STUDENTS, TEACHERS IN APPALACHIA CAN VIE FOR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM AT OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 9, 2005

Columbus, OH -- Lieutenant Governor Bruce Johnson today announced that the application deadline is approaching for high school students and teachers in Ohio’s Appalachian region to apply for an all-expenses paid, two-week math, science and technology educational program being held July 9-22, 2005 at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, Tenn. This year’s application deadline is March 4, 2005.

“I encourage students and teachers in Ohio’s Appalachia region who are interested in math, science and technology curriculums to apply,” said Johnson, who also serves as Director of the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD). “This is a unique opportunity for students and teachers to work with world-class research scientists on relevant math, science and technology topics facing the world.”

Participants of this year’s program will be housed at a hotel in Oak Ridge. Student participants will be chaperoned 24-hours a day by experienced teachers who have worked with ORNL programs for several years. Teacher participants will not be responsible for chaperoning students. In addition, all major expenses, including meals, lodging, transportation to and from the participant’s home base and local transportation, will be covered for participants. Teachers participating will receive a $750 stipend.

Applications were recently mailed to high schools in Ohio’s Appalachian counties urging students and teachers to apply for this competitive opportunity. The Governor’s Office of Appalachia (GOA), a division of the ODOD, is accepting and reviewing applications.

The Appalachian Regional Commission is collaborating with the ORNL and the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) to provide this opportunity. The ORNL is one of the largest U.S. DOE research facilities in the United States, located near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

For more information on the program, please call (614) 644-9228. Applications can be submitted to Wanda Hairston in the Governor’s Office of Appalachia, 77 S. High St., 24th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215.

The GOA works with the ARC to enhance the Appalachian region’s workforce, economic development, health care, education, highway, and technology systems. It also serves as a policy advocate in the state and nation’s capital.