FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Ron Harris
Director of Communications
Howard University
202.683.0182
rjharris@howard.edu

WASHINGTON -- Hundreds of students, researchers and science education experts from across the nation will gather November 12 to 14, 2009 at Howard University in Washington, D.C., as the university, in conjunction with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Educational Partnership Program, hosts the Fifth Bi-Annual Education and Science Forum.

Nearly 1,000 college and university students and instructors, representatives from federal and local government, private industry and the general public will convene to view and present research on atmospheric, oceanic and environmental sciences, engineering, and technology that support NOAA’s mission.

The Forum is part of NOAA’s continuing effort to increase the number of scientists, engineers, and mathematicians, particularly from underrepresented communities. According to the Congressional Diversity in Innovation Caucus, African Americans hold only 4.4 percent of science and engineering jobs while just 3.4 percent are held by Hispanics.

Under the theme “Building a Community of Environmental Scholars,” participants will explore how the environment increasingly impacts society and the economy and how the science community can better engage and inform the general public of the nation’s environmental challenges.

White House officials, elected representatives, NOAA officials, university administrators and others from a range of scientific organizations and professional associations will participate in the three-day event, which will also provide professional development opportunities through special seminars, such as “How to Establish and Maintain a Successful Science Career” and a Career Fair. 

The Forum is held every two years at one of NOAA’s five Cooperative Science Centers, which are located at Howard University, North Carolina A&T State University, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Florida A&M University and City College of the City University of New York.

The program’s effort to increase the number of scientists from underrepresented communities has yielded great success. For example, Howard University, with $20 million in funding from NOAA and $12 million in other funding, has become the nation’s largest single producer of minority atmospheric scientists, more than doubling the total number nationally.

The NOAA Center for Atmospheric Science at Howard University has contributed to groundbreaking research on how dust storms, originating from the Saharan Desert in West Africa, affect the weather, climate, coastal ecology and human health in the United States and the Caribbean. 

For more information on how to participate in the Forum, visit ncas.howard.edu or call 202-865-8678.