News Editor

The cooperation between Troy State University and the Troy City School system will be evident in the upcoming 2000 Math and Science Expo.

The expo will be held from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2000 at the Troy State University Adams Center and will include visits to Troy Elementary School and Charles Henderson Middle School.

Educators from Southeast Alabama will converge on Troy State for an exciting day of professional development in the fields of science and math. The one-day Math and Science Expo will focus on innovative and exemplary math and science programs and introduce new experience strategies and techniques for teaching in grades K-12.

This is the first time TSU has hosted a math and science expo during the day. Traci Thompson, of the TSU Regional Inservice Center, said they decided to hold the expo during the day to offer something different for the teachers.

"It has been held before over two days from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m., but we found out the teachers didn’t want to come after school," said Thompson.

Dr. Doug Phillips will be the keynote speaker. Phillips is the creator and producer of Alabama Public Television’s highly acclaimed series "Discovering Alabama."

"Dr. Phillips is a celebrity in his own right," Thompson said. "His show airs weekly and it has a good following. The program goes to different sites in the state and features areas of interest."

"Discovering Alabama" is based on an educational philosophy that emphasizes development of the whole students, academically, personally and as a productive citizen. The series capitalizes on the interdisciplinary aspects of nature to enrich, vitalize and complement required academic content. The programs developed by Phillips are designed to use as a teaching aid suitable for upper elementary, middle and secondary grade levels.

During the course of the day teachers will have the opportunity to browse through vendor’s displays. An exhibit hall will display newest material in the math and science education field. The vendors have offered door prizes, sponsor breaks and will send free information to math and science teachers. Free materials and catalogs will also be available for teachers. Some of the visiting vendors include The Water Course, Great Source Education Group, Houghton Mifflin Company, Scholastic Books – Discovery Fair, Texas Instruments Incorporated, Alabama Aerospace Teachers Association, Swift Instruments Inc., AMSCO School Publications Inc. Linda Gamble Pillar, U.S. Challenger Center and Alabama Association of Biomedical Research.

The Troy City School System will play a large role in the 2000 Math and Science Expo. Teachers who participate in the expo will have the opportunity to visit local school to see how they have implemented special science and math programs into the curriculum.

"We wanted to showcase what the Troy City Schools are doing," Thompson said. "Troy Elementary and Charles Henderson Middle School have wonderful facilities with the science lab and weather station."

Troy Elementary School’s science lab is part of the tour. Participants will see first-hand how the facility is using a science lab to enrich the student’s learning. Faculty will also discuss how they are using touch math and math manipulatives with students.

Charles Henderson Middle School has recently been designated as a "weather watcher" for Channel WSFA in Montgomery. Participants in the expo will have the opportunity to tour the science lab and visit the weather station on the CHMS campus.

"A lot of schools are going to special programs like the Troy City Schools," said Thompson. "There are some systems who will send a representative and compare themselves to us."

The TSU Math and Science Complex will also be part of the tour. Renovations were complete on the state of the art facility earlier this year. Participants in the expo will have the chance to visit faculty representing the Alabama Water watch Program and learn how to involve students with the program.