March & April in Review
Oak Ridge Associated Universities: Director of the Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) Dr. Carol O’Donnell attended the annual meeting with Oak Ridge Associated Universities in Knoxville, TN. Her panel comments and talk drew on the Smithsonian-Gallup survey data “Educating for Sustainable Development: Perspectives of U.S. and Global Educators” and the work of the “Smithsonian Science for Global Goals” project to advance students future-ready skills and knowledge. The Annual Meeting Redefining the Next Generation STEM Enterprise brought together ORAU subject matter experts, university consortium members, and federal agency partners to discuss key issues and build relationships to advance the K-16 STEM Education ecosystem to build a future-resilient workforce.
SSEC Beginnings: Dr. Carol O’Donnell met with the Founding Director of the Smithsonian Science Education Center, Dr. Douglas M. Lapp, on April 15, 2024 to discuss the history of the Center. The book that Carol is holding tells the story of Doug and his impact on students across the globe. The cover image on the book shows the Smithsonian Castle and was illustrated by Nick Murphy, who was a high school student in 2017 when this was drawn. Doug was responsible for overseeing the very first curriculum program produced by SSEC, called Science and Technology for Children.
Ukrainian Innovation Days: Director of the Smithsonian Science Education Center Dr. Carol O’Donnell, attended the first annual Ukrainian Innovation Days at the Ukraine House in Washington, D.C. Carol was invited to speak on the panel, “Science and Education for Leapfrogging” -that is, the importance of teaching science to students from less developed or war-torn countries about the most modern technologies available in order to encourage scientific fluency that is aligned with the educational systems of modern countries. As part of her remarks, Carol discussed a recent licensing agreement the Smithsonian signed with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (MOES), which gives MOES the ability to use Smithsonian Science for the Classroom curriculum in Ukraine’s elementary schools.
