The LIU/LIMSAT/NTEA project is titled "Keep the Heat." It involves students from around the world in a collaborative inquiry-based science experiment. Students from various schools worldwide are creating experiments to test the value of assorted recycled materials that have potential for use as home insulation. Each school group has constructed a testing device in accordance with design criteria established by the team leadership. They are now monitoring temperature changes in their constructions and will report data from their experiments to the team leadership for compilation of a final report.

The "Electronic Educational Village" (EEV), based at Long Island University's C.W. Post Campus in Brookville, has created a dynamic, informative Web page about the project, featuring information about the participating schools and their projects. (See http://eev.liu.edu/heat2002)

On March 20, 2002 the competition will culminate with a live video teleconference during which each team will showcase its project. Approximately 340 members of the LIU/LIMSAT/NTEA team are expected to attend the Long Island section of the teleconference, which will be held in Hillwood Commons at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, 720 Northern Blvd. (Route 25A) in Brookville, NY.

International Public Science Day is a community-oriented national science competition aimed at raising public awareness about the importance of science education in the U.S. and abroad, and heightening enthusiasm for science and technology across all demographics. The winning team will receive the $10,000 Unisys Prize for Online Science Education. Participating students range from kindergarten to middle school.

The theme for the fifth annual International Public Science Day is "Science is Power! Energy Everywhere." Participants are expected to demonstrate how a solid foundation in science education empowers learners of all ages; how energy fuels our lives in countless ways; and how a community's energy supply is related to its environment and its people.

In addition to promoting how the Web can be used as a tool to improve science, math and technology education, the program and prize also offer science centers and schools a chance to distinguish themselves in the online education community.

Long Island University's Electronic Educational Village has already established itself in this arena. The EEV (http://eev.liu.edu/eev02) was developed in 1991 by the Educational Technology Department in the School of Education at the C.W. Post Campus along with others in the Long Island community. Each year, more than 500 elementary, middle and high school students from Montauk Point to Harlem, New York participate in the EEV, a unique on-line community that links students, parents, cultural institutions, corporations and community resources. In April 2000, the EEV was inducted into the Permanent Research Collection on Information Technology at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

Reflecting on the unique educational opportunity afforded by International Public Science Day, Dr. Bette Schneiderman, Co-Chair of the C.W. Post Department of Educational Technology, said, "What an exciting opportunity, for us at Long Island University, to work with our partners in bringing this hands-on Science project to so many children. Teachers and students have not only worked on the core Science project, but have taken "Keep the Heat" into other disciplines such as mathematics, art, and literature. We are delighted that our "Electronic Educational Village," built upon collaborative activity with cultural/community partners, is working now with The Long Island Museum of Science and Technology (LIMSAT), Nassau Technology Educators Association (NTEA) and soon the other collaborative science groups around the country."

"Nassau Technology Educators Association was pleased to assist LIMSAT and LIU in developing this year's ISD - Keep the Heat activity to engage young people in scientific inquiry," said Bill Youngfert, NTEA President and Technology Education Teacher at Herricks High School. "We look forward to an ongoing partnership with both of these organizations in other activities in the future that will further the interests of young people in science and technology education."

"International Public Science Day is an ideal expression of our vision for the future," said LIMSAT Executive Director Benjamin Parris. "Our goal is to excite the next generation of technology workers on Long Island, by enabling today's students to literally take hold of science and experience the wonder of its potential. Partnering with LIU and the NTEA creates an excellent synergy that opens up new possibilities for all three educational institutions to pool our resources to expand our program reach."

International Public Science Day is sponsored by Philadelphia-based Unisys Corporation, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and The Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia (see backgrounder).

"Unisys is proud to sponsor International Public Science Day and the Unisys Online Prize," said Camille A. Sciortino of Unisys Corporate Public Affairs. "And we're pleased that, over time, the quality of the online Web spaces keeps getting better and better. It shows that the Web can be a wonderful tool to improve science education."

If the LIU/LIMSAT/NTEA "Keep the Heat" project wins the competition, the prize money will be used to fund the creation of an activity station at the Long Island Museum of Science and Technology. This activity station will extend the activities of EEV/LIMSAT/NTEA in Project: Keep the Heat.

Background
International Public Science Day 2002

Long Island Team Participants

Long Island University (LIU) C.W. Post Campus is home to the Electronic Educational Village (EEV), a unique on-line community that links students, parents, cultural institutions, corporations and community resources. http://www.liu.edu, http://eev.liu.edu/eev02

The Long Island Museum of Science and Technology (LIMSAT) is Long Island's "hands-on" science and technology museum, to be located on Museum Row at Mitchel Field, adjacent to the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, N.Y.http://www.limsat.org

Nassau Technology Educators Association (NTEA) is a membership group for technology educators. herricks.org/ntea

Participating Schools:

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the largest general scientific organization in the world, with over 134,000 members from 130 countries and 273 affiliated societies comprising more than 10 million members. AAAS publishes Science, an editorially independent, multidisciplinary, weekly peer-reviewed journal that ranks as the world's most prestigious scientific journal.

Unisys is a worldwide information technology services and solutions company whose 39,000 people help clients in more than 100 countries utilize technology to seize opportunities, overcome challenges and succeed in the global economy. The company offers a rich portfolio of business solutions led by its expertise in consulting and systems integration, outsourcing, network services and security, coupled with leading enterprise-class server and related technologies.

The Franklin Institute Science Museum was founded in 1824 in Philadelphia, and is today recognized for its innovative science education programs and for developing museum-school partnerships that have become national models for innovative teacher training and hands-on science in the classroom. The Institute also promotes and perpetuates the legacy of Benjamin Franklin through major awards honoring achievement in science and in business leadership.