NC Mathematics and Science Education Network: Pre-College Program

Exhibit Booth Presented by NC-MSEN Pre-College Program and P.E.R.S.I.S.T. Project at the
2009 North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCCTM) Conference

NC-MSEN Pre-College Program along with its P.E.R.S.I.S.T. Project had an exhibit booth at the 2009 NCCTM Conference in
Greensboro, NC on November 29and 30. P.E.R.S.I.S.T. students had an opportunity to exhibit their project to mathematics teachers
in North Carolina. They also had opportunities to talk with mathematics teacher to gain insight. The exhibit booth
also allowed an opportunity to showcase NC-MSEN Pre-College Program and reach out to MSEN Pre-College Program Alumni.

Exhibit Booth Presented by NC-MSEN Pre-College Program and P.E.R.S.I.S.T. Project at the 2009 NC State Fair

NC-MSEN Pre-College Program along with its P.E.R.S.I.S.T. Project had an exhibit booth located in the Education Building at the
2009 NC State Fair from October 15 to 25. The exhibit booth provided a great opportunity to showcase NC-MSEN Pre-College
Program to general public across and outside of the State. Interesting hands-on K-8 maths and science activities were demonstrated
to children, parents and teachers. Lesson plans were given out to interested parties. In addition, with our presence at the State Fair,
we could also successfully reach out to MSEN Pre-College Program Alumni. A number of PCP alumni had been found and we
are excited to learn that they are all doing very well and are currently involved in either STEM career or math/science teaching.
All of them have expressed gratitude towards the Program for having positive impacts on them, both personally and professionally.

UNCCH NC-MSEN PCP and P.E.R.S.I.S.T. Students at National Science Decathlon Tournament

A group of UNC Chapel Hill NC-MSEN Pre-College Program (PCP) students participated and competed in the
National Science Decathlon Tournament, which was held in El Cajon, California on May 30, 2009. The PCP
National Science Decathlon Team traveled to California on Thursday morning, May 28th and returned on
Sunday, May 31st. Several PCP students won medals and trophies. Please check out their press release (in pdf)
and photos (in pdf).

Jeremy Feaster and his classmate, Dusty Watts, getting ready to board the plane to London.

Jeremy Feaster, a graduate of the UNC-Charlotte NC-MSEN Pre-College Program and Harding High School, was selected to spend
eleven weeks studying at Worcester College at Oxford University. During the summer study abroad program, he earned 12 college credits and
enjoyed traveling in Paris, Germany and Italy. Jeremy is most noted for his high school research that focused on a water purification system for
Third World countries, which resulted in numerous awards and recognition.

Jeremy attends Georgia Institute of Technology with a major in Engineering. After completing one year at Georgia Tech, he has earned
sufficient credits to be classified as a junior. Jeremy also was selected as Georgia Tech’s keynote speaker for the 2009 Freshman Convocation.
This prestigious honor is awarded to only a few students who have distinguished themselves as academic scholars. Please click here to view
the article about Jeremy's Convocation in Technique (in pdf).

NCSU NC-MSEN Pre-College Program (PCP) Has Recently Been Published in the Metropolitan
Universities Journal!

Two Decades of Success: North Carolina State University's NC-MSEN Pre-College Program
Kay Moore and Braska Williams, Jr.

For almost twenty-five years, North Carolina State University has helped to coordinate a state-wide Mathematics and Science
Education Network Pre-College Program that serves disadvantaged youth in grades six through twelve. The university-school
partnership includes middle school and high school academic enrichment in math, science, and communication through Saturday
and summer academies that focus on STEM activities, an annual math/science statewide competition, and an annual awards program.
The long-term results of the program are impressive: 99 percent of participating students go on to attend college, students maintain
higher grade point averages and SAT scores than their peers, and two-thirds of the participants major in STEM or education in college.

Kyhanna McCall, a WSSU NC-MSEN PCP senior, was awarded a $500 scholarship from the Winston-Salem Urban League. She has been
accepted to UNC Greensboro and will pursue a degree in nursing.

UNCC NC-MSEN Pre-College Program (PCP) Student Advanced to the National Scienc Olympiad Competition!

Join us in congratulating Jerry Cui, an UNCC NC-MSEN PCP student. Jerry won three events at the State Science Olympiad
Competition. Way to go Jerry! As a result of his wins, Jerry and his team will be attending the National Science Olympiad Competition.

NC-MSEN is the Recipient of the 2009 Partnership Award in Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education!

