University Times

The Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC), a joint project of Pitt, Carnegie Mellon and the Westinghouse Electric Corp., has received $150,000 from the Heinz Endowments education program to help prepare area high school science teachers to use modeling and simulation tools in the classroom. The program, computation and science for teachers (CAST), will use the computational tools researchers employ to investigate problems in science and engineering to help students better understand scientific concepts.

The program, says PSC’s Cheryl Begandy, who coordinates CAST, also aims to “raise awareness of the need to encourage students to consider careers in science and technology.”

CAST began in 2006 with a summer workshop for high school science teachers. The Heinz grant, says Begandy, will continue the program for the teachers through this school year, with the possibility of an advanced workshop this summer. She also expects to bring in a second set of teachers for this summer’s introductory workshop, with follow-up through next school year. The Heinz grant also will support a thorough program evaluation.