Setting students on a path to success in careers in science is a challenge in poor rural Appalachian public schools. Students face many socioeconomic obstacles. Their teachers are also limited by many factors including inadequate facilities, under-funding, geographical isolation of the schools, and state-testing constraints. Additionally, students and teachers lack the availability of outside s...

Robot competitions run the gamut from research-oriented challenges to K-12 contest aimed at basic problem-solving. For students and faculty at small liberal-arts colleges with limited resources, finding the right level of competition can be a difficult proposition. At Macalester College we have hosted a series of robot competitions, inviting nearby liberal-arts colleges to participate. Our goal...

1 P. Kelly Joyner, American University, Department of Literature, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016 [email protected] 2 Teresa L. Larkin, American University, Department of Physics, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016 [email protected] Abstract --During the Fall 2000 and Fall 2001 semesters, a joint study was undertaken between the Physics and Literature Depart...