Partnership Award in Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education is a prestigious award recognizes and honors
North Carolina organizations that have an innovative partnership supporting science, mathematics and technology (SMT)
education.

Creating deeper understanding by students or community members of SMT topics
Promoting active engagement by students or community members
Addressing an area of need or concern in community or state related to SMT
Being innovative
Building capacity in community or across the state

The 2009 Partnership Award in Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education was presented to NC-MSEN at the
Celebration of Science, Mathematics, and Technology which was held at the Embassy Suites Raleigh/Durham Hotel in
Cary, North Carolina on Saturday, April 18, 2009. A video was presented at the Award Ceremony. Please visit http://ncsmt.org/newsletter.php?action=Detail&id=399&categoryid=3 (click on the combination of NC-MSEN/
UNC CSLD logo in the upper rigth to launch the video). An offical newsletter can also be found from the given Web link.

Please click here for a press release (in pdf).

To see all the pictures that were submitted to SMT for video presentation, please click this PowerPoint presentation here.

Winston-Salem State University is the Host of the Successful 2009 NC MSEN Day

On Saturday, April 4, the 2009 MSEN Day was held at Winston-Salem State University, Winston- Salem, NC. Over eight (800) hundred
highly motivated middle and high school students from nine NC-MSEN PCP sites participated in sixteen mathematics, science and
engineering events. Robotics was added as a new competition for the 2009 MSEN Day. The overall winners for the daylong competition
included the following: First Place – UNC Charlotte, Second Place – NC State University, and Third Place – Elizabeth City State University.
The oratorical winners were Jaelyn Harvey (Fayetteville State University) and Deja Williams (UNC Charlotte) for the middle and high school
competitions, respectively. Hundreds of medals, including gold, silver and bronze were awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winning students
and teams.

Please click for a press release (in pdf format) which contains a list of the winners. Please click here to view pictures of the event.
Please click here to view a video clip.

Western Carolina University NC-MSEN Pre-College Program (PCP) Draw a Scientist Research Project Program

The NC-MSEN Pre-College Program (PCP) 7th grade science teacher at Western Carolina University (WCU), Ms. Liddell Shannon, recently
collected data on WCU PCP student perceptions of “scientists” by having the students at a recent Saturday Academy draw a scientist. She
then interviewed the students about their drawings and compared these data to several historical “Draw a Scientist” studies. Ms. Shannon
recently presented her findings at the Western Carolina University Graduate School Symposium and placed second in the Educational Research
category. A summary of her findings can be found through this link: http://precollege.wcu.edu/23043.asp. This important research sheds light on
the work that NC-MSEN PCP has done and that we have yet to do in changing student perceptions of who can grow up to become a “scientist”.

Please join WCU NC-MSEN PCP on congratulating Ms. Shannon and their students on this recognition!

CONGRATULATIONS to the UNC CH NC-MSEN Pre-College Program students for their 1st Place (high school) and 3rd Place (middle school)
wins at the East Coast Science Decathlon. They are currently preparing for their May national competition in California.

NC-MSEN Pre-College Program Hosted 2009 North Carolina Junior Science and
Humanities Symposium (NC JSHS)

The 2009 North Carolina Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (NC JSHS) was held on March 15 and 16 at the
William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education in Chapel Hill, NC. The event was a huge success. To learn more about
National JSHS and NC JSHS, please click http://www.jshs.org/ and http://education.uncc.edu/cmste/ncjshs/index.html, respectively.
To view the pictures that were taken at the event, please click here for a powerpoint presentation. Please also click here
for our press release.

CONGRATULATIONS to three UNCC NC-MSEN Pre-College Program students, Bria Lindsey, Cherise Hardiman and Ciara Gaither. These three
young ladies were recognized at the CIAA High School Day as 4.0 students. We are very proud of them. Way to go ladies.

A Great Read for Pre-College Students, Parents And Educators:
Yes You Can - A Book Created to Motivate

Yes You Can… is a book about possibility. At its best, it seeks to motivate, inspire and empower young
people to achieve their goal of going to college. This book will be helpful to any student, but it will be
especially useful to those students who have what it takes to finish high school and go to college but who
may be experiencing doubts and negative peer pressure.

Arthur G. Affleck, MEd, JD is the author of Yes You Can. He is an educator, attorney, fund raising consultant,
and writer who has spent most of his career in the education arena. He is also the spouse of Mrs. Dianne Affleck,
UNC Chapel Hill NC-MSEN PCP site coordinator.

