Magnet Lab Makes Major Impact on Regional and Statewide Education

October 13, 1999

Contact:
Kathy Hedick, (850) 644-6392
or Janet Patten, (850) 644-9651

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Faculty at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL) gave over 4,000 K-12 students guided educational tours of the world-class facility during 1998/99 school year. Science and technology outreach programs conducted by lab educators in schools around the state reached an additional 700 students. An interactive curriculum product, Science, Tobacco & You, developed at the NHMFL was delivered to over 3,400 elementary school classrooms in Florida, and related workshops reached over 600 teachers in 1999. NHMFL faculty advise an average of 125 undergraduate students yearly and serve on over 250 graduate committees. Fifteen or more NHMFL-affiliated graduate students earn doctoral degrees in physics, chemistry, or engineering each year.

These are just a few of the indicators that the national laboratory, headquarted at Florida State University in Tallahassee, is having a significant impact on science education in the State of Florida. The NHMFL Center for Integrating Research and Learning develops, implements, and coordinates educational opportunities, programs, and resources specifically targeting K-12 and university students, but also including the general public. Established in 1996, the Center enhances science, research, and technology education both in formal settings, such as schools, and in informal settings, such as during the laboratory's once-a-year open house. The 6th Annual Open House of the NHMFL will be held on Saturday, October 23, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Over 3,000 people generally attend this very popular community event, which also attracts regional groups like Birdsong Nature Center, Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory, and the Tallahassee Museum of History and Natural Science.

Another measure of the NHMFL Center's success is the attracting external, competitive funding. For example, the Center received $2.6 million over two years, from the State of Florida's Tobacco Pilot Program, to deliver an interdisciplinary, interactive curriculum to Florida elementary schools. The product, Science, Tobacco & You, allows students to analyze the harmful effects of tobacco on their bodies, develop strategies for handling peer pressure, and examine the role that advertising plays in promoting tobacco addiction. Because of the curriculum's resounding success, the national organization Science Coalition selected the Center and Science, Tobacco & You to be one of six exhibits to be displayed in the U.S. Senate Hart Office Building on September 22, 1999.

For more information on the education programs of the NHMFL or about the 6th Annual Open House, see the NHMFL website: www.magnet.fsu.edu, or contact program director Dr. Sam Spiegel at 850-644-5818.

Believing that education is simultaneously a local responsibility and a national priority, the National Science Board asserts that scientists, engineers, and their institutions must have a key responsibility to assist K-12 schools, teachers, and students to improve the nation's math and science achievement.

– Report of the National Science Board, Chairman Eamon Kelly
Preparing Our Children: Math and Science Education in the National Interest