Press Release:  2006

NCLT launches NanoEd Resource Portal
December 21, 2006, by Melinda Wong, NCLT

T he National Center for Learning and Teaching in Nanoscale Science and Engineering (NCLT) launches a new site, the NanoEd Resource Portal (NanoEd.org). This new portal is designed to both gather and disseminate information on nano-education related research, nanconcepts, teaching materials, seminars, lectures, degree programs, etc. The purpose of this portal is to provide a "one-click-resource" site for the Nanoscale Science and Engineering Education (NSEE) community, and to inform and educate the next generation of nanoresearchers and teachers.

The NanoEd Resource Portal provides a venue for students, teachers and researchers to showcase their work and to find opportunity to collaborate in NSEE community. For faculty and researchers this is also an educational outreach opportunity to help teach science by creating nanoconcepts, simulations and activities for the classroom.

The NanoEd Resource Portal will also help you to announce nanoscience education related events and activities at your organization. Please browse the site and we welcome your participation and partnership in building and expanding this portal. To find out more about contributing resources to the NanoEd Resource Portal, please email us at nclt@northwestern.edu.

NCLT Center-Wide Meeting November 17-18, 2006, Northwestern University
December 8, 2006, by Susan Singer, Northwestern University

NCLT, the National Center for Learning and Teaching in Nanoscale Science and Engineering, recently held its semi-annual, Center-wide meeting over November 17 and 18, 2006 on the Northwestern University campus. The conference was well-attended by 78 members of the NCLT community, representing ten universities, two high schools and minority institutions.

The Center-wide meeting provides opportunities for collaboration and to learn about people, activities and research occurring within the Center. The agenda was structured so that people could participate in as many "work circle" meetings as possible and learn of others' roles in contributing toward the mission and goals of the Center. Constructive feedback and experiences from the diverse expertise of the NCLT community were shared. In addition to these meetings, there were two workshops to enhance the education of the participants. These workshops centered on the Big Ideas in Nanoscience and Learning Technologies for the classroom. A summative session, held prior to the close of the meeting, brought the community together to review the outcomes of the work circle meetings. The Center will continue to invest time and resources to advance current programs and future initiatives.

The potential for collaborative ventures between and across groups and institutions was further advanced during the poster session and networking time. The NanoEd Resource Portal and the Oracle Collaborative Suite were unveiled, revealing new vehicles for sharing research within the NSEE community. Reflective time was built into meetings to explore the strengths of each program and to contemplate improvements or opportunities for NCLT to build capacity in NSEE. As NCLT reaches the mid-point of its first five-year grant term, the Center will continue to collaborate with other institutions and NSEE programs throughout the country to advance STEM education.

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NCLT Center Director RPH Chang Addresses Museum of Science 6th Annual Nano Education Symposium
November 22, 2006, by Susan Singer, Northwestern University

The Museum of Science in Boston held its sixth annual Nano Education Developers' Day and Nanotech 2006: A Symposium for Educators on November 6 and 7, 2006. NCLT Center Director, RPH Chang was asked to give a presentation entitled "Introducing NanoConcepts into Science and Engineering Courses". The associated PowerPoint slides are available by clicking on the link above. During the course of his talk, Chang briefly introduced the NCLT and how it strives to incorporate nanoconcepts at the pre-college and college levels. He also discussed the "cascade" approach to teaching these concepts and how the Center's use of the NanoEd Resource Portal and Cyberinfrastructure will enhance learning and collaborative opportunities for students.

Teachers in the Manipulating Light in the Nanoworld workshop use their home-made spectroscope (from blank CD discs) to examine light emission from fluorescent quantum dots (composed of nanocrystals suspended in a liquid solution), as well as other common, household light sources.

Carol Lynn Alpert of the Museum of Science congratulated Chang on the "huge contribution [he] made to the conversation...about strategy and approach to integrating nanoscience concepts into school curricula". She also noted that other attendees were "impressed with the way [Chang] had analyzed the key concepts and broken them down into learning objectives". NCLT curriculum developer Matthew Hsu also attended the Symposium and conducted nanoscience demonstrations with Ken Turner (Chemistry, Schaumburg High School) and Diane Riendeau (Physics, Deerfield High School) during the workshop sessions. These demonstrations are indicative of those being developed by the Center for use in 7th through 12th Grade classrooms. The Museum of Science was founded in 1830 and, in 1951, became the first to embrace all the sciences under one roof. It remains on the cutting edge of science education by developing innovative, interactive exhibits and programs that both entertain and educate. More than 1.6 million people visit the Museum and its 400-plus informal science education exhibits each year.

