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President Bush Joins e-Mission at the Center
CET Thu Jun 24 2004

President Bush watched this afternoon as flight controllers in the Center for Educational Technologies® guided seventh grade students at Southern Columbia High School in Catawissa, PA, on a distance education e-Mission™.

Greg Meier, chief executive officer of the Center for Educational Technologies at Wheeling Jesuit University, and Nancy Sturm, chief relations officer at the center, traveled to Washington, DC, to brief President Bush on the center’s e-Mission distance learning programs and the use of technology, distance learning, and broadband Internet for education. Connecting with seventh graders, Wheeling Jesuit University, and the White House, the president observed students during the mission and then interacted via broadband Internet technology. President Bush greeted the students, encouraging them to study hard and to become scientists.

White House Photo: Nancy Sturm, chief relations officer for the Center for Educational Technologies, explains to President Bush how the distance learning E-Mission, Space Station Alpha, works.  Bush viewed a demonstration of broadband and wireless technologies at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Flight controllers Mark Lindsay and Kathie Fox served as Mission Control, leading the students through Space Station Alpha, a distance learning simulation in which students track a solar storm, control orbital position, predict radiation levels, and monitor oxygen levels.  Bruce Howard, Center for Educational Technologies curriculum director, was on location at Southern Columbia High School.

"Today was an exciting day for the campus as we showcased our distance learning curriculum e-Mission, Space Station Alpha, to the president of the United States," said the Rev. Joseph R. Hacala, S.J., president of Wheeling Jesuit University.

The students participated thanks to a partnership among the Center for Educational Technologies, NASA, and a $500,000 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program to the Northern Tier Distance Learning Consortium.

The e-Mission programs are comprised of integrated curriculum packages that include teacher development training, standards-based online curriculum, teacher support resources, and embedded assessment materials—all culminating in a live, two-hour simulation. All programs use digital learning technology to run interactive simulations from within a classroom. Students and teachers connect with flight directors at the Mission Control Center, using the Internet or videoconferencing technology for a live learning adventure that encourages students to draw on and develop math, science, and problem-solving skills.

"This is a significant moment in our history,” said flight controller Lindsay. “We fly more than 430 e-missions to more than 100 classrooms around the globe annually, reaching countless students through technology to enhance their learning environment and provide real-life simulations for students to grow cognitively in critical thinking skills. This is the first time the president of the United States participated."

The mission began at 12:50 p.m., President Bush greeted the students at 1:55 p.m., spoke briefly, and then the mission resumed. It concluded at 2:30 p.m.

The Center for Educational Technologies, home of the NASA-sponsored Classroom of the Future, receives international accolades for its e-Mission distance learning programs.

"The advancements being made at the Center for Education Technologies are helping to make knowledge more accessible and more exciting for our young people. I am proud to be a part of this effort," U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia said.

Beginning in 1991, Byrd added the initial $10 million to federal legislation to construct the Center for Educational Technologies. He has been integral to the growth and success of both the Classroom of the Future and the Challenger Learning Center housed in the building named in honor of his wife, Erma Ora Byrd.

"This program shows how federal investments can enhance math and science learning by our young people,” said U.S. Rep. Alan B. Mollohan of West Virginia. “Senator Byrd's success in funding the center has created a great resource for the university and our country."

Sturm added that "this is a hands-on means for students to explore space. We research, design, and build scientifically authentic educational materials for our country's children and deliver these materials through the use of advanced technologies."

Meier noted that the students participating in the e-Mission learned core competencies related to biology and physics and real-world evaluation and communication skills.

November 10, 2004

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