of less-educated Americans not working
The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) has released a new study detailing the U-6 unemployment rates among native born workers. U-6 is a broader measure of employment that includes the unemployed, people who would like to work but who have not looked for a job recently, and those involuntarily working part-time. A look at these numbers shows the situation is particularly bad for minorities, the young, and less-educated Americans. These are the workers who face the most competition from immigrants – legal and illegal.
The study, “A Huge Pool of Potential Workers: Unemployment, Underemployment, and Non-Work Among Native-Born Americans,” is authored by CIS Director of Research Steven A. Camarota and Demographer Karen Jensenius. The report is available online at: http://cis.org/UnemploymentAmongNativeWorkers.
Among the findings:
– As of the third quarter of 2009, there are 12.5 million unemployed native-born Americans, but the broader U-6 measure shows 21 million natives unemployed or underemployed.
– There are 6.1 million natives with a high school education or less who are unemployed. Using the U-6 measure, it is 10.4 million.
– In addition to those less-educated natives covered by U-6, there are another 18.7 million natives with a high school education or less not in the labor force, which means they are not looking for work.
– The total number of less-educated (high school education or less) natives who are unemployed, underemployed, or not in the labor force is 29.1 million.
– To place these numbers in perspective, there are an estimated seven to eight million illegal immigrants holding jobs.
– As of the third quarter of 2009, the overall unemployment rate for native-born Americans is 9.5 percent; the U-6 measure shows it as 15.9 percent.
– State with the highest U-6 rates for less-educated natives are Michigan, California, Arizona, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Nevada, Illinois, and Georgia.
– Nationally, the unemployment rate for natives with a high school degree or less is 13.1 percent. Their U-6 measure is 21.9 percent.
– The unemployment rate for natives nationally with less than a high school education is 20.5 percent. Their U-6 measure is 32.4 percent.
– Nationally, the unemployment rate for young native-born Americans (18-29) who have only a high school education is 19 percent. Their U-6 measure is 31.2 percent.
– Nationally, the unemployment rate for native-born blacks with less than a high school education is 28.8 percent. Their U-6 measure is 42.2 percent.
– The unemployment rate for young native-born blacks (18-29) with only a high school education is 27.1 percent. Their U-6 measure is 39.8 percent.
– Nationally, the unemployment rate for native-born Hispanics with less than a high school education is 23.2 percent. Their U-6 measure is 35.6 percent.
– The unemployment rate for young native-born Hispanics (18-29) with only a high school degree is 20.9 percent. Their U-6 measure is 33.9 percent.
– Nationally, the overall unemployment rate for immigrants (legal and illegal) is 9.9 percent. Their U-6 measure is 19.6 percent, which is significantly higher than the rate for natives.
– The unemployment rate for immigrants with less than a high school education is 12.3 percent. Their U-6 measure is 27.4 percent. The unemployment rate for young immigrants (18-29) with only a high school education is 12.2 percent. Their U-6 measure is 25.2 percent.
The Center for Immigration Studies is an independent research institution that examines the impact of immigration on the United States.
Source: Center for Immigration Studies
The Daily Beast ranks The Smartest and Dumbest college towns in America
Chapel Hill, NC Ranks At Top, Athens, Georgia at Bottom
The Daily Beast released its ranking of the twenty five smartest (and dumbest) college towns in America.
The towns are, from smartest to dumbest:
1. Chapel Hill, North Carolina(Grade: A)
2. Ann Arbor, Michigan(Grade: A)
3. Boulder, Colorado(Grade: A)
4. Cambridge, Massachusetts(Grade: A)
5. Berkeley, California(Grade: A)
6. Madison, Wisconsin(Grade: B)
7. East Lansing, Michigan(Grade: B)
8. State College, Pennsylvania(Grade: B)
9. Ames, Iowa(Grade: B)
10. Amherst, Massachusetts(Grade: B)
11. Ithaca, New York(Grade: B)
12. Columbia, Missouri(Grade: B)
13. Charlottesville, Virginia(Grade: B)
14. Davis, California(Grade: B)
15. Corvallis, Oregon(Grade: B)
16. College Station, Texas(Grade: C)
17. Gainesville, Florida(Grade: C)
18. Auburn, Alabama(Grade: C)
19. College Park, Maryland(Grade: C)
20. Lawrence, Kansas(Grade: C)
21. Champaign-Urbana, Illinois(Grade: D)
22. Norman, Oklahoma(Grade: D)
23. South Bend, Indiana(Grade: D)
24. Kent, Ohio(Grade: D)
25. Athens, Georgia(Grade: F)
Methodology:
After choosing towns where the college or colleges define the community that have a population minimum of 25,000 as of the 2008 Census, The Daily Beast ranked them based on the following four criteria:
1. Bachelor’s degrees per capita for the over-25 population: this measured the relative education of permanent residents.
