About Us

Five Year Action Plan

PREPARED BY THE NJAS AD HOC PLANNING COMMITTEE
SEPTEMBER 4, 2001
Background

On October 27, 2000, the New Jersey Academy of Science hosted a Conference on Improving Scientific Infrastructure in New Jersey. The focus of the Conference was on the K-12 curriculum, curriculum changes, the availability of science teachers, communication among science educators in all sectors, and coordination of ongoing and new programs that are being developed for science education. The purpose of the NJAS is to stimulate education and research in science throughout New Jersey. A major outcome of the Conference was to learn that there are significant opportunities for the NJAS to more effectively leverage its resources to achieve this purpose. An Ad Hoc Planning Committee was established to develop a five-year action plan and to make recommendations on how to implement the plan. The report of this Committee follows:

  • Vision Statement: The New Jersey Academy of Science should expand existing programs and develop new programs to significantly increase its role and visibility in stimulating scientific education and research throughout New Jersey.

  • Five-year plan: This report represents an integrated framework within which the NJAS can meet the goal stated in the Vision Statement above. The four principal components of the plan are listed below and followed by the response to each of them:

  1. To focus on the present strengths of the Academy and build on them.
  2. To develop new programs and develop linkages, communication, and coordination with other organizations which have similar goals to the NJAS.
  3. To modify the operating infrastructure of NJAS to effectively support expansion and creation of the recommended new programs.
  4. To improve the funding base of the NJAS in order to finance recommended changes in its operating infrastructure.
  5. Build on present strengths

The present strengths of the Academy is its membership of 400 individuals and a dozen corporate members, who are interested in science; an Annual Meeting where scientific results are presented by high school students, college undergraduate and graduate students, and other scientists; and publication of the Bulletin of the NJAS that is disseminated to the public, primarily in New Jersey. The Junior Academy sponsors Breakfasts where high school students can meet with professional scientists, and it provides the opportunity for high school students to attend the Annual Meeting of the AAAS.

  • Meetings: The participation in the Annual Spring Meeting should be increased by contacting people within the state who already run similar events and encouraging them to have their participants attend and present papers at the Spring Meeting.

  • Monetary prizes at meetings should be larger and more should be given.

  • Universities and Colleges should be solicited to provide scholarships to award winners.

  • Awards to students should be recognized both at the meeting and at other venues that are developed.

  • Awards should be given to out-standing teachers and mentors at the Annual Spring Meeting or at other high profile events, possibly presented by the Governor.

  • Publications: The content of the NJAS Newsletter should be expanded:

· To provide more information about scientific events in New Jersey

· To recruit people to help with these events.

* As one example, the NJAS could provide a pool of people who would be able to serve as scientific judges for science fairs and other science programs of which there are many in New Jersey.

The Bulletin should be used for special issues that show how science is important for specific industries in New Jersey and should be used to provide more information about science education.

· Specific articles should be solicited for publication in the Bulletin.

  • Membership: The NJAS should begin an active membership drive.

· The first step should be to target individuals who are interested in the types of activities relevant to the Academy and send them a letter inviting them to join.

· The goal should be to double the individual membership of the Academy to 800 members and to increase corporate membership to 50.

2. Recommended New Programs and Linkages

Coordination

· The NJAS should begin to facilitate coordination and serve as a broker between the K-12 community, higher education, and industry.

· The Academy should become a provider for the 100 hours teachers need to maintain certification.

* Participation in the Annual Spring Meeting or in other Academy programs could count for some number of certification hours. This would encourage more teachers to attend the Annual Spring Meeting and to bring their students.

· The NJAS should work to develop more ways to get teachers into both academic and in industry labs, to provide graduate credits for certain programs, and to promote more Professional development activities.

· The NJAS should help make its members, (most of whom are in higher education); aware of what is going on in K-12.

· NJAS should focus on improving statewide linkages with other groups (e.g., SSI, NJSTA, BISEC, NJTC).

· Provide a web site to enhance communication (e.g., where teachers can find materials to use in the classroom).

Membership Base

The Academy must broaden the base of people who are active in Academy activities.

· This will require an outreach to individuals who have an interest or are already

doing science and science education in New Jersey.

· The NJAS should activate more Committees to enhance participation.

* Initially, these would be ad hoc committees, but as appropriate, written into the bylaws as standing committees.

Meetings

New meetings with different formats than the Spring Meeting should be developed. In particular, there should be meetings that would allow members of the Junior and Senior Academies to participate together.

· Workshops on science education, such as the one held on October 27, 2000, should be hosted on a more regular basis, perhaps every two years. A planning committee for a Workshop in 2002 should be put together now.

· A planning committee for the 50th Anniversary of the NJAS in 2004 should be assembled and begin now.

Science Education

· Enrichment of Science Education via innovative services (workshop, inventory of best teaching process).

· Exposure of students to “real world” science research including access to hands on experiences in corporate laboratories, field stations etc.

· Engaging students in regional scale scientific programs such as comparative studies in different ecosystems or in data gathering for large scale research projects.

· Other items include setting up a speakers bureau, providing more awards, and having more focused meetings such as the October 27, 2000 Workshop.

3. Recommended Changes in Operating Infrastructure

Changes in operating infrastructure must be integrated with an enhanced presence of the

Academy and new initiatives.

· The NJAS must have a full-time Executive Director, who is responsible for implementing the policies that are formulated by the NJAS Executive Committee in collaboration with the Advisory Council.

· A full-time assistant as well as web site support and other operating support will be required to maintain all the NJAS programs successfully.

· The Membership/Finance Committee should be split into two committees.

· The NJAS should consider contracting a professional management group to assist in implementing the recommendations in this report.

· The NJAS should begin to assemble Scientific Advisory Boards in several scientific areas.

* These Boards should be comprised of scientific experts (primarily from academic institutions), who can provide scientific input on matters of importance to government officials and departments in New Jersey.

* It would be responsible for preparing white papers for the Governor as needed. The NJAS has done this in the past and should set up mechanisms to do it again.

* To start, the Academy should identify one such area and assemble a team as a pilot.

· The Advisory Council should be expanded and the terms of service should be clearly fixed.

* Inactive members should not continue to serve.

* More K-12 educators should be recruited for the Advisory Council.

* In addition to the December meeting with the Advisory Council, another meeting should occur with legislators, such as a breakfast meeting with legislators.

4. Fund-Raising

· Fund Raising must be integrated with an enhanced presence of the Academy and new initiatives.

· In addition to the enhanced revenues from the membership drive in (1) above, the NJAS should seek funding of $100,000/year from the state to enhance Academy activities and develop new ones.

· The NJAS must obtain stable funding at increased levels to carry out the ideas developed in this process.

· Consider other external funding sources such as NSF, Dodge Foundation, etc.

Priority Recommendations
  1. 1. Attempt to obtain funding through a line item in the state budget each year. (Goal $100,000)
  2. Revisit how to approach corporate sponsors. Perhaps choose core programs and then seek funding for them. (Goal $100,000)
  3. Federal initiatives. Approaching some officials for funding for programs for science education/teaching. This may involve putting together a program partnered with local business or corporations.

 

Additional Recommendation

We recommend that the NJAS ad hoc Planning Committee continue to function but that its membership be expanded and that its emphasis changed to focus on implementation of items in this report as directed by the NJAS Executive Committee.

NJAS Ad Hoc Planning Committee Members are Jay Brandinger, Tom Brown, Mike De Luca, Mike Kennish, Frank Lutz, Jim Miller-Chair, and Nancy Stevenson.