2000/2001 Leadership Program

Summer Institute 2001

Summer Institute 2001 launched extensive math and science training and virtual space exploration. The Institute was held at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) from July 8 - 21. An opening gala at the Bevill Center, located on the campus of UAH, kicked off the two-week event. Daily training sessions focused on skill building, upgrading teachers’ computational science expertise, development of a teaching model, and leadership seminars centered on preparing teachers for sharing skills with other colleagues. As a continuation of their training that began with the SC2000 Education Program in Dallas, Texas (November 2000), teachers received additional instruction on the use of practical web-based tools and educational software such as Mathematica, STELLA, ChemViz, SimSurface, GalaxSee, STAR Logo, and Biology Workbench. Sessions also incorporated hands-on physics, biology, chemistry, and math modeling activities.

The second week of the Summer Institute included a trip to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, where teachers were treated to an IMAX movie and bar-b-que dinner, and an exciting tour of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. At the conclusion of the two-week event, each team of teachers presented its finished teaching model during an afternoon EXPO session.