Ken Turner goes over the procedures to begin the first activity of the "Introduction to the Nanoscale" workshop. The activity was designed to engage students to explore how different forms (size and shape) of the same substance can behave differently.

Teachers work together to decide on the placement of a series of "mystery" pictures according to their correct order and size scale, spanning from nano to planetary scales (10 -9 m to 10 9 m).

Teachers compare the difference in absorption rates of two different forms of a water-absorbing polymer.

Annual Best Practices Conference on Teaching and Learning
November 10, 2006, by Susan Singer, Northwestern University

An invitation was extended to R.P.H. Chang to be the primary speaker at the Annual Best Practices Conference on Teaching and Learning. The Conference was held on October 20, 2006 in Puerto Rico. Chang was asked to share the NCLT's initiatives to enhance the teaching and learning process with the University of Puerto Rico STEM faculty. The address covered inquiry-based learning and design projects as the basis for stimulating discovery and creativity in students. Teachers' materials, the instructional methodologies employed and results from nation-wide field tests were presented. New approaches to teaching nanoscience were also treated.

The Resource Center for Science and Engineering (RSCE) was created at the University of Puerto Rico in 1980 to foster and nurture a community of future scientists, mathematicians, engineers and technologists capable of bolstering the economic development of and assuring the global competitiveness of the Island in these fields. The Center has grown from a small operation with $1.5M in funding to a $23M "virtual" organization with a portfolio of 36 projects dedicated to student-centered educational reform. The K-12 science and mathematics reform project was initiated in seven schools, but now covers 750 schools-nearly half of the public schools in the system. The number of bachelors' degrees conferred per annum in STEM disciplines has nearly doubled over the last 15 years, and the number of doctoral degrees earned by Puerto Ricans in STEM fields has doubled in the last five years.

R.P.H. Chang welcomed members of the University of Puerto Rico's faculty to attend the NCLT Center-wide Meeting. The offer was accepted, and five members of the Puerto Rico contingent will represent their institution at the Meeting in November, 2006.

Center Director RPH Chang with colleagues from the University of Puerto Rico

Nanoscience Teacher Workshop at Angonne National Laboratory
October 20, 2006, by Susan Singer, Northwestern University

NCLT sponsored a Nanoscience Teacher Workshop that was conducted at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) from July 24 through August 4, 2006. NCLT enjoys a partnership with ANL, which is America's first national laboratory, having its roots in the WWII-era Manhattan Project, and remains one of the country's largest Department of Energy research facilities. The workshop was attended by ten teachers from Chicago and surrounding suburbs, who spent two weeks of their summer vacation learning about nanoscience, nanotechnology and the means of bringing key concepts of both into their classrooms in the coming school year. Speakers included members of the Center for Nanoscale Materials at ANL and NCLT staff. Teachers were introduced to nanoscience, its various sub-disciplines, nanotechnology in everyday consumer goods, and future applications during the first week's lectures. Naturally, given ANL's eminence in the field of energy, several lectures focused on nano applications in that field and how fossil fuel dependence may be reduced. The primary goal was for teachers to experience first-hand the nature and diversity of nanoscale research in order to better appreciate its potential impact on their own and their students' lives. The focus of the second week was on incorporating what was learned into the standard science curricula used by the teachers. Projects were developed and strategies for integrating nanoconcepts into traditional science disciplines were discussed. These included presentation development and introducing hands-on activities, simulations and educational materials created by NCLT. Teachers had the opportunity to tour the new Center for Nanoscale Materials and other facilities at Argonne National Laboratory. They will adapt, implement and assess nanoscience units for use in their classes throughout the 2006 - 2007 academic year.

