Ronald M. Latanision
Ronald M. Latanision (Symposium Chair) is professor of materials science and engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Professor Latanision has been active in precollege educational initiatives and serves as Chairman of the Council on Primary and Secondary Education at MIT. He directs the MIT Science and Engineering Program for High School Teachers and is Co-Chairman of the New England Science Teachers, (NEST). He is a Co-Principal Investigator of the NSF-sponsored statewide systematic educational reform initiative in Massachusetts, Project PALMS (Partnerships Advancing Learning of Math and Science). Dr. Latanision is an Overseer of the Boston Museum of Science, and is listed in American Men of Science, the international Scholars Directory, and Who's Who in America. Professor Latanision was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1985 and a Fellow of ASM International in 1988. He has served as a member of the National materials Advisory Board. Dr. Latanision is a founder of Altran Materials Engineering Corporation. Dr. Latanision has served on several NRC committees, most recently on the Center for Education Advisory Board, the Division Committee for the Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, and, as a vice-chair, on the Committee on Science Education K-12.
Gary Benenson
Gary Benenson is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the City College of New York (CCNY), has also taught at New York City College of Technology, and has served as a design engineer at Picker International, Columbia University and Brookhaven National Labs. He is currently Project Director of City Technology, a National Science Foundation-funded effort to promote and support technological literacy in the elementary grades. City Technology curriculum units use common materials, such as shopping bags, nail clippers, umbrellas and discarded newspapers, that are generally available for free. The units contribute to learning in technology, science, language arts, mathematics, and social studies. Benenson is a co-author of the Stuff that Works! series of teacher guides, published by Heinemann, which include the following titles: Mechanisms & Other Systems, Packaging & Other Structures, Signs, Symbols & Codes, Mapping and Designed Environments: Places, Practices & Plans. The City Technology project is currently being implemented in school districts in fifteen states.
William E. Dugger Jr.
William E. Dugger Jr., is director of the International Technology Education Association (ITEA) Technology for All Americans Project. In 2000, the project published Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for the Study of Technology. Dr. Dugger is currently overseeing another ITEA project funded by NSF and NASA to develop assessment, professional development, and program standards for technological literacy. He is an emeritus professor at Virginia Tech and served as a professor of education and the program area leader for technology education in the College of Education at Virginia Tech from 1972 to 1994 He is a president of ITEA (1984-85) and he has served on the Phi Delta Kappa (PDK) Board of Directors and was the PDK District VIII representative from 1992-1998. Dr. Dugger was the co-author, with Allen Bame, of the 1989 report, Pupils' Attitudes Toward Technology---PATT-USA, which gave results of a survey of 10,000 U.S. middle and high school students. He is a past member of the NRC Committee on Science Education K-12.
Karen Falkenberg
Dr. Falkenberg began her career as a research chemical engineer, earning a patent for solar cell technology. She later she taught high school and was featured in case studies of prominent U.S. innovations in science, math, and technology education. Concurrent with her high school teaching career, she worked as the National Director for the Thayer School of Engineering (Dartmouth College) professional development program on Engineering Problem Solving for High School Teachers. From 1995-2000, Dr. Falkenberg was program manager of the National Science Foundation funded local systemic change initiative for K-5 science in Atlanta. She is a mentor for SERC@SERVE's Technical Assistance Academy for Mathematics and Science and for the WestEd National Academy for Science and Mathematics Education Leadership. She serves on the National Research Council's Committee on Research in Education and was a member of the National Academy of Engineering's panel on Technological Literacy. Some of her current projects include the Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement; the Georgia Alliance for Science Education; the Middle Grades Math and Science Teacher Leadership Partners; Mastery of Science Education through Leadership; the Elementary Science Education Partners; the Challenge & Champions Experience for exceptional children; the Using Data Project in Science and Math Education; and the SEEK-16: National Initiative for Engineering Education.
Patricia Hutchinson
Patricia Hutchinson is a research professor at the College of New Jersey and is Director of the Children Designing and EngineeringTM Project. An M.F.A graduate of Penn State University, she taught art and design for ten years before pursuing a Ph.D. in Technology Education at New York University. She carried out her dissertation research on British Design and Technology Education while on a Fulbright Scholarship at Oxford, UK. After completing her doctorate, she co-founded TIES Magazine with Dr. Ronald Todd at Drexel University. Dr. Hutchinson served as curriculum coordinator for the NSF-funded Projects UPDATE and UPDATE/TEI from 1991-98. In 1995 she served on the National Commission for Technology for All Americans, the precursor to the TfAA Standards project. In 1998, she established the Children Designing and Engineering Project, working with the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce to develop MST-integrated curriculum materials for Grades K-5 around real world challenges inspired by New Jersey businesses. The CD&E framework has been an important cornerstone of an elementary MST major established in 2000, and now the fastest growing elementary education major at the College of New Jersey. Dr. Hutchinson worked on Technology Standards for several states and writes and speaks on interdisciplinary design-based education.