2. Graduate degrees per capita for the over-25 population: similar to above, but more stratified.
3. Median SAT score for the town’s student population.
4. Voter turnout in the 2008 election: political engagement, whether left or right, has repeatedly correlated with higher intelligence; the one criteria that measures behavior, rather than achievement.
Each category was ranked and weighted equally, with more points given for the best and fewer points for the worst, and then tallied. The Daily Beast then handed out grades on a curve; the top 20 percent got As, the next 40 percent got Bs, the following 20 percent got Cs, and then the bottom fifth got Ds, with the exception of the very last town, which got an F.
Source: The Daily Beast
New research shows U.S. economy will grow by billions of dollars if high school dropout rate is reduced
If just half the dropouts in an average year graduated, additional tax revenues and increased wages would substantially buoy the local economies of the nation’s 50 largest cities
New game-changing research recently conducted by the Alliance for Excellent Education (The Alliance) and released shows that the U.S. economy would grow significantly if the number of high school dropouts was cut in half.
Nearly 600,000 students dropped out of the high school class of 2008 in the nation’s 50 largest cities and surrounding areas. The Alliance’s research shows that if just half those students had graduated they would have earned more than $4.1 billion in additional income. In addition, state and local tax revenues in an average year would jump by a total of nearly $536 million.
“In these lean economic times, local businesses and governments are looking for creative ways to improve their financial situations,” said former West Virginia Governor and Alliance for Excellent Education President Bob Wise. “These numbers clearly demonstrate that every consumer, business, and taxpayer benefits dramatically when we do what it takes to increase the number of students who graduate from high school with the skills they need to succeed in life. Indeed, the best economic stimulus is a high school diploma.”
The Alliance study also found that 65 percent of the additional high school graduates would continue their education and many would earn a doctorate or other professional degree.
“As a business leader I’m committed to a quality education for all children and to strengthening the vitality of our communities,” said Edward B. Rust Jr., Chairman and CEO of State Farm(R). “The new Alliance for Excellent Education model conclusively demonstrates that graduating from high school has significant, positive economic and financial consequences for the business community and not just for the individual getting the education. Ensuring that students graduate from high school with the skills necessary to compete in a global economy is something all businesses – small and large – should see as a priority.”
The economic model used to estimate these economic benefits was developed by the Alliance for Excellent Education with the generous support of State Farm(R) and in partnership with Economic Modeling Specialists, Inc. The model is based on graduation rates calculated by Editorial Projects in Education and projects the economic benefits for U.S. Census-defined metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), which each consist of a central urban area and the surrounding geographic area if it has strong social and economic ties to that city. The 45 MSAs include the 50 largest cities in the country. Five of these cities share a region with another.
The 4,900 high schools located within these MSAs have an average graduation rate of 69.8 percent. More than 900 of these are considered “dropout factories,” that is, schools where fewer than 60 percent of freshman progress to their senior year on time.
The cities in the research include: Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Colorado Springs, Columbus, Dallas-Ft. Worth-Arlington, Denver, Detroit, El Paso, Fresno, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles-Long Beach, Louisville, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Philadelphia, Phoenix-Mesa, Portland, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco-Oakland, San Jose, Seattle, Tucson, Tulsa, Virginia Beach, Washington, D.C., and Wichita.
For more information and specific numbers for each of the cities listed above, visit the Alliance’s website at http://www.all4ed.org/publication_material/EconMSA.
Source: Alliance for Excellent Education
U.S. commitment to gifted students severely lacking
The U.S. education system neglects the needs of our gifted and talented students, leaving the nation ill-prepared to identify and effectively serve high-potential students, a new survey reports.
The report – 2008-2009 State of the States in Gifted Education by the National Association for Gifted Children and the Council of State Directors of Programs for the Gifted finds a fragmented collection of policies and resources that vary greatly between states and local districts and that are almost universally underfunded and under-resourced.
More than a quarter of all states provided no funding for gifted students during the last school year, and most high-potential students are taught by teachers with little to no training in gifted education, the report concludes.