(Left to Right) Behind the Building 223 sign: Tim Moran, Bill Ness, Lou Harnisch, Sara Cahill. Middle: Christine Graffis, Ray Lesniewski, Phyllis Frick, Robert Pawlicki, Sylvia Noga. Front: Laura Cohen, Jean Barker (Photo taken on July 27, 06)

(Left to Right) Back: Christine Graffis, Ray Lesniewski, Sara Cahill, Bill Ness, Lou Harnisch. Front: Sylvia Noga, Phyllis Frick, Laura Cohen, Jean Barker, Tim Moran, Bob Pawlicki. (photo taken on August 4, 06)

Summer Science Institute 2006
October 6, 2006, by Namsoo Shin Hong, University of Michigan

If I can't see it, how do I know it's there?

While many of their peers whiled away the summer, a group of Ypsilanti middle school students examined a world of objects that cannot be seen at the Summer Science Institute. From July 17-28, about thirty students from Ypsilanti East and West Middle Schools collaborated with research scientists, technicians, teachers, and University of Michigan staff to explore the question, "If I can't see it, how do I know it's there?" For five hours every day, students investigated scientific phenomena observable only through indirect study, or with incredibly sophisticated tools such as electron microscopes. Students visited "clean room" laboratories where specialized computer chips are created, conducted a CSI-style investigation focusing on the microscopic evidence left by people and objects, and the created a variety of models, including complex three-dimensional computer generated models of nano-scale objects such as molecules and viruses.

Students were led through these investigations by a team of scientists and educators from the UM School of Education, a member institution of the National Center for Learning and Teaching on Nanoscale Science and Engineering (NCLT). The Summer Science Institute is the brainchild of Dr. Jim Hawkins, Superintendent of the Ypsilanti Public School District, whose primary goal is to create an interesting science and mathematics experience for middle school students at a time when their motivation and achievement in the sciences typically declines. Students learn directly from the experts, find out what the work of professionals in these fields is like, and a get a sense of what career paths exist in math and the sciences.

The Summer Science Institute is the result of collaboration among four organizations: The Ypsilanti Public School District, the HOPE program, the National Center for Learning and Teaching of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, and the University of Michigan School of Education. Financial support for the program is provided in part by funds from the National Science Foundation and Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

2006 Northwestern University Summer Teacher Workshops
September 22, 2006, by Susan Singer, Northwestern University

Northwestern University hosted an NCLT Teacher Workshop in Nanoscale Science and Engineering (NSE). These weekly meetings were held June 27 through August 8, 2006. The eleven area high school and college instructors were directed by Professor Lincoln Lauhon and addressed by NCLT staff Valerie Maynard, Matthew Hsu and Melinda Wong, Northwestern University and faculty Professors Venkat Chandrasekhar, Mark Hersam, Teri Odom and post docs Katya Seal and Zixiao Pan. Joining them were Chris Chiaverina, President of the American Association of Physics Teachers and Nate Unterman and Marcel Grdinic of Glenbrook North High School.

Topics featured both nanoscience and educational themes as well as introductions to "nano modules" that could be used in the teachers' classrooms during the academic year. Nanoscience topics included "Introduction to the Nanoscale" (Hersam), "Scanning Probe Microscopy" (Chandrasekhar), "Light in the Nanoworld" (Seal), "Nanoelectro-mechanical Systems for Biosensing" (Pan) and "Nanopatterning" (Odom). Teaching methodologies discussed included effectively communicating NSE concepts in the classroom using multi-media presentations and models, implementing inquiry-based instruction, and interpreting data, proposing explanations and presenting findings. Additionally, teachers learned about the national, electronic repository for nano materials, the NanoEd Clearinghouse and engaged in a "peer review" session to obtain feedback on presentations for final projects.

Surveys administered both before the workshop commenced and upon its conclusion demonstrated that teachers' appreciation of nanoscience and nanotechnology increased as a result of their attendance, that teachers' knowledge of the subject matter was enhanced, and that teachers learned how to integrate nanoconcepts into their lessons using inquiry-based methodologies. Without exception, teachers expressed an interest in more of everything the workshop had to offer: more activities, more time to do them, more suggestions for incorporating nanoconcepts in their teaching and more time collaborating or brainstorming with their peers.

