The Benjamin Banneker Institute of Science and Technology designates 2006 as The Year of Blacks in Science in celebration of the Benjamin Banneker Bicentennial (1731-1806).

We will spend the balance of 2005 assembling events for the Banneker Bicentennial. Beginning January of 2006, a monthly calendar of events will be published on the Banneker Website (www.thebannekerinstitute.org). We are planning media coverage to promote the occasion during both 2005 and 2006.

We welcome your participation. First, if you have suggestions for contacts we should be sure to make as we are planning this event, please let us know. Second, if you would like to participate as we plan this bicentennial, also let us know by return e-mail. Finally, and most importantly, if you have, or plan to have an event which you would like included on the schedule, again, let us know by return email.
 

Featured Funding Opportunity

An exciting funding opportunity exists at the Department of Education: The Mathematics and Science Partnership program. This is intended to increase the academic achievement of students in mathematics and science by enhancing the content

knowledge and teaching skills of classroom teachers.

Partnerships between high-need school districts and the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty in institutions of higher education are at the core of these improvement efforts.

The Math and Science Partnerships program is a formula grant program to the states, with the size of individual state award based on student population and poverty rates. Each state is responsible for administering a grant competition in which grants are made to partnerships to improve teacher knowledge in mathematics and science.

Eligible partnerships include:

• An engineering , mathematics, or science department of an institution of higher education (IHE);
• A high-need local education agency;
   

And may include:

• Other engineering, mathematics, science or teacher training departments of an IHE;
• Additional LEAs, public charter schools, public/private elementary schools, secondary schools or a consortium of such schools;
• Businesses;
• Nonprofit or for-profit organizations of demonstrated effectiveness in improving the quality of mathematics and science teachers.
   

This information can be found at the Department of Education website at www.ed/gov/programs/mathsci/index.html.

For more information on specific state competitions, interested parties are encouraged to contact their respective state education authority. Feel free to email the Banneker Institute also, if you’d like help with this.