At 9:00 a.m. on Friday, April 13, 2007 at Garrison Elementary, Savannah Mayor Otis Johnson will team up with DuPont engineer Ms. Rebecca Rieland and Mr. Horace Magwood, Savannah Chatham County Public School System’s Director for Science Instruction, to bring Science in the School Day to more than 60 elementary school students.

Science in the School Day is a dynamic outreach program that brings a DuPont engineer and a mayor to the classrooms of elementary school students all across the U.S. to perform an hour and a half science experiment, allowing students to grasp general concepts of engineering through a fun and understandable approach. 

One of the most popular activities will be when Mayor Johnson and Mr. Magwood get together to help the students construct a geometric “gum-drop” dome from everyday materials.  The mayor and Ms. Rieland will then work with the students as they test the strength of their creations.  This is an interactive hands-on activity that teaches students basic engineering principles and serves as an introduction to scientific inquiry.  The over-arching goal is to encourage students to consider careers in science and engineering.  

The activities offered are based on the PBS television show “Zoom” and its “Zoom into Engineering” program that challenges kids to explore and experiment as engineers do in their everyday profession. 

The Science in the School Day is sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, DuPont and the Cities United for Science Progress (CUSP) program.  CUSP will leave behind a hands-on activity book filled with science experiments for teachers to easily incorporate science lessons into their curriculum.

For more information on Science in the School Day, contact Jennifer Calloway, Director of the Cities United for Science Progress program at 202-466-7324 or visit their website at http://www.usmayors.org/cusp/scienceintheschool.html.