The participating teachers plan to use the cutting-edge research and materials they gained from this workshop in their lesson plans in the coming school year. They will also participate in follow-up activities throughout the academic year. NCLT will continue to work with these extraordinary science teachers to advance STEM education.

Prof. Lauhon and Mr. Unterman leading a group discussion about a Lego model of a scanning probe microscope

Introduction to Light Module: Curriculum Development Lab

Teacher Professional Development in Nanoscale Science and Engineering at Purdue University
September 6, 2006, by William Fornes, Purdue University

The 2006 Summer Professional Development Workshop was held July 10 through 21 at Purdue University and attended by twelve middle and high school science teachers from Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia and the District of Columbia. The workshop was led by Professor Lynn Bryan (Department of Curriculum and Instruction and Department of Physics) and Professor Nicholas Giordano (Department of Physics) and featured both nanoscience and educational themes. The nanoscience themes emphasized during the two weeks were: Size and Scale, Intermolecular Forces, Microscopy, Self-Assembly, and Carbon Nanotubes. In addition to nanoscience presentations by Purdue University researchers in the Nanoscience Computation Network, the Departments of Chemistry and Physics and the Schools of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, the NCLT teachers toured the Birck Nanotechnology Center. The NCLT teachers also tested nanoscience classroom activities developed by graduate students Shanna Daly (Department of Engineering Education), Kelly Hutchinson (Department of Chemistry), and David Sederberg (Department of Curriculum and Instruction). The educational themes emphasized during the two weeks were Standards-Based Inquiry Science Teaching, Assessing Student Conceptions of Nano Concepts, and the Use of Models in Science Teaching. During the second week of the workshop the teachers developed their own nanoscience lessons for classroom use. Follow-up workshops and activities are planned for Fall 2006 and Spring 2007.

NCLT-PD Purdue Participants: Front row (Left to Right) - Shanna Daly, Uriah Albrink. Second row - Jeremy Buchanan, Nick Giordano, Kara Becker, Becky Creech, Mary Jo Theising. Third row - David Sederberg, Heidi Krouse, Lynn Bryan, Kelly Hutchinson. Back row - Bruce Ryan, Bill Fornes, Andy Cain, Rob Spencer, Brad Barnhardt, Gary Nolan, Bill Peery.

Birck Self Assembly Heidi Krouse (left) discuss a self assembly model with Kelly Hutchinson (middle) and Shanna Daly (right) at the Purdue University Birck Nanotechnology Center.

Teacher Professional Development in NSE at University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)
September 1, 2006, by Eric Hagedorn, University of Texas at El Paso

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The 2006 Summer Professional Development Workshop was held June 19 through 30 at the University of Texas at El Paso and attended by ten El Paso metropolitan area middle and high school teachers. The workshop was collaboratively facilitated by teams from both UTEP and Purdue University, and featured both nanoscience and educational themes. The UTEP team is headed by physics faculty member Eric Hagedorn, and also includes physics faculty members Milijana Suskavcevic, and Felicia Manciu as well as a preservice middle school science teacher, Liliana Sepulveda. The Purdue team, led by Professor of Physics Nick Giordano, included chemistry education graduate students Shanna Daly, Kelly Hutchison, and David Sederberg and Drs. William Fornes and Randall Batchelor. Mr. Bill Hunt, a high school science teacher from Big Pines, California, was the lead teacher for the two weeks. The three nanoscience themes emphasized during the two weeks were: scanning probe techniques, self-assembly, and carbon nanotubes. In addition to presentations by Nick Giordano, Eric Hagedorn, Mickey Manciu (UTEP Physics) and Karla Soto (UTEP Metallurgy), the Purdue graduate students developed and facilitated some wonderful inquiry-based activities on each of these themes. The educational themes emphasized during the two weeks were: standards-based inquiry science teaching, assessing student preconceptions of nano concepts, and the effective use of models in science teaching. Excellent educational activities for assessing students' sense of scale and helping the teachers better use models in science instruction were supplied by Dr. Lynn Bryan. Participating teachers came from each of El Paso's three major school districts: the El Paso, Ysleta, and Socorro Independent School Districts. During the second week of the workshop the teachers developed their own nanoscience lessons for classroom use. These lessons are aligned with Texas state standards and the districts' scopes and sequences. A web portal has been established at NCLT for the UTEP participants to share workshop materials and new ideas. One-day follow-up workshops are planned for both Fall, 2006 and Spring, 2007. Gallery	Participants working on AFM modeling activity
	Participants with Dr. Felicia Manciu in AFM/Fourier IR spectroscopy lab
	STM and AFM heads in Dr. Manciu's lab