To learn more about the author and the book Yes You Can, as well as where you can purchase one, please
check out the media kit, press release (in pdf) and his Web site.

Congratulations to Three Outstanding UNCC NC-MSEN PCP Students:
Victoria Logan, Nashira Blackmon and Taylor McLendon

Victoria Logan, a senior at Hardings University High School, has been selected to serve as a student staff photographer
for the 2009 Presidential Inauguration in Washington, DC. That is an all expense paid trip. Way to go Victoria!

Nashira Blackmon, a 11th grade student at Harding University High School, has already been accepted to Paine College in
Augusta, Ga. Way to go Nashira!!!!

2008 NC-MSEN PCP P.E.R.S.I.S.T. Fall Leadership Program

Over 50 people attended the 2008 NC-MSEN P.E.R.S.I.S.T. Fall Leadership Program at Eastern 4-H Center,
Columbia, NC. The challenging and fun activities encouraged the participants to build leadership,
teambuilding, and listening skills. This year’s event also included its first P.E.R.S.I.S.T. Idol (Talent) Show.
The entire event proved to be a total success. Students indicated that they had learned a great deal about
leadership. In addition, they had a wonderful time making new friends and enjoying nature. The survey
responses were overwhelmingly positive. To take a visual tour of the event, please click here to see a
PowerPoint slide show (from the top choose "slide show" and then "view show").

WHO: Middle and high school students, undergraduate and graduate level students who are
building careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

WHERE: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC

Eight of our nine NC-MSEN Pre-College Program (PCP) sites (ECSU, FSU, NCSU, UNCC, UNCCH, WCU, WSSU) attended the
Alliance Day and participated in poster and oral presentations. Please click to see all pictures at the Alliance Day (in PowerPoint).

Welcome Mr. Milton Bond as Our New Elizabeth City State University (ECSU)
Pre-College Program Site Coordinator!

An NC-MSEN PCP alum from NCSU, Tamara Clegg, is currently a doctoral student at Georgia Tech. She was featured recently on CNN
about her Kitchen Science Investigators. Please click to view the video clip.

2008 Summer College in Biotechnology and Life Sciences (SCIBLS) Poster Symposium and Luncheon

The 2008 NCSU Summer College in Biotechnology and Life Sciences (SCIBLS) Poster Symposium and Luncheon were held Friday,
August 1, 2008. The closing event was conducted at the McKimmon Center, Raleigh, NC. The NC-MSEN Pre-College Program had
six rising high school juniors and seniors to participate in the project. Each student completed a 4-week course and laboratory training that
allowed them to receive three hours of undergraduate credit in one of the following courses: Introduction to Molecular Biology,
Introduction to Microbiology/Introduction to Biochemistry, and Principles of Applied Biotechnology. The students' posters were exhibited
at the symposium. Please enjoy some of the pictures taken at the event.

Affleck, Barbara (UNCCH)
McCall, Kyhanna (WSSU)
Sanders, Ashlyn (NCSU)
Sanders, Robyn (NCSU)
Scott, Ninecia (NCSU)
Shaw, Briana (WSSU)

First Annual P.E.R.S.I.S.T. Banquet - Celebrating the Success of P.E.R.S.I.S.T. Scholars

On Saturday, June 28, 2008, NC-MSEN PCP hosted its First Annual P.E.R.S.I.S.T. Banquet at The William And Ida Friday Center for
Continuing Education in Chapel Hill, NC. There were approximately 100 guests including P.E.R.S.I.S.T. Scholars, teacher advisors,
PCP Coordinators, parents, Burroughs Wellcome Fund and UNC General Administration representatives, and NC-MSEN staff.
Please click here for a PowerPoint slide show filled and a press release.

Congratulations to Two of Our East Carolina University (ECU) NC-MSEN Pre-College Program students for earning
2nd Place in the Junior Solar Sprint (JSS) Competition

Essence Wagstaff (Wayne County) and Erin Sawyer (Washington County), two of our ECU NC-MSEN Pre-College
Program students, won 2nd place in Technical Merit for their Solar Car in the Junior Solar Sprint (JSS) competition.

NC A&T State University Plays Host to a Mathematics and Science Competition for over 700 Students: MSEN Day 2008

On Saturday, April 26, 2008 MSEN Day was held at The North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, NC . Over seven hundred (700)
highly motivatedmiddle and high school students form nine of our NC-MSEN PCP sites participated in sixteen different mathematics, science and
engineering events. The overall winners for the daylong competition included the following: First Place – NC State University, Second Place –
Fayetteville State, and Third Place – UNC Charlotte. The Oratorical winners were Justin Williams (East Carolina University) and Brittaney Baker
( Elizabeth City State University) for the middle and the high school competitions, respectively. Hundreds of medals, including gold, silver, and
bronze, awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winning students and teams.

