SMT Center Sponsors Student Delegation Participation in the Beijing Youth Science Creation Competition

Research Triangle Park, NC, March 08, 2008 --(PR.com)-- The North Carolina Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Center (SMT Center) is supporting a delegation from North Carolina to attend the Beijing Youth Science Creation Competition. The Grassroots Science Museums Collaborative, headed by Fran Nolan, is coordinating the trip. The group will be in Beijing, China March 18 – 25.

The student members presenting their science projects in the international exhibit will be Mark Hendrick, Jr. a senior from Northwest Guilford High School, who resides in Guilford County; Melanie Wiley, a senior from the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics who lives in Burlington, N.C.; Kyle O’Donnell from Southwest Guilford High School, also from Guilford County; and Brandon Young, a junior from Enloe High School who resides in Wake County.

The goal of the Beijing Youth Science Creation Competition is for the U.S. students to meet and exchange ideas with students from other countries. While the students will be exhibiting at the competition, they are not competing against other countries. Only the students from China participate in the competitive part of the event.

The students were chosen from an online competition through the Grassroots website (Grassroots-Science.org, under North Carolina International Science Challenge, or NISC.) The jury process included a presentation of their inquiry projects to a team of scientists.

“The students demonstrate their science projects to thousands of Chinese citizens including heads of state, students from China, TV crews and other people who are interested in science in China,” said Sam Houston, president and CEO of the SMT Center.

Fran Nolan emphasizes that there are two major aspects of the student experience. “The scientific dialogues are very rich and the cultural exchanges are valuable. Walking on the Great Wall of China is significant, but so is forming an Internet collaboration with a Danish colleague to invent a new device.“

Students from Australia, Denmark, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Ukraine, and South Africa will also be participating in the exhibit.

Traveling with the students will be Dr. Fran Nolan, executive director of Grassroots Science Museum Collaborative, Ruth Haas, director of the Cape Fear Museum, Karl McKinnon, assistant director of the Schiele Museum of Natural History in Gastonia and Karen Shafer, a science professor from University of North Carolina-Wilmington. Three legislators will also accompany the students and will interact with leaders from the Chinese government. These include: Senator A.B. Swindell of Nash County and Wilson County, Senator Julia Boseman of New Hanover County, and Representative Debbie Clary of Gaston County and Cleveland County.

The students from North Carolina will be blogging while they are at the event. People can follow their travels by reading their blog at: http://www.Grassroots-Science.org.

For more information about the Beijing Youth Science Fair, contact SMT Center at: 919-991-5111 or email Lisa Rhoades at: lrhoades@bwfund.org.

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