The Copernicus Project 2008 Summit to be held at the Riverside Convention Center will build on the success of the 2007 event with an expected attendance of approximately 350 educators (K-12 and college based), businesses, and community leaders. This year's theme is "Science Education: Not Just for Teachers Anymore! Voices of Our Communities of Learning" and will involve breakout sessions revolving around student motivation, business involvement in STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) center development, improving science outcomes, and engaging a culturally diverse student body in STEM fields. The keynote speakers will be Dr. Brian Greene, Professor of Physics at Columbia University and an expert on string theory, and Dr. Susan Hackwood, the Executive Director of the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST). In addition to developing a policy monograph based on the ideas generated at the Summit, the Copernicus Project will continue to provide a forum for our community to become engaged in our efforts to improve science education by developing a national roll out model and assisting in building a Center for Diversity in STEM Education.

Future Summits will be developed around the ideas generated from these discussions and will be focused on immediate action steps that each contributor can take both individually and together as part of a collective effort with other stakeholders. Future plans to expand the impact of Summit outcomes to be felt at the state and national level, are currently being discussed with the leadership of the Competitive Crisis Council – a consortium of Hispanic engineer societies that are working together to address the national shortage of STEM majors from underrepresented backgrounds.

The Copernicus Science Education Summit series aims to create momentum and bring statewide and national attention to the importance of high quality science education. By bringing together representatives from a diverse cross-section of the state to share ideas and work together towards a common goal, the Copernicus Project hopes to sow the seeds whose roots will soon provide a strong foundation for a well-prepared, highly-qualified generation of educators and problem solvers who will help lead the country into a bright future.

Click here for Science Education Summit 2007

Summit 2008 Program (pdf)

Science and Technology Education in California - Presentation by Dr. Susan Hackwood (pdf)