Dean Kamen
As an inventor and physicist, Dean Kamen has dedicated his life to developing technologies that help people lead better lives. With his latest invention, the SegwayTM Human Transporter (HT), Dean aspired to improve upon the most basic form of transportation, walking, by allowing people to go farther, move more quickly, and carry more without separating them from their everyday walking environment. As a result, the SegwayTM HT is a breakthrough in personal transportation that uses sophisticated and elegant self-balancing technology to improve the way people work and live. After founding DEKA Research & Development in 1982, Dean patented a fluid management system that became the core of the Baxter HomeChoiceTM PD peritoneal dialysis machine. Unlike traditional stationary dialysis equipment, it is a compact and portable device. In addition, Dean developed the INDEPENDENCETM iBOTTM 3000 Mobility System, a sophisticated mobility aid capable of climbing stairs, navigating rough terrain, and raising the user to eye-level with a standing person. Like SegwayTM HT, the iBOT uses self-balancing technology. One of Dean's proudest accomplishments is founding FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989, an organization dedicated to motivating the next generation to understand, use, and enjoy science and technology. Dean remains the driving force behind FIRST, recruiting titans of American business, government, and education to invest time and resources in the initiative. The FIRST Robotics Competition, an annual event teaming professional engineers with high school students nationwide attracts hundreds of teams, breaks participation records every year and inspires students to pursue careers in science and technology. Dean has received numerous awards and accolades for his innovative inventions that have revolutionized healthcare technology including the National Medal of Technology in 2000, the Lemelson-MIT Prize in 2002 for Invention and Innovation and the 2002 Ralph Coats Roe Medal.
Tom Keating
Dr. Keating received his BS in Biology from the University of San Francisco, his M.S. in Marine Sciences from Moss Landing Marine Lab, and his Ph.D. in Curriculum and Teacher Education with an emphasis in Science and Technology Education from Stanford University. Dr. Keating is presently the Director of Education and Teacher Professional Development at The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, California. He completed his Ph.D. work on Electronic Communities in 1996 under the mentorship of Doctor Mary Budd Rowe at Stanford University. His research is in the area of diffusion, implementation, and reinvention of emerging technological innovations in science education settings. Dr. Keating began his career in science as a curatorial assistant in the Department of Ichthyology at the California Academy of Sciences in 1977. He went on to curate the natural history collections of the Charles Darwin Research Station on the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, in 1979-80. Dr. Keating returned to the United States to pursue an M.S. degree at Moss Landing Marine Lab where he studied the impact of Monterey gill net fisheries on marine bird, sea otter, pinniped, and cetacean populations. In 1984, Dr. Keating entered the field of education as a science, mathematics, and technology teacher at San Benito High School in Hollister, California. His teaching career spanned an eight-year period where he served as a Mentor Teacher for four years and was named Teacher of the Year in 1992. Upon completion of his Ph.D., Dr. Keating served as a faculty member in science education at Indiana University Bloomington for three years. While at IU he was a founding member of the Center for Research in Technology on Learning. Dr. Keating continues to serve on the advisory board of an NSF funded project, the Inquiry Learning Forum Project, through the CRLT. In 1999, Dr. Keating accepted a faculty position at Boston College where he taught courses on Restructuring Classrooms with Technology, Computer Applications for Educators, Secondary Science Methods, and Elementary Science Methods. He continued his research, joined by a dedicated group of doctoral students, on the implementation of emerging technologies in science classrooms and the preparation of technologically savvy preservice teachers. Dr. Keating has been the Director of Education and Teacher Professional Development at The Tech Museum of Innovation since the summer of 2002. At The Tech he pursues his interest in informal science learning and works with Silicon Valley educators to develop technologically literate students through the process of learning by design.
Richard Kimbell
Professor Richard Kimbell taught design & technology in schools and has been director for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes of teacher education. Between 1985-91, he directed the government funded Assessment of Performance Unit research project in Design & Technology. In 1990, he founded the Technology Education Research Unit (TERU) at Goldsmiths College London which is now running a wide range of externally funded research projects in design & technology and information technology, particularly as they relate to teaching, learning and assessment. He has published widely in these fields, including reports commissioned by UK government Departments, the Congress of the United States, UNESCO and NATO. He has written and presented television programmes for the BBC and for Thames television and he regularly lectures internationally. He is Editor in Chief of the DATA journal, and his latest book "Assessing Technology: International trends in curriculum and assessment" won the outstanding publication of the year award from the Council for Technology Teacher Education at the International Education Association, 1999, in Minneapolis, USA.