Please click here to view a pictures taken of the event. Please click to review a press release and a list of all winners (in pdf format).

We are pleased to announce that our 2008 recipient of the William Randolph Hearst Scholarship, which is provided through the
NC Mathematics and Science Education Network Pre-College Program (NC-MSEN PCP). With the assistance of a committee of
outstanding individuals, Miss Camille Ruth McGirt from the UNC Chapel Hill Pre-College Program site was chosen because of her
exceptional academic achievement, community service, extra-curricular activities, and NC-MSEN Pre-College Program participation.
We are extremely elated that Miss McGirt has chosen to major in Chemistry at NC State University and become a university professor.

UNC Charlotte (UNCC) NC-MSEN PCP Student was Selected as a Morehead-Cain Scholar Congratulations
to Ms. Amber Koonce!

Amber Koonce, one of the UNCC NC-MSEN PCP students who has been in the UNCC
NC-MSEN PCP since 7th grade, was selected as a Morehead-Cain Scholar! Amber is the
daughter of Donnie and Masherrill Koonce. She is an 18 year old senior at Providence
High School in Charlotte, NC where she is the senior class president. She is also the 2007
Carolinas Carrousel Pageant Princess and a Girl Scout Gold Award winner. Amber is a National
Achievement Scholar and has been blessed with over $500,000 in scholarships including the
$80,000 Morehead-Cain Scholarship. Amber is planning to attend The University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill this fall.

There was a total of seventy-nine high school seniors from across the country named
Morehead-Cain Scholars. Amber is one of 5 students chosen from the Charlotte Mecklenbug Schools.

Morehead-Cain scholarship pays for all expenses for four years of undergraduate study, including
four summer enrichment programs and the cost of a laptop computer. The value of the scholarship is
about $80,000 for each in-state student.

This year there were more than 1,500 high school seniors nominated by their schools or applied
for the Morehead-Cain. The foundation and regional committees chose 140 finalists from those
nominees and interviewed each student in Chapel Hill. Students were selected by merit and
accomplishments, including leadership skills, academic achievement, moral character and physical vigor. Financial need is not considered.

John Motley Morehead graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1891 and later founded Union Carbide Corporation. He created the Morehead
Foundation in 1945. The Morehead Scholarship was established in 1951 as the first non-athletic merit scholarship program in the United States.
In 2007, the Cain Foundation gave a $100 million gift to the Morehead Foundation to support and expand the scholarship program. The
foundation and scholarship program were then renamed as Morehead-Cain to honor the Cain investment.

Nearly 3,000 Morehead alumni live and work in the United States and 24 other countries, including Wachovia Chief Executive Officer
Ken Thompson, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper and award-winning filmmaker and television producer James Dean.

UNC Charlotte (UNCC) NC-MSEN PCP and P.E.R.S.I.S.T. Student was Featured in the Charlotte Observer
"Teen Advocates, Future Politicians"

David McKee, one of the UNCC NC-MSEN PCP students who also participates in the
P.E.R.S.I.S.T. Program has expressed his interest in becoming a U.S. Senator. To view his video blog,
please visit http://videos.charlotte.com/vmix_hosted_apps/p/media?id=1763848. David is the one at
the end of the video.

Congratulations to Several UNC Charlotte (UNCC) NC-MSEN PCP and P.E.R.S.I.S.T. Students for Participating
and Winning at the Regional Science Fair

Several UNC Charlotte NC-MSEN PCP and P.E.R.S.I.S.T. students participated and won in the Regional Science Fair held UNCC on
February 23, 2008. Amber Roberts, Laura Lee, Avis Hall, and Matthew Moore, who participate in the Research Experience (formerly PREP)
for 11th and 12th grade, placed in the Regional Science Fair. Amber Roberts and Laura Lee will move onto the INTEL Competition in Atlanta.
Amber will compete individually while Laura will compete with a partner. In addition, two of UNCC P.E.R.S.I.S.T. students, Brandon Scott
and Bobby Lee also placed in the Regional Science Fair. All of the students aforementioned will participate in the State Science Fair on
March 15, 2008. Please click the following link to read press release.

UNC Charlotte NC-MSEN PCP Senior was Featured in the December Issue of The University City Magazine