Second Annual NCLT Faculty Workshop, August 6-9, 2006, California Polytechnic State University
August 23 2006, by Dr. Katherine Chen

The 2nd Annual NCLT Faculty Workshop on "Nanoconcepts in Higher Education" was held on August 6-9, 2006 and hosted by the Materials Engineering Department at the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. As part of the NCLT mission to build capacity in nanoscale science and engineering education (NSEE) for grades 7-16, roughly 30 faculty members from across the country convened to discuss and share the teaching and learning of nanoscale science and engineering at the undergraduate level.

Key nano concepts were identified, and collaborations were fostered through the many discussions at the workshop. Learning theories, assessment, and innovative teaching strategies in nano were presented, and ultimately lead to the development of action plans by the workshop participants to incorporate nanoconcepts in their courses or programs. Courses, lectures, activities, and demonstrations that are developed as a result of this workshop will be posted on the NCLT NanoEd Clearinghouse soon.

Workshop shcedule Gallery
	Faculty from community colleges and universities across the country (and Puerto Rico!) assemble at Cal Poly to learn and discuss teaching nano concepts in higher education.

Professor Mark C. Hersam is Recipient of 2005 Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE)
July 28 2006, by Geok-Chooi Lou, NCLT

Professor Mark C. Hersam has received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) award at a ceremony on July 26, 2006, in Washington, D.C.. As announced by Professor Peter W. Voorhees, MSE Department Chair at Northwestern University, "It is the highest honor given by the U.S. government to outstanding scientists and engineers who are beginning their independent careers. He had his photograph taken with President George W. Bush and the other PECASE recipients, and received his award from John H. Marburger, science advisor to President Bush and director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, during a ceremony in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building."

Professor Hersam is one of the outstanding young professors partnering with NCLT to advance Nanoscale Science and Engineering Education in the US. He is also a main driving force in establishing an on-line repository of resources for courses and supplemental modules for the NanoEd Clearinghouse due to be launched this Fall.

A member of the Faculty in Materials Science and Engineering Department since 2000, Professor Hersam's teaching and research activities can be viewed at the Research Group website Single Molecule Sensing, Characterization, and Actuation. The following links show a sample of college-level course materials that Professor Hersam has contributed to the NCLT and NanoEd Clearinghouse knowledge base.

• Nanomaterials
• Introductory Physics of Materials

President George W. Bush poses for a photo with the recipients of the 2005 Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, July 26, 2006. The Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, established in 1996, represents the highest honor that any young scientists or engineer can receive in the United States. White House photo by Kimberlee Hewitt.

• McCormick News Article
• Mark C. Hersam homepage at MSE NU
• The Mark Hersam Research group at NU

Teacher Workshop June 12-16, 2006, Fisk University - Metro-school Teachers Tackle Nanosciences
July 14, 2006, by Professor Weijie Lu

Fourteen science teachers from metro middle and high schools and six students from the Fisk teacher certification program were intently bent over worktables measuring laser beams and building a scanning probe microscope model in a classroom at Fisk University from June 12-16, 2006. The National Center for Learning and Teaching in Nanoscale Science and Engineering (NCLT), headquartered at Northwestern University, is the first national center for learning and teaching of nanoscale science and engineering education in the US, and sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). This year, Fisk University hosted the first NCLT workshop for Nashville science teachers in cooperation with Ms. Sarah Baker, the science coordinator of Metropolitan Nashville public Schools.

The teachers are working on the Scanning Probe Microscopy Module.

The participating teachers.

