Tag Archives: rice

HISD students venture into the world of STEM at Rice

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Eastwood Academy student Michael Casio tests water samples in a microbiology lab.

A chemistry formula is just letters to be memorized until it becomes the answer to a problematic disease.

This summer, a group of HISD students are interning in various labs at Rice University and finding such answers. Linked Learning, an HISD program that initiates applied and career-based learning, created these internships with help from the Rice Office of STEM Engagement. More than 300 students applied for 12 spots, making the six-week paid internship applicant pool more competitive than that of a top-tier college.

At the Rice labs, each student is paired with a graduate student mentor. The interns are helping their mentors research everything from Alzheimer’s disease to solar cells to volcanoes. After a few short weeks in the advanced labs, the interns can now toss out scientific terms without a hint of a stammer and handle chemical samples as if it were second nature. Continue reading

Rice MBA award given to high school assistant principal

Keri Wittpenn

Keri Wittpenn

Keri Wittpenn, an assistant principal at the Jane Long Academy, has been named the winner of the Founders Award by the Rice Education Entrepreneurship Program (REEP). The REEP Founders Award is given to one REEP Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree candidate each year. As a 2015 graduate of Rice’s MBA program, Wittpenn was chosen for this award by her fellow classmates due to her leadership in both the REEP and her educational community. Continue reading

HISD Board President TV Show Takes an “Up Close” Look at Oral Language Lab at Gabriela Mistral ECC

Who: The May 2012 edition of HISD Up Close hosted by HISD Board President Michael Lunceford gives viewers a tour of the Oral Language and Literacy Lab at the Gabriela Mistral Early Childhood Center. The lab, which is a partnership with Rice University’s School Literacy and Culture Project, is having success at teaching English to non-native speakers. The show also features an interview with fellow Board Trustee Anna Eastman who brings along two principals from her district to talk about some of the exciting things happening at District I schools. Assistant Superintendent of School Support, Martha Salazar-Zamora, also joins the board president to talk about some of the many services HISD offers to students and parents.

What: Monthly HISD UP Close television hosted by Board President Michael Lunceford.

When: Throughout the month of May at www.houstonisd.org and on HISD-TV (Comcast channel 18 and AT&T U-verse channel 99) on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sunday at 8:30 p.m.

Why: HISD Board President Michael Lunceford is committed to showcasing some of the amazing things happening at HISD schools across the district, in addition to highlighting district initiatives and accomplishments. His monthly show will regularly feature a tour of an HISD school or project, an interview with one of his colleagues on the HISD Board of Education, and a segment showcasing the academic accomplishments of HISD students and the dedication of HISD staff.