P-16 Council hosts Science Leadership Banquet
The San Luis Obispo P-16 Council hosted a leadership banquet sponsored by PG&E on Friday, May 11th at Cal Poly's Vista Grande Restaurant. Teacher representatives from each district in the county were in attendance, along with Cal Poly faculty, Cuesta faculty and local industry representatives. Keynote speakers Dr. Albert Ghiorso (co-founder of elements 95-105) and Dr. Roland Otto of Lawrence Berkeley Labs spoke about their experiences in science, discovery and education. The evening's participants expressed interest in forming a Task Force to address the P-16 Council's initiative of Science Education, and established the foundation for communication and collaboration in the future. Read more about the P-16 Council and other collaborative events.

Cal Poly receives $150,000 Gift for CESaME Program
Cal Poly's Center for Excellence in Science & Mathematics Education (CESaME) recently received a $150,000 gift from S.D. Bechtel, Jr. The funds will be used by to support a new project designed to engage upper elementary school students and their teachers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). "I have real concerns that the United States is losing ground in developing and retaining engineers. We need to catch young people while they are still naturally curious and let this play a part in their learning and in developing a love of math and science. In this way, they will have an opportunity to study and even possibly enter the field of engineering," said Stephen Bechtel. "I am pleased to provide funding for this program, as I believe it will help us determine how children learn best and how teachers can best teach these important and challenging subjects." The funds will be used to integrate science, technology, engineering, mathematics and literacy in the elementary school. Read more about the STEMLITES project.

Cal Poly Receives Noyce Scholarship
The Robert Noyce Scholars program is a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded (DUE 0630419) program to provide scholarships to students who are committed to teaching mathematics in high need school districts upon the completion of the credential program at Cal Poly. The main goal of the program is to increase the number of teachers with strong science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) content knowledge in high need school districts. The Cal Poly Noyce Scholars Program will offer two-year scholarships and STEM scholarships. For more information visit Cal Poly Noyce Scholarship Program.