“At a time when other nations are redoubling their commitment to their highest potential students, the United States continues to neglect the needs of this student population, a policy failure that will cost us dearly in the years to come,” said Dr. Ann Robinson, President of the National Association for Gifted Children and Director of the Center for Gifted Education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
“The solution to this problem must be a comprehensive national gifted and talented education policy in which federal, state, and local districts work together to ensure all gifted students are identified and served by properly trained teachers using appropriate curriculum,” Robinson added.
A Nationwide Lack of Commitment
Of the states that reported funding for gifted students, per-pupil expenditure varied sharply from $2 to $750 for the 2008-2009 school year.
Only 5 states require teachers to receive any preparation on gifted students before entering the classroom. Even for instructors teaching in specialized gifted programs, only 5 states require annual professional development for them.
“Most gifted students spend the majority of their school days in general education classrooms, receiving little specialized instruction per week. The fact that most states do not require classroom teachers to have any exposure to the unique learning needs of gifted children means the majority of high-potential students are not being taught by appropriately trained teachers,” Robinson noted.
Uneven Services
The report also found that in most states, even those that define giftedness and mandate services, key policies pertaining to gifted education are set exclusively at the local district level.
“The lack of leadership and failure to hold districts accountable for serving gifted students by Washington and the states has produced a largely uneven and inconsistent delivery system, said Nancy Green, NAGC Executive Director. “For every local district making an outstanding commitment to gifted learners, we have scores of districts doing nothing.”
Impact on the Nation
The ramifications of the nation’s underinvestment in gifted education is evidenced in many areas including continued underperformance on international benchmarks, particularly in math, science, and engineering, and in the shortage of qualified workers able to enter professions that require advanced skills.
“Forty years ago, we realized the impact of a sustained commitment to academic excellence when we celebrated the landing of a man on the moon. Future breakthroughs and discovery in science, medicine, and technology will be impossible if we fail to identify and serve today’s brightest young minds. The time to act is now,” Robinson said.
For the full State of the States report, go to: http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=5364
Students send microbe experiment on space shuttle Atlantis
An experiment by college students that will study how microbes grow in microgravity is heading to orbit aboard space shuttle Atlantis.
Undergraduate and graduate students at Texas Southern University in Houston developed the experiment that will fly as part of the STS-129 mission. The mission is scheduled to launch at 2:28 p.m. EST on Nov. 16 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
“I’m thrilled that giving students the chance to design and research an experiment to fly in space is one of the tools we have at NASA to engage them in science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” NASA Deputy Administrator Lori B. Garver said.” These young people are our future, and providing an opportunity to inspire them is a major part of our mission at NASA.”
NASA’s Office of Education selected Texas Southern University as a 2008 University Research Center. Texas Southern established a Center for Bionanotechnology and Environmental Research. Students at the center developed the Microbial-1 experiment to evaluate the morphological and molecular changes in E. coli and B. subtilis bacteria.
“The University Research Center Project is designed to enhance the research infrastructure and capacity at minority institutions,” said Katrina Emery, NASA’s University Research Center project manager at the agency’s Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif. “By engaging in participatory learning opportunities like this experiment, students can see themselves as researchers, now and in the future.”
This space shuttle flight experiment is a proof-of-concept model for the URC project to give students hands-on experience. The experiment provides the university students the opportunity to design, monitor and execute the study in laboratories, as well as near real-time on the space shuttle. Each component of the experiment is designed for easy reproduction in the classroom, providing a valuable experience to students.
“This is an amazing opportunity for our students, and it reflects the growing quality of our research programs at Texas Southern,” said John M. Rudley, president of Texas Southern University. “We are excited our students have the opportunity to participate in such relevant research. We are also pleased that with our partnerships with area school districts, we are able to take these projects beyond the university to the school classrooms to encourage more students to study science, math, and technology.”
The unique experimental data will be used to develop grade-appropriate microbiology modules for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Data downloaded from NASA’s Payload Operations and Control Center will be available on the research center’s Web site. In addition, educators will receive a teacher’s guidebook featuring background information, lesson plans and student activities for conducting this project in their classrooms. BioServe Space Technologies at the University of Colorado is providing management support and hardware for the experiment.
Texas Southern University is one of 13 universities to receive grant funding from NASA’s University Research Center project. The project is designed to enhance the research capabilities of minority-serving institutions and increase the production of underrepresented and underserved students majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines.