From the President

2007 Annual Repor t

North Carolina Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Center
was launched in 2002 to promote and support innovation in science, mathematics, and
technology learning in the state’s elementary and secondary schools. We’re doing that by
serving as a catalyst for innovation and change in education; advocating for research-based
instructional programs in schools; providing tools, learning methods, and technical help
to educators; and recruiting community and business leaders to encourage and promote
advanced science and mathematics learning at all ages.

Contents
3 From the President
5 Teacher Link
6 LASER
7 Science Competitions
8 SMT Awards
10 Collaborations
11 Financial Statements
12 Board of Directors

Thanks to Jason Painter for

his photo contributions.
 From thePresident
From the President
Samuel H. Houston Jr., Ed.D.
President and CEO
Whenever the conversation turns to future
workforce issues, the two words I hear most
repeated are competitive and collaborative.
At first glance these words seem to be at odds with
one another. But when you consider that in order to
be competitive you need to be collaborative (and vice
versa) the two words fold nicely together.
Trying to predict the future is not easy. We can
ask what we think are the right questions, but as the
president of MCNC Joe Freddoso likes to point out the
world is moving at Internet speed and the rest of us
are playing catch up. Educating a student in technology
that is evolving so quickly that by the time the lesson
plan is finished, the technology has been revised,
revamped, bought, sold, merged, and then becomes
obsolete is a difficult task.
So technology is just the tool. It’s how you use the
technology that’s important: How to use technology
to collaborate and how to compete in an expanding
marketplace.
This past year, the North Carolina Science,
Mathematics, and Technology Education Center has
been engaged in many different projects with many
different groups in order to fulfill our mission of
enabling our students to thrive in a workforce that
few of us can even imagine.
The Blue Ribbon Commission on Testing and
Accountability gave the Center an opportunity to
influence how education is assessed and how it will
impact North Carolina particularly in SMT areas. The
commission was created out of a desire by the N.C.
State Board of Education to look at issues in account-
ability. While exploring issues of accountability we
must also consider instruction, curriculum design, and
how to measure student performance. In essence,
we had to look at the foundation of the educational
system. The mortar of this foundation is the creation
of “future-ready students.” Language such as “21st
Century Skills” and “globally competitive” speaks to
the heart of the SMT Center’s mission. You cannot pre-
pare a student for the future without including science,
mathematics, and technology in the mix.
We have also been in partnership with the
University of Washington and the Stanford Research
Institute to develop an evaluation instrument to assess
learning through hands-on, inquiry-based means. We
are identifying districts to participate in research on
assessment tools, providing advice on research efforts,
and gathering organizations and policymakers in N.C.
interested in improving student assessment.
Through these efforts and the efforts listed in the
following report, the Center has gained considerable
visibility and acknowledgement that it is a valued player
in SMT-related issues. —continued on next page
2007 Report | 3

—continued
Convene
In the past two years of our partnership with the
National Science Resources Center, the LASER
Institute has gathered more than 30 North Carolina
school districts to create strategic inquiry-based
science education reform plans. Working with these
districts, the Center is reaching out to nearly 500,000
students. See page 6.
Competition
Through funding by the North Carolina General
Assembly, we were able to create the North Carolina
Science Competition Program Center in order to provide
more students across the state with the benefits of
science competitions. We have also sponsored teacher
professional development to train them to coach and
direct science competitions. See page 7.
4 | www.ncsmt.org
Celebrate
In April, the SMT Center held the second annual
SMT Celebration. More than 400 guests attended
our celebration of the organizations and people who
contribute to the health of SMT education in our state.
We recognized those who have received national or
statewide honors. This year we had our own inaugural
award ceremony. Dr. Queta Bond, who was instrumental
in the creation of the SMT Center, received the Order
of the Long Leaf Pine from the Governor’s Office for her
commitment to science education in North Carolina.
See page 8.
Collaboration
The SMT Center, in partnership with the Public School
Forum, has developed and organized science and math-
ematics teacher training for the Collaborative Project.
We provided 98 teachers from Mitchell, Caswell,
Warren, Greene, and Washington counties with five-
day residential mathematics workshops held at three
University of North Carolina campuses. See page 10.
In Summary
Success of an organization is measured by the sum
of its parts. Part of the SMT Center’s success can be
attributed to its ability to collaborate. Through
collaboration we can add strengths and smooth the
edges to allow us to accomplish our goals. By providing
teacher development, by providing opportunities for
school districts to assess and develop science educa-
tion plans, by providing resources for informal science
education projects to flourish and to spread their reach,
we are providing the students of North Carolina with
the necessary knowledge and skills in science, math-
ematics, and technology to have successful careers,
be good citizens, and advance the economy of the Old
North State.
—Samuel H. Houston Jr., Ed.D.
Teacher Link
FromReaching
Science Professionals the President
Out to Students

Working with the Teacher Link Program, meteorolo-
gist Marvin Maddox engages middle school students
and teachers with the basics of weather: observing
and forecasting. These are the things, he says, that
students can go outside and do themselves.
In talking to school groups, Mr. Maddox likes to
emphasize severe weather, such as thunderstorms
and tornadoes. “Seventh graders are old enough to
remember a weather event that has affected their
life,” he said. “The students relate their own experi-
ence with severe weather and always have a lot of
good questions. Weather is a subject about which
everyone has a story to tell.”
In one classroom in Randolph County, located
in central North Carolina, a teacher prepared her
students for Mr. Maddox’s visit by holding a series of
discussions and other activities centered on the
weather. Knowing they would have an opportunity to
talk to a meteorologist, the students covered the class-
room walls with posters of all of the questions they
had for him. Most of the questions asked what it was
like to be a metereologist and what kind of training he
needed.
Asking the students to come up with questions
beforehand instilled the students with a heightened
interest in the subject matter, and Mr. Maddox considers
such “interest building” to be a strength of the Teacher
Link Program.
“As a child, I was curious about the world around
me. I wondered where the clouds came from,” he said.
“The Teacher Link Program instills that curiosity in
students, encouraging them to wonder what is the
world about, whether they’re studying meteorology,
physics, or biology.”

“ A s a child, I was curious about

the world around me. I wondered
where the clouds came from. The
Teacher Link Program instills
that curiosity in students...”

Marvin Maddox has a B. S. in physics from the

University of Georgia and an M.S. in meteorology from
St. Louis University. After retiring from the National
Weather Service, he taught at the Scranton campus of
Penn State University. He moved to North Carolina in 2004
and has been involved with Teacher Link since 2006.
Photo credit: N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences

2007 Report | 5
 LASER
Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform
In his keynote address Joe Freddoso, president and
CEO of MCNC, pointed out, “The world is changing
but the educational system is not. We need to educate
our students for jobs that will actually exist when they
graduate.”
The audience was comprised of educational
representatives from 14 North Carolina school dis-
tricts. They gathered in Asheville, N.C., as part of the
LASER Institute (Leadership and Assistance for Science
The LASER Institute guides school
district leadership teams through
the process of developing a tailored
strategic plan for initiating and imple -
menting an effective research -based,
inquiry- centered science program.
6 | www.ncsmt.org
Education Reform), to undergo a rigorous weeklong
program structured to help participants prepare a
strategic plan for improving science education in their
district.
While the topic of change spoke true for every
school district present, for rural Mitchell County the
message hit home. Wedged between the cities of
Asheville and Boone in Western N.C., Mitchell County
is looking to the future for its students. The jobs in the
furniture industry that were available to previous
generations are not going to be available.
Louis Schlesinger, a manager of mineral process
research at a mining company and an active community
member in science education, took part in the LASER
Institute to “enable other people to have careers like
I have.”
Mr. Schlesinger has had four children enrolled in
the Mitchell County school system and understands that
science education improvement extends beyond the
borders of Mitchell County.
For more than a decade Mr. Schlesinger has been
working with the school district by judging science fairs
and helping to sponsor and recruit coaches and judges
for Science Olympiad through his company. He feels
that there are excellent reasons why school systems
need to partner with industry and the community to
improve science education.
“Practicing scientists and engineers are going to
know what effective science education is and can provide
staff development and support to schools,” he said.
Science Competitions
From the President
Building on Strengths

Since the North Carolina Science, Mathematics, and

Technology Education Center’s inception, support for
science competitions was prioritized as an important
part of its work. Tom Williams, former superintendant
of Granville County schools, has been working with
the Center to bring more awareness to the world of
science competitions in North Carolina.
Mr. Williams and others are working to develop
new processes that will increase community aware-
ness and involvement, media visibility, and student
engagement at selected science and mathematic
competitions that the Center is supporting.
During this past year, the SMT Center has
supported and promoted participation in six distinct
state competitions, including N.C. Science Olympiad
and the State Science and Engineering Fair. The Center
selects competitions based on their capacity to provide
local, regional, national, and even international
opportunities for students.
Partnerships with organizations like N.C.
Grassroots Museum Collaborative provide
opportunities for students who excel at the North
Carolina International Science Challenge to present
their research at the Beijing Youth Science Creation
Competition. During the summer of 2008, the Center
supported summer camps for students and workshops
for teachers on how to start Science Olympiad teams for
elementary students.
“Students that participate in science competitions
spend more time in and out of class engaged in science
—thinking critically, asking questions and testing
possible explanations. They get opportunities to hone
problem-solving skills, to practice presenting their
research to varied audiences, and to learn to articulate
and defend their own thinking,” explains Lisa Rhoades,
program associate at the SMT Center.
These students also demonstrate an impressive
level of cooperation, collaboration, and mutual respect
—important 21st century skills that young people will
need as they embark on their careers.
Funding provided by the North Carolina General Assembly

2007 Report | 7
SMT Awards
Celebrating Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education
The second annual SMT Center celebration took place
on April 19, 2008. More than 400 people attended the
event held at the Embassy Suites in Cary. This was
the first year that the SMT Center delivered its own
awards in addition to honoring students and teachers
that received recognition from other organizations.
Burroughs Wellcome Fund President Enriqueta Bond,
Ph.D, received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the
highest civilian award in North Carolina. The SMT
Center website has links to the videos that were
shown during the celebration.
“If the ceremony reflects the
future for math and science,
there is certainly reason for
hope…”
Champion of Science, Mathematics, Student Leadership Award in
and Technology Education Award Science, Mathematics, and
—Donald Cline Technology Education
Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute —Adam Meyer
Raleigh Charter High School
8 | www.ncsmt.org
Writing for Correlations, the official blog of Wired
Science, Sheril Kirshenbaum wrote:
To write I was ‘impressed’ would be an under-
statement. I met students like Melanie Wiley, a senior
at NC School of Science and Math studying protein
aggregations in the brain and their correlation to
incidence of Parkinson’s disease. I learned about the
work of Adam Meyer, a senior at Raleigh Charter High
School, who identified the need for a campaign to
protect the Richland Natural Area and then worked to
build a coalition to support the effort. I was inspired by
teachers like Myra Halpin…whose passion for science
is coupled with an equal drive to communicate to broad
audiences. If the ceremony reflects the future for math
and science, there is certainly reason for hope…
The SMT Center will accept award nominations for the
2009 award celebration on its website at ncsmt.org.
Business and Industry Award in
Science, Mathematics, and
Technology Education
—GlaxoSmithKline
 From the President

Partnership Award in Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education—Granville Education Foundation’s Technology Committee

Outstanding Educator in Science, Partnership Award in Science, Presidential Award

Mathematics, and Technology Mathematics, and Technology —Dr. Queta Bond
Education Award Education Burroughs Wellcome Fund
—Myra Halpin —Shodor
N.C. School of Science and Math

