For Immediate Release:Contact:
Laura Roberts
(312) 515-4601
Chicago Public Schools - Science Olympiad Urban Schools Initiative Holds
Third Annual “Build It-Learn It Day”
CHICAGO, IL — January 12, 2011. Nearly 250 students and teachers from 25 Chicago Public Schools will build towers and helicopters, solve a Science Crime Busters mystery, and get acquainted with native birds at the Chicago Public Schools - Science Olympiad Urban Schools Initiative Build It-Learn It Day at the UIC Student Center West on Friday, January 28, 2011 from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm. This event follows Science Olympiad’s partnership announcement with the University of Illinois in November 2010.
Build It-Learn It Dayis a dynamic, hands-on event to give students opportunities to directly interact with experts, scientists, and engineers who will give them valuable feedback and advice as they prepare to represent their school at the upcoming CPS Science Olympiad Regional Tournament at Wright City Collegeon Saturday, March 19, 2011.
“Teachers routinely attend professional development workshops for new activities, but students often get left out of the equation,” said Dr. Gerard Putz, president and co-founder of Science Olympiad. “During the Build It-Learn It Day, these motivated teenagers will pick up new ideas, tips and strategies that will help them succeed in Science Olympiad competition as well as the science classroom.”
Industry professionals from the University of Illinois REACT Chemistry program, Texas Instruments, the Cook County Department of Public Health, the United States Forest Service/Midewin Tallgrass Prairie, Project Exploration, the Academy of Model Aeronauticsand State Event Supervisors from Illinois Science Olympiad will work with Chicago students from 13 middle school teams and 12 high school teams. Students will work in 45-minute or 90-minute sessions on signature Science Olympiad events such as Disease Detectives, Fossils, Battery Buggy and Junkyard Challenge.
“The Office of Teaching and Learning - Science is excited to work again with Science Olympiad to sponsor our third Build It-Learn It Day. Science Olympiad is a great program because it changes the learning dynamic between teachers and students. With so many events, students must take responsibility for what they are learning and why they are learning it. Ultimately, the students and the teacher interchange roles and both teach and learn from one another. This can be a very empowering experience for all involved,” says Dr. John F. Loehr, Acting Science Director for CPS.
Build It-Learn It Day is a part of the Science Olympiad Urban Schools Initiative, a coalition of partners dedicated to the goal of providing out-of-school time science opportunities to more underserved students. The coalition includes Science Olympiad, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Chicago Public Schools, Wilbur Wright College, the College Board’s Young Epidemiology Scholars program, the Centers for Disease Control, Texas Instruments, Illinois Science Olympiad, and the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Innovate Now program. For more information see:
Founded in 1984, Science Olympiad is a national non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of K-12 science education, increasing male, female and minority interest in science, creating a technologically literate workforce and providing recognition for outstanding achievement by both students and teachers. It is the only science competition that touches every letter in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).
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