COLUMBUS, OH--(Marketwire - March 4, 2010) - Battelle's strategic involvement with Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education issues has led to an invitation to share its knowledge with the U.S. Congress.
Battelle President and CEO, Jeff Wadsworth, will testify at the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology hearing, "Reforming K-12 STEM Education," on March 4 at 10 a.m. in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. Dr. Wadsworth will describe Battelle's history in STEM education, including its initiatives and partnerships at the state, local and national levels. Dr. Wadsworth also will describe working with other businesses to promote and improve STEM education as well as his recommendations for the next steps.
Battelle has been a strong advocate of STEM education since 2001, when decisions were made to target Battelle financial resources and human talent in the area of education improvement. In 2001, Battelle made the founding $10 million investment in Battelle for Kids, a fully independent non-profit organization that is a premier provider of services to help teachers and administrators use and understand value-added data on the measurement of progress of individual students.
In 2006, Battelle, The Ohio State University, Columbus City Schools and 15 other districts created Metro Early College High School using project-based learning in an authentic demonstration laboratory with real students and teachers under real-world conditions. Metro's students come from 16 public school districts in central Ohio, and the curriculum was built by district personnel, Ohio State professors and STEM practitioners at Battelle. The fundamental design principle at Metro was the partnership itself -- a consortium of multiple public school districts anchored by higher education institutions and a committed business. Once established, the school began to serve as a "platform" for proactively transferring innovative learning and teaching practices to districts in its regions across Ohio and the U.S. For example, Metro inspired the design of Delta High School, a new STEM school in eastern Washington sponsored by three school districts, government organizations, and local technology businesses including the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory managed by Battelle.
Every member of the first graduating class at Metro will matriculate to college this fall and most of them will have attained a significant number of college credits while in high school.
Metro was critical in Battelle's efforts to create the Ohio STEM Learning Network (OSLN). Along with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and officials from the State of Ohio, the OSLN has helped create 10 STEM platform schools and 26 K-8 STEM programs of excellence in less than three years. More than $100 million has been invested by public and private partners directly impacting 3,100 primary and secondary students while building STEM education platforms that are accessible to more than 100,000 students and 1,000 teachers.
Battelle now integrates its STEM efforts as a full operating business of equal standing and priority to its core R&D businesses in Energy, Health and Life Sciences, National Security, and Laboratory Management. Battelle also is creating multi-state networks. In addition to Ohio, Battelle is working with Tennessee and North Carolina on statewide efforts to coordinate P-20 STEM strategies and initiatives.
Battelle, the world's largest independent research and development organization, was founded in the 1920s because of a codicil in the will of Gordon Battelle, a visionary who was part of a family of successful industrialists and humanitarians. He established the founding purposes of conducting scientific discovery, translating discoveries into practical applications of benefit to the economy and to society, and utilizing the proceeds from these activities to benefit education of men and women for employment.
Today, Battelle is a global enterprise with revenues of $5.6 billion that employs more than 20,400 people and is the lab management or co-management team for seven national labs for the United States government and one for the United Kingdom. Battelle, believes that the role of the management team is to continuously interpret Gordon Battelle's will in a contemporary context and constantly search for the best and highest use of its human capital and facilities.
Contact Information:
Contacts
T.R. Massey
614-424-7208