Feb. 12, 2008
Student videos show math and science are "cool"
DALLAS -- Six state winners have been selected as finalists for the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) "Fun Is Learning Math and Science" video competition. The six winners now will be eligible for national NMSI scholarship awards.

"The idea was to demonstrate that math and science are where the action is and we were very pleased with the creativity the students showed in their videos," said Tom Luce, CEO of NMSI. "They came up with clever parodies of hip-hop songs, a science mystery who-dun-it, and even animated calculators. It's more proof that these young people have worlds of talent to bring to math and science."

The state winners were selected from entries submitted by Advanced Placement* classes in math, science and English that are supported by NMSI grants. The first, second, and third place winners in each state will receive cash scholarships from NMSI as well as graphing calculators from Texas Instruments.

National winners will be selected from among the six state finalists and will be announced March 18, 2009 at a NMSI convocation for math and science leaders in Washington, D.C. The first, second, and third overall winners nationally will receive additional scholarships of $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000 respectively, as well as an expenses-paid trip to the video premiere. The first-place winner also will receive an expenses-paid tour of DreamWorks Animation Studio in Los Angeles, California.

The six state finalists are: Alabama - "Math Story" by Katrina Kessler and Ardienne Darby of Lamp High School; Arkansas - "Trapezoidal Sum" by Matt Albritton of Springdale High School; Connecticut - "AP Scholarship Story (Animal Behavior)" by Justin Bedard and Kaitlyn Caldwell of Coventry High School; Kentucky - "The Chronicles of Algebra" by K. Spencer Pierson and Tyler Mize of Shelby High School; Massachusetts _ "Math and Science are F=µN!" by Robert Henry Shmidt and Nick O'Conner of Northampton High School; Virginia - "Crank Dat Calculus" by Travis Grenier of Franklin High School.

The National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) was launched in 2007 by top leaders in business, education, and science to reverse the United States' troubling decline in math and science education. A non-profit organization, NMSI's mission is expanding programs with proven success in math and science education across the nation. The initial focus is on replicating two programs that each have 10 years of data proving they work: the AP Training and Incentive Program and UTeach, a program to recruit, prepare and retain qualified math, science and computer science teachers.

Major support for the national initiative has come from the Exxon Mobil Corp., the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, with in-kind assistance provided by IBM and Perot Systems.

Contact: Rena Pederson, NMSI Communications Director (214) 665-2523 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or Karen Berlin, Cooksey Communications, (972) 580-0662 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
For more information, visit www.nationalmathandsccience.org

*AP and Advanced Placement Program are registered trademarks of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product.
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