MORRIS TOWNSHIP, N.J.,
July 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/
-- More than 70 gifted and talented students, grades 6-10,
worked alongside top scientists and researchers collecting and
analyzing data on the health of the Chesapeake Bay. The two week
summer science and environmental program ran July 6 to July 19 and was hosted by Honeywell
(NYSE: HON) at the University of
Maryland Center for Environmental Science's Horn Point
Laboratory in Cambridge,
Maryland.
The Honeywell Institute for Ecosystems Education (HIEE) started
in 2010 and is coordinated through the Maryland State Department of
Education's Gifted and Talented Summer Center. The program uses the
Investigating and Evaluating Environmental Issues and Actions
(IEEIA) method, which operates on the belief that students learn
best by choosing subjects of interest and fully immersing
themselves into that subject matter.
Maryland Delegate Adelaide
"Addie" Eckhart, a longtime
advocate for education and the environment, praised the 73 students
and 15 teachers for their active participation in local
conservation efforts. "The Chesapeake Bay is an integral part of
our community's well being, and we thank Honeywell for their
ongoing commitment to our students, teachers and community," she
said.
"By engaging students in the issues and sciences that are of
critical importance to our state, the Honeywell Institute for
Ecosystems Education program ensures that we have both local and
global stewards to safeguard our environment for years to come,"
she added.
Honeywell's goal is to increase students' awareness in
environment issues in ways that will inspire them to contribute to
environmental changes in their community, work with local
scientists, influence local politicians and pursue careers in
environmental science, math, technology and engineering (STEM)
education. The program is aligned with Next Generation Science
Standards, a national benchmark for STEM.
"I participated in Honeywell Institute for Ecosystems in 2013
and it was at that moment that I realized I had the power to change
my environment," said Sincere Chandler, an HIEE alumnus from
Dorchester County. "It was here
working with scientists that I realized that I want to do this as a
career." Chandler is now pursuing his education to be an
environmental researcher and activist.
"We strongly believe that getting students fully immersed in
these subjects helps them to better understand the environment and
sustainability concepts," said Tom
Buckmaster, President, Honeywell Hometown Solutions, the
company's corporate citizenship organization and sponsor of HIEE.
"Students not only learn about local and global environmental
issues, they are also practicing critical thinking, problem solving
and research techniques. These life skills can serve them well
throughout their school years and beyond."
The program trains teachers on how to use the successful IEEIA
method in their classrooms to engage students and jump-start their
interest in environmental issues. They also learn how to identify
gifted and talented students in their classrooms.
"This is a one-of-a-kind professional development program," said
Lisa Antunes, a science teacher from
Deep Creek Middle School in Baltimore
County. "I plan to reinvent my teaching to become more
student-driven, bring students outdoors to investigate their world
and make connections that will inspire them to solve environmental
problems in the future. I am confident that this teaching technique
will have a ripple effect that will inspire hundreds of my students
to become our next-generation biologists, physicists and soil
engineers," Antunes added.
"This partnership with Honeywell allows our scientists to work
side-by-side with students and teachers," said Dr. Michael Roman, director of the Horn Point
Laboratory. "Together, the scientists, teachers and students gain a
lot out of this program, which is a win-win for all."
"Honeywell has been a strong partner in our drive to offer
educational opportunities to Maryland's teachers and students," said
Stephanie F. Zenker, Specialist in
Gifted and Talented Education, Maryland State Department of
Education. "Through Honeywell's commitment, we are able to educate
students on local environmental issues and inspire them to pursue
STEM subjects."
Since 2010, 382 gifted and talented students and 89 teachers
from Maryland have participated in
this program.
About Honeywell
Honeywell International
(www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and
manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace
products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes,
and industry; automotive products; turbochargers; and performance
materials. Based in Morris Township,
N.J., Honeywell's shares are traded on the New York, London, and Chicago Stock Exchanges. For more
news and information on Honeywell, please visit
www.honeywellnow.com.
About Honeywell Hometown Solutions
Honeywell Hometown Solutions, the company's corporate citizenship
initiative, focuses on five areas of vital importance: Science
& Math Education, Family Safety & Security, Housing &
Shelter, Habitat & Conservation, and Humanitarian Relief.
Together with leading public and non-profit institutions, Honeywell
has developed powerful programs to address these needs in the
communities it serves. For more information, please visit
http://citizenship.honeywell.com/.
About Horn Point Laboratory
The Horn Point
Laboratory, located on the banks of the Choptank River on
Maryland's Eastern Shore, is part
of a network of University of Maryland
Center for Environmental Science laboratories across the state that
conduct cutting-edge research into today's most pressing
environmental problems and train the next generation of
environmental scientists. Horn Point's researchers are widely
respected for their interdisciplinary programs in oceanography,
water quality, restoration of sea grasses, marshes and shellfish
and for expertise in ecosystem modeling, with ongoing research
programs spanning from the estuarine waters of the Chesapeake Bay
to the open waters of the world's oceans
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140718/128647
Media Contact:
Pratibha
Poswal
202 288 8177
Pratibha.Poswal@Honeywell.com
SOURCE Honeywell