2007 Report | 9
Collaborations
Utilizing Resources
The Collaborative Project
The Collaborative Project is a 21st Century Initiative
of the North Carolina General Assembly that was
born from discussions with state senate and house
leadership about concern for the quality of education
and high teacher turnover rates in rural districts of the
state. In August 2007, the Collaborative Project set out
to positively impact teacher recruitment and retention,
to provide quality professional development resources,
and to significantly improve student performance in
elementary and middle schools in the five partici-
pating school districts.
The school systems participating in the pilot
project—Caswell, Greene, Mitchell, Warren, and
Washington Counties—represent small communities
that serve low-income students in rural areas of the
state. To better prepare disadvantaged students in
these areas for high school, the Collaborative Project
also funds after-school programs that extend the
school year and offer a mix of academic support and
opportunities for learning outside of the classroom.
Last year, over 750 elementary and middle school
students participated in the Project’s after school
programs.
The North Carolina Science, Mathematics, and
Technology Education Center, along with the Public
School Forum of North Carolina, are responsible for
administering the programs offered by the Project.
Blue Ribbon Commission
The Blue Ribbon Commission on Testing and
Accountability was started in June 2007 to comprehen-
sively review and offer to the State Board of Education
recommendations for re-visioning the State’s testing
program and accountability system. The appointment
letter to the Commission indicated that its work was
expected to be “visionary and in-depth,” searching for
credible and practical solutions that will serve public
education well. Sam Houston chaired the Commission
made up of a number of political figures alongside
10 | www.ncsmt.org
a very broad cross-section of business and industry
representatives and educators from all levels of the
public sector, community colleges, and universities.
In January 2008, Dr. Houston presented the official
report on behalf of the Commission at the General
Assembly Building to a joint meeting of the State Board
and the General Assembly.
The complete report is available on the Department
of Public Instruction State Board of Education website.
LIFE (Learning in Informal and Formal
Environments) Partnership
LIFE is a partnership between the University of
Washington, Stanford University, SRI International,
and the SMT Center that serves as a support center
for their work in North Carolina. The partnership is
developing a multimedia assessment prototype that
will allow learners to demonstrate their knowledge
and capabilities. This assessment tool will go beyond
traditional written tests to allow the learner an
opportunity to demonstrate more than just the ability
to determine right or wrong selections from an answer
menu. This work is being done in concert with the
Partnership for 21st Century Skills, the North Carolina
State Board of Education, and the North Carolina Office
of the Governor.
New Schools Project
In partnership with the North Carolina New Schools
Project (NSP), the SMT Center supports development
of Redesigned High Schools that are heavily focused
on science, mathematics, technology, and health
education. The high schools are formed when a large
high school of typically 1,800 students or more is “rein-
vented” into several smaller, independent high schools
that have a specific and rigorous academic focus.
Financial Statements
From the President
Statement of Financial Position
Year Ended June 30, 2007

Assets
Cash $ 139,309
Grants receivable, net of discount $ 2,601,610
Total assets $ 2,740,919

Liabilities and Net Assets

Accounts payable —
Agent liability to specified beneficiaries $ 50,000
Total liabilities $ 50,000
Unrestricted net assets $ 2,690,919
Total liabilities and net assets $ 2,740,919

Statement of Activities
Year Ended June 30, 2007

Changes in unrestricted net assets

Revenues
Grants $ 272,387
Contributions $ 436,882
Interest $ 70
Total unrestricted revenues $ 709,339

Expenses
Program services $ 84,264
General and administrative $ 437,196
Total expenses $ 521,460
Changes in net assets $ 187,879
Net assets at beginning of year $ 2,503,040
Net assets at end of year $ 2,690,919

The North Carolina Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Center (SMT Center) is supported primarily
by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. That support includes $436,882 of expenses paid on behalf of the SMT Center
during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007. These expenses were related to salaries, travel, meeting expenses,
maintenance, supplies, professional fees, printing, and other miscellaneous items. In May 2005, the Burroughs
Wellcome Fund awarded $2,500,000 to the SMT Center. Payments on the award will be made at a future date.

2007 Report | 11
Board of Directors
Fiscal Year 2007-2008

Gerald Boarman, Ed.D. David Haase, Ph.D. Senator Howard Lee

Chancellor Professor of Physics Chairman
N.C. School of Science and Mathematics North Carolina State University State Board of Education

Enriqueta C. Bond, Ph.D. Verna Holoman, Ph.D. Jane Patterson

President­–retired Executive Director
Burroughs Wellcome Fund N.C. Mathematics and Science
Education Network
Todd Boyette, Ph.D. Center for School Leadership Development
Director University of North Carolina
Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill Samuel H. Houston Jr., Ed.D.
President and CEO
J.B. Buxton North Carolina Science, Mathematics,
Deputy State Superintendent and Technology Education Center
N.C. Department of Public Instruction
Kate Hovis, CFP®
Norman Cohen Senior Vice President
Director Senior Wealth Management Advisor
UNITEC BB&T
Joseph Crocker Emma Jackson
Director of Operations Director of Title 1 Programs
Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation New Hanover County Schools
John Dornan Susan Jackson
Executive Director VP and Chief Learning Officer
Public School Forum of North Carolina Wake Med Health & Hospitals
Executive Director
e-N.C. Authority
Rural Economic Development Center
Sid Rachlin, Ed.D.
Professor of Mathematics Education
East Carolina University
Michael Schmedlen
Director, Worldwide Education
Lenovo United States
Elic Senter
Education Consultant
Center for Teaching and Learning
N.C. Association of Educators
Philip Tracy, Jr. (Chair)
Attorney
Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett,
Mitchell & Jernigan, L.L.P. Lawyers

t 919.991.5111
f 919.991.0695
www.ncsmt.org
P.O. Box 13901
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-3901