MIAMI, Sept. 12 STU-sci-bldg-dedicate
MIAMI, Sept. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was issued by St. Thomas University:
WHAT: Dedication of the Carnival Cruise Lines Science and Technology Building, a research-class facility and home of St. Thomas University's School of Science, Technology, and Engineering Management. The ceremony will have as keynote speaker Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman astronaut, an engineer, physician, and fierce advocate of science education, who was a mission specialist aboard the space shuttle _Endeavour_ in 1992. September 22, 2008, at 10:30 A.M. - St. Thomas University Carnival Cruise Lines Science and Technology Building, 16401 NW 37 Avenue, Miami Gardens, FL.
St. Thomas University's efforts to engage the local community in the sciences and to better prepare future students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and scientific research tie together in the culmination of this new facility. The Carnival Cruise Lines Science and Technology Building is not only a place where STU science students will be making discoveries with the most modern research technology, but it is also a space where young students, teachers and other members of the community will have the opportunity to engage the sciences, organize science-related activities, and ultimately learn about nature of our world.
The University's involvement in programs dedicated to increasing the number of science students include its science partnership with Miami-Dade County Public School and its grant funded activities through Project SUCCESS and Upward Bound. These commitments are ever more tangible with the opening of this new research-class facility.
The building was designed to excite the curiosity of young students in the STEM subjects. The multiple large displays found within the building cover the whole spectrum of scientific subjects. The Science Atrium at the building entrance features the "Windows on Science," designed to engage people of all ages. The Discovery Laboratory is a hands-on venue for elementary, middle, and high school students and teachers to demonstrate and showcase scientific concepts, current research, discoveries, and modern technology. The adjacent lecture hall, entrance atrium, and outdoor terrace are excellent spaces for public lectures, scientific conferences, and other activities.
For St. Thomas University students the research laboratories and core research facilities for chemistry, microscopy, histology, tissue culture, and molecular biology create a unique opportunity for undergraduate students to work with faculty on publishable forefront research projects. "By the time science students graduate from any of our four-year programs, they will have the same level of experience as a first-year graduate student," said Dr. Edward A. Ajhar, Interim Dean of the School of Science, Technology, and Engineering Management. This experience makes our graduates very competitive for acceptance into the top graduate programs in the country.
About Key Note speaker Dr. Mae Jemison
Mae C. Jemison blasted into orbit aboard the space shuttle Endeavor, September 12, 1992, the first woman of color to go into space. This historic event was only another in a series of accomplishments for this dynamic African-American woman.
Dr. Jemison was Science Mission Specialist (a NASA first) on the STS-47 Space lab J flight, a US/Japan joint mission. She conducted experiments in life sciences, material sciences, and was co-investigator in the Bone Cell Research experiment. Dr. Jemison resigned from NASA in March 1993. Chemical engineer, scientist, physician, teacher and astronaut, she has a wide range of experience in technology, engineering, and medical research. In addition, she is well-versed in African and African-American Studies.
Prior to joining the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1987, she worked as a General Practitioner, in Los Angeles with the INA/Ross Loos Medical Group. She then spent two and a half years (1983-85) as an Area Peace Corps Medical Officer for Sierra Leone and Liberia in West Africa. Dr. Jemison has always been committed to ensuring that science and technology fields represent the full gender, ethnic, and social diversity of this United States, and encourages all people, especially women and minorities, to pursue careers in science and any other fields of their choice.
With a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Stanford, she attended Cornell Medical College where she earned her Doctorate in Medicine in 1981. In medical school, her interest and knowledge in Third World countries evolved into a commitment to effectively contribute. She traveled to Cuba, rural Kenya, and spent a medical clerkship in Thailand at a Cambodian Refugee Camp.
The Carnival Cruise Lines Science and Technology Building
Is 26,000 Sq. Ft. Research-Class Facility; 14 Research Laboratories Eight Teaching Laboratories with Digital/Audiovisual Equipment Lecture Hall and Classroom with Digital/Audiovisual Equipment A Scientific Discovery Laboratory with "Windows on Science" Displays Visible from the Entrance Atrium; Computer Lab.
Science programs at STU for future students and the community
Science Fellows: The program is being developed to assist low-income, minority students with exceptional scholastic achievements to pursue careers in the sciences, engineering, and mathematics. The program provides an opportunity to study in a cohort with a personal academic advisor to help students through graduation. Science Fellows must meet financial aid and eligibility requirements.
SOURCE St. Thomas University