Yannis Miaoulis
Dr. Ioannis (Yannis) N. Miaoulis, 42, became President and Director of the Museum of Science, Boston January 1, 2003. His dream is to make everyone scientifically and technologically literate. As Dean of Tufts University School of Engineering, Miaoulis spearheaded the introduction of engineering into the Massachusetts K-12 science and technology curriculum, making the Commonwealth first in the nation to do so in 2001. Convinced the best way to interest people in science and engineering is to connect these subjects to their passions, Miaoulis created popular engineering courses at Tufts based on students’ and his own enthusiasm for fishing and cooking. Guided by him for 15 years, Tufts engineering students have inspired children in hands-on classroom engineering experiences. Now, led by Miaoulis, the Museum of Science is advancing technological literacy nationwide by working with school systems, engaging students in engineering activities, providing a window into the world of technology, and fostering discussion of the impact of science and technology. Originally from Greece, Miaoulis has been honored for his research and community service, including the Presidential Young Investigator Award; the Allan MacLeod Cormack Award for Excellence in Collaborative Research; and the William P. Desmond Award for outstanding contributions to Public Education. He served on the Massachusetts Math and Science Advisory Board and is Chair of the Massachusetts Technology/Engineering Advisory Board. Helping Tufts raise $100 million for its engineering school, Miaoulis greatly increased the number of female students and faculty, oversaw a strategic plan raising the school’s international visibility, designed collaborative programs with industry and more than doubled research initiatives. Earning bachelor’s and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering and a master’s in economics at Tufts, he also received a master’s in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has published more than 100 research papers and holds two patents.
Richard Satchwell
Richard Satchwell earned his Ph.D. in Vocational and Technical Education from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The International Technology Education Association recognized him as a "Leader to Watch" in 1999. Dr. Satchwell received the William E. Nagel Leadership Award in 1998 from the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research at the University of Illinois was recognized with the 1997 Outstanding Dissertation Manuscript from the National Association of Industrial and Technical Teacher Educators. Dr. Satchwell spent 17 years as a technology education teacher at the elementary, middle, and high school level. From 1995-1996, he served as the Associate Director for the Technology for All Americans Project aimed at developing National Standards for Technology Education. Currently, Dr. Satchwell is at the Center for Mathematics, Science, and Technology at Illinois State University (www.ilstu.edu/depts/cemast) as the Project Coordinator for the Integrated Mathe matics, Science, and Technology Project (IMaST) funded by the National Science Foundation. He also serves as the Curriculum Specialist on an Advanced Technological Education project funded by the National Science Foundation titled, Project Probase. Dr. Satchwell currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Triangle Coalition for Science and Technology Education. Dr. Satchwell has authored numerous articles related to technology education; presented at state, regional, and national conferences for science and technology education; co-authored four textbooks published by Glencoe/McGraw Hill that integrate mathematics, science, and technology; and has lead authorship on 16 middle school curriculum modules integrating mathematics, science, and technology education being published by RonJon Publishing, Inc. (www.ronjonpublishing.com).
The Honorable Susan Sclafani
The Honorable Susan Sclafani serves in a dual role at the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE), as she is the Counselor to the Secretary as well as the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Vocational and Adult Education. In one of her many roles as Counselor to the Secretary, Susan is spearheading the Math and Science Initiative on behalf of the Secretary. Prior to her arrival to the USDOE, she served as Chief of Staff for Educational Services in the Houston Independent School District. In her position as Chief of Staff, she represented the Superintendent on educational issues and coordinated activities of departments directly involved in the education of children, including school administration, educational programs, legal services, community and public relations. Dr. Sclafani has also served as Associate Superintendent for District Administration, where she coordinated district-wide initiatives and collaborative programs for the state education department, universities and individual schools. She also served as Executive Director for Curriculum Development, where she planned the district-wide K-12 Character Education program, directed Project ACCESS (A Collaborative Curriculum To Enhance Student Success) and directed the development and implementation of plans to restore the accreditation status of the school district.
Stephen Smith
Stephen Smith, technology coordinator at Newburyport High School, is an educational technology leader who has introduced $1.25 million worth of hardware at his school and trained the faculty to use it effectively. He is also a pioneer in integrating technology instruction in technology education and physics concepts at the high school level. A Pro/DESKTOP trainer, he supports technology education teachers in using computer-aided design technology to teach the engineering design process. He is also an adjunct faculty member at Lesley College and a member of the Massachusetts Department of Education Technology Engineering Advisory Board. He obtained his bachelor’s degree from Keene College and his mater’s degree in Technology in Education from Lesley College.
