Today (Sept. 18), representatives of the Math and Science Academy will receive a check for $8,800 from the profit of sales of merchandise bearing the Laboratory's official logo. The presentation is being made at a meeting of the Northern New Mexico Council on Excellence in Education, of which the Laboratory is a member.
Merchandise such as T-shirts, sweatshirts, coffee and travel mugs with the official Laboratory logo can be purchased in the Otowi Building at Technical Area 3.
Aramark Corp., the Laboratory's cafeteria services provider, has handled the sale of logo merchandise since it became available in August 2002.
The Laboratory designated the Math and Science Academy as the recipient of profits from Laboratory logo merchandise sales.
"The Math and Science Academy is vital to helping Los Alamos develop its work force of the future," said Kurt Steinhaus of Los Alamos' Education Program Office. "This check to the academy demonstrates that Laboratory personnel are concerned about education in their communities," he said.
"On behalf of the Northern New Mexico Council for Excellence in Education, we'd like to thank those Laboratory employees who purchased merchandise. A purchase of logo merchandise benefits New Mexico schools," Steinhaus added.
Carol Brown, a Math and Science Academy staff member and an employee of Los Alamos' Education Program Office, said the funds will be used to help provide stipends for teachers; materials for their use with their students; and resources, such as books and computer software that will help [teachers] continue to become thoughtful, reflective and effective practitioners who provide the very best learning experiences for their students.
When Los Alamos created the Math and Science Academy in 2000, 12 teachers and 250 students in Española, Chama and Mora schools participated. This year, 56 teachers in seven schools in the Española, Chama, Mora and Pojoaque school districts are taking part involving about 1,300 students.
The goal of the virtual academy is to provide sound preparation in math and science, decrease the number of students who drop out of school, increase the pool of qualified teachers and give graduates the skills they need to achieve their potential.
The academy features a summer institute in which teachers receive training and earn professional development credit.
During the school year, teachers meet in content-area groups, review student work and integrate and fine tune classroom lesson plans. Teachers from the various school sites communicate online and also learn how to incorporate technology as a learning tool in the classroom.
Los Alamos National Laboratory is operated by the University of California for the National Nuclear Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy and works in partnership with NNSA's Sandia and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories to support NNSA in its mission.
Los Alamos enhances global security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, developing technical solutions to reduce the threat of weapons of mass destruction and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health and national security concern.
Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, and Washington Group International for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.
Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.