This one-week long workshop offered science teachers opportunities to work with nanoscience researchers, science educators, and learning tool experts in content development and laboratory experiments from Northwestern, Fisk, and Vanderbilt universities. The activities included: (1) learning material and curriculum development in nanoscale sciences, (2) introducing nanoscience in the classroom of 7-12 grades; and (3) knowing local research and educational activities at Fisk and Vanderbilt universities. Nanoscale sciences deals with objects with the sizes about one thousandths of human hair - the science will someday lead to extraordinary advances in electronics, medicine, and many other fields. The participating teachers came from seven metro high schools and three middle schools. "This workshop provides us a great opportunity to know the excitements in the fields of nanosciences, and I am very interested and excited to be involved in this project", commented Lisa Bastedo, a science teacher from Hillwood High School. "With this workshop, we are forming an important collaboration between the metro-schools and local universities", said Prof. W. E. Collins, physics professor and the program director.

Prof. W. Eugene Collins, Associate Provost and the Director of the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics of Fisk University, introduces the workshop

As the Director of NCLT, Professor Robert Chang stated: "Fisk University has done an outstanding job working with the NCLT and Vanderbilt University to organize this very successful workshop. I was thrilled to see the teachers' excitement as they worked on nanoscience experiments and design activities, and I am certain that their enthusiasm will help reinvigorate science education in the region. By providing this kind of hands-on professional development, we are empowering science teachers to help their students understand the relevance and everyday applications of nanoscale science and engineering. We hope to hold many more such workshops in years to come." The workshop for Nashville Teachers will continue in the summer 2007. For more information on the program, contact the coordinator Prof. Weijie Lu at 329-8625 or visit www.nclt.us.

Prof. R.P.H. Chang, the NCLT director introduces the NCLT

Nano Day at Northwestern University
March 22, 2006, Reported by Emma Tevaarwerk, Northwestern University

Federal Program Backs Study of Key Disciplines, Elk Grove Times January 5, 2006
by Casey Moffit

Two members of Illinois' congressional delegation visited Roosevelt University's Schaumburg campus Tuesday to lead a discussion about attracting students and teachers in the areas of math, science and technology while unveiling a new grant program to help.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., was joined by U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean, D-8th, to discuss new efforts to entice students and teachers to enter these critical fields, including the new Science, Math Access to Retain Talent program approved by Congress last month.

Durbin called these fields "essential to the U.S. economy" and in need of special attention because fewer U.S. students are earning degrees in math, science, engineering and technology.

"Congress occasionally gets things right, and in this case, I think they did," he said of the new grant program. "The U.S. has the best scientists and engineers, but other countries are nipping at our heels."

The grant program will dole out $3.75 billion during a five-year period to college students studying math, science, engineering and technology. Students studying foreign languages like Arabic, Farsi, Chinese, Korean and other languages not commonly taught in public schools are also eligible for the grant. All qualifying students must also be eligible for Pell Grants and be in good academic standing.

Bean said business leaders often tell her about the need for new engineers and scientists because many are retiring and few new graduates are earning those degrees.

"Business leaders ask us to relax visa restrictions to bring these people into the country," she said. "I push back and tell them to demand from all of Congress and ask what are we doing to address this domestic challenge and grow it from within."

Durbin also noted that an important part in attracting students to the fields of math and the sciences is hiring teachers who inspire students to continue in those studies. He outlined a number of legislative proposals he is pushing to increase loan amounts for students who want to teach math and science, forgiving interest on those loans and income tax incentives for those teachers.

Members of the panel included educators from Roosevelt University, High School District 214 and Northwestern University. All agreed concentrated efforts on developing math and science teachers are needed.

"Today's students are sophisticated learners, although they can seem like babies sometimes when it comes to common sense," said John Hillary, District 214 program administrator. "The curriculum we offer underestimates their abilities. We have to make sure we're not boring kids, because boredom kills inspiration."

Bob Chang , Northwestern University professor of material engineering, agreed and said science teachers must have access to new research to help inspire students.

"Teachers want to teach cutting-edge research to show students science is exciting and what it can do to help society," Chang said. "Students want to do activities and design things. We need to show them what they learn in the classroom can be applied to everyday life."

Hillary also said teachers from different departments need to communicate better, contending that if students understand they can use the creativity learned in art programs in science and math, they might be more inclined to pursue studies in math and science. Chang agreed.

"We have to dissolve the barriers between departments," he said. "Math teachers don't talk to science teachers, and students can't understand why they're studying math."