John Stuart
John Stuart, senior vice president, partners and education at PTC, oversees PTC’s educational programs and its relationships with strategic business partners. An authority on requirements for the "engineer of the future," he currently serves on the National Academy of Engineering Committee on Assessing Technological Literacy. He has held numerous executive positions in marketing and sales at PTC, and has been widely quoted and written about in national, business and trade media. A 22-year veteran of the software industry, Mr. Stuart also held sales management positions at Centel Information Systems and Texas Instruments. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in finance at the University of Illinois.
Ronald D. Todd
Ronald D. Todd, Ph.D., is a Research Professor in the Department of Technological Studies in the School of Engineering at The College of New Jersey. His responsibilities there include administration and development of programs in technology and innovation for public school teachers, and development of research funding program. He serves as publisher of TIES Magazine. (The Magazine for Design and Technology Education). He is currently working on the design of new facilities and programs with selected Abbott School Districts, which are the thirty poorest school districts in Hew Jersey. He has been engaged for more than forty years in developing programs, materials and activities and providing professional development experiences for enhancing technological literacy and competency of teachers and students. He has served as a project director and principal investigator for projects totaling nearly ten million dollars, including three projects funded by the National Science Foundation. Directly related to this effort are Project UPDATE (Upgrading Practice through Design and Technology/ Engineering Education) and the UPDATE/ Teacher Enhancement Initiative. These NSF projects were instrumental in securing funding from the New Jersey Commission On Higher Education to develop a K-12 STEM program. He has served as an advisory board member of two museums and an after-school program. He currently works with a team at TCNJ that is developing activities and providing teacher training related to urban-based after-school programs that use D&T to help young people improve their understanding of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Carl Truxel
Carl Truxel, a retired Mechanical Engineer, part time lecturer at UMES, and Technology Education teacher at Dulaney High School, has been teaching technology and engineering for eleven years. During that period, he developed and presented courses of instruction in Materials and Optics for the NSF-funded Technology Education Leadership Program (TELP) at UMES, helped write blended instruction curriculum, and authored a handbook addressing the integration of Science, Math, and Language Arts in Technology Education classes in Baltimore County to improve student performance on SAT's and in post secondary education. He is presently teaching Engineering Technology with Physics, an advanced course in Research and Experimentation, and ENES 101, UMBC's basic engineering course, at Dulaney. A member of the Technology Education Association of Maryland, an assistant investigator at Johns Hopkins University for RET programs in 2001 and 2002, he has been the recipient of awards for Excellence in Teaching, at county, state and national levels, and was most recently named Baltimore County's High School Teacher of The Year by the Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce.
Kristan Van Hook
Kristan Van Hook is a Principal at IT Strategies, where she provides policy advice, representation, public affairs guidance and business development assistance to clients in the education, communications, and information industries. She has successfully represented a national education group and coalition of educators to preserve radio spectrum licenses across the country for educational purposes, worked with a major telecommunications and Internet equipment supplier and an educational software company to provide business community support for the federal school connectivity program. Kristan helped assemble the Partnership for 21st Century Skills and serves as its executive director. Prior to her current position, she was director of Congressional Affairs at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. There, she helped develop administration initiatives and policies on issues including education technology, radio spectrum, universal service, and innovative community uses of advanced networking technologies and the Internet. Prior to her position at NTIA, Kristan worked for the chairman of the Telecommunications and Finance Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA). She holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.P.P. from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.
Wm. A. Wulf
Dr. Wulf was elected President of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in 1997. The NAE and National Academy of Sciences operate under a congressional charter to provide advice to government on issues of science and engineering. Dr. Wulf is on leave from the University of Virginia, where he is a University Professor. His research spans computer architecture, computer security, programming languages, and optimizing compilers. In 1988-90 Dr. Wulf was also on leave to be Assistant Director of the National Science Foundation. Prior to joining Virginia, Dr. Wulf founded a software company, Tartan Laboratories, based on research he did while on the faculty at Carnegie-Mellon University. Dr. Wulf is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Corresponding Member of the Academia Espanola De Ingeniera, and a Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He is also a Fellow of four professional societies: the ACM, the IEEE, the AAAS, and AWIS. He is the author of over 100 papers and technical reports, has written three books, holds two US Patents, and has supervised over 25 Ph.D.'s in Computer Science.