Los Angeles Bite of Science Strengthens Science Teaching

McLean, VA, January 29, 2015 --(PR.com)-- The Center for Excellence in Education (CEE), Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, AMGEN Foundation, Aerojet Rocketdyne, and GenCorp Foundation sponsored a Bite of Science professional enrichment session, cost-free, for high school teachers on Wednesday, January 28, 2015 in Los Angeles, CA. This Bite of Science session hosted by UCLA Brain Research Institute took place at UCLA Gonda Neuroscience and Genetics Research Building located at 695 Charles E. Young Drive, South in Los Angeles. Bite of Science was held from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. for STEM teachers who wanted to broaden their perspective of science in their classroom.

The mission of the Teacher Enrichment Program (TEP) is to assure a future talented and diverse U.S. workforce in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). TEP provides rural and urban underserved high school teachers the opportunity to connect with experts from industry and academia to explore cutting-edge research and make meaningful professional links with direct benefits for their students.

Bite of Science is designed to improve teacher’s ability to provide students a context of how science is applied in the real world and inspire students to pursue careers of excellence and leadership in STEM. This Bite of Science session for teachers is estimated to impact at least 4,100 students in the Los Angeles area school district.
CEE’s Bite of Science session in Los Angeles, California featured:
· Anthony Magee, Director, STEM Education Outreach, Aerojet Rocketdyne
· Veronica Garcia, Staff Engineer, Aerojet Rocketdyne
· Elissa Hallem, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Department, University of California, Los Angeles

The Bite of Science speakers discussed their work and related it back to the classroom for the teachers to inspire and guide students toward academic opportunities and STEM careers.

The goals of the Teacher Enrichment Program are to:
· Provide teachers with professional enrichment opportunities
· Furnish the opportunity for teachers to ask questions and to interact directly with scientists and engineers
· Foster excitement in teachers to create an interest in students for STEM fields through engagement with STEM professionals in and outside of the classroom
· Inform teachers so they have a better understanding of research and development
· Create awareness of the skills and knowledge needed for the 21st Century STEM worker
· Allow teachers the opportunity to network with their peers
Contact Natasha Schuh-Nuhfer, Ph.D., Director of the Teacher Enrichment Program, at nschuh@cee.org or Jennifer Midgley, Program Analyst, at jmidgley@cee.org , to learn more about the cost-free event offered by CEE.