Mayor Jones and the City Council join up with DuPont for Science in the School Day

Mar 30th, 2006

CITIES UNITED FOR SCIENCE PROGRESS
A Partnership between the U.S. Conference of Mayors and DuPont




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT
March 29, 2006 Jade Floyd, 202.466.7324, jfloyd@usmayors.org



MAYOR JONES TEAMS WITH DUPONT AND USCM TO EXPLORE SCIENCE

Mobile, Ala. (March 29, 2006) – Mayor Samuel Jones joined Cities United for Science Progress (CUSP), a partnership between The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) and DuPont, at Eichold-Mertz Elementary School on March 29th for a Science in the School Day.
Mayor Jones sought to emphasize the importance of science education in the lives of Mobile schoolchildren. He, along with Mr. David Thomas, Commissioner, District 4 and employees of DuPont’s Mobile facility, worked side-by-side with 140 children at Eichold-Mertz throughout the afternoon on the “puff-mobile” experiment. With more than 650 fourth grade students participating across the city, six additional schools also joined in the Science in the School Day with DuPont employees, Mobile City Council and School Board members at separate locations.
DuPont field engineer, Gabriel Lee jumpstarted the afternoon activities with a fun, hands-on project exploring basic engineering principles. During the experiment, students applied the techniques learned from Lee to conduct a science experiment called the “puff mobile”, derived from the popular children’s television show ZOOM. Mayor Jones and Mr. Thomas lead the Eichold-Mertz students as they built “puff mobiles” using everyday materials like drinking straws, lifesavers, paper, scotch-tape and paperclips. Jones and Thomas closed the program by challenging the students to a race with the student-made “puff-mobiles.”
“Children across the City of Mobile were able to partake in this Science in the School Day and I would like to thank DuPont and the U.S. Conference of Mayors for bringing this program to our city,” said Mayor Jones. “They had the opportunity explore science in a fun and interactive setting.
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Mayor Jones Teams With DuPont and USCM – Page 2
It is my hope that these schoolchildren will consider a career in math and science and perhaps aspire to one day grow-up to be engineers,” he concluded.
“We are delighted to have the opportunity to share and explore science and engineering with the students in Mobile,” said Richard Perry, Plant Manager of the DuPont Mobile Plant. “DuPont remains committed to supporting education and expanding the application of science and mathematics into ‘miracles of science’, which positively impact our lives daily.”
“We are excited to have a partnership that benefits children who are the future of our cities,” said Tom Cochran, executive director of The U.S. Conference of Mayors. “CUSP serves as a useful tool for teachers, students and children across the country and helps revive a much-needed interest in science.”
DuPont is a science company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture, nutrition, electronics, communications, safety and protection, home and construction, transportation and apparel.
CUSP is a partnership between The U.S. Conference of Mayors and DuPont. Through the $3 million Lead-Safe…for Kids’ Sake grant program and the acclaimed Science in the School Day initiative, over 30 cities have received grants, more than 50 cities have been visited and close to 13,700 elementary school children have participated in the USCM-DuPont partnership. CUSP has visited more than 50 cities across the country providing assistance to mayors in promoting and inspiring student’s interest in science and engineering.
For more information, please contact Jade Floyd, CUSP managing director, at 202.466.7324 or 202.641.2047 or via e-mail at jfloyd@usmayors.org.
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