San Diego, CA (PRWEB) July 10, 2014

Sally Ride Science announced today that 150 upper elementary and middle school educators from across the country have been selected to attend its professional development program, the Sally Ride Science Academy, Brought to You by ExxonMobil.

The Academy offers professional training to educators on the importance of introducing young students to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) topics and careers. Established by Dr. Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, the Academy provides a variety of instructional methods to foster excitement with STEM lessons and awareness of the diverse career opportunities within the field. As of June, 2014, Sally Rides Science has trained more than 10,000 educators (both in person and via the Sally Ride Online Academy), impacting more than one million students nationwide.

“Keeping kids engaged in STEM is a pressing responsibility,” said Dr. Tam O’Shaughnessy, CEO and cofounder of Sally Ride Science. “The skills needed for today’s jobs have changed dramatically in the past decade, and the need for a STEM background is increasingly important as STEM job openings are projected to grow at a much faster rate than those in many other careers.

“We’re thrilled to work with teachers again and continue Sally’s mission of inspiring students to build upon their natural interest in science,” said Dr. O’Shaughnessy. “Fulfilling that mission means equipping the nation’s educators with tools to prepare and encourage all students to pursue STEM careers.”

The Sally Ride Science Academy Brought to You by ExxonMobil takes place July 14-18 in San Diego, CA. Attendees were selected by local school administrators from targeted school districts across the country. This year, for the first time, Academy participants will return to their schools with Sally Ride Site Licenses, which will empower every student at their schools with STEM and STEM-career focused eBooks, while also delivering—via the Sally Ride Online Academy that is based on the in-person training—professional development to every educator at their site.

“With support from ExxonMobil, we are using this year’s Academy to begin empowering a school for years to come. Academy attendees will benefit from the in-person training in San Diego. And when they return to their schools, they’ll be bringing a site license that delivers dozens of individual eBook subscriptions to every student, training to every educator, and activity guides that help tie that instruction to state standards, including Common Core,” said Dr. O’Shaughnessy.

About ExxonMobil

Globally, ExxonMobil provides funding to improve basic education, promote women as catalysts for economic development, and combat malaria and other infectious diseases in developing countries. In 2013, together with its employees and retirees, Exxon Mobil Corporation, its divisions and affiliates, and the ExxonMobil Foundation provided $ 269 million in contributions worldwide, of which $ 110 million was dedicated to education. http://www.exxonmobil.com/community.

About Sally Ride Science, Inc.

Sally Ride Science, cofounded by Dr. Sally Ride, America’s first woman in space, provides college and career readiness training and tools to build students’ passion for STEM fields and help teachers incorporate engaging career-focused approaches into their existing instruction. Sally Ride Science created the Sally Ride Science Academy Brought to You by ExxonMobil, a professional development program for educators in Grades 4-8, the Sally Ride Online Academy, an online professional development program open to all educators, STEM Central, a web-based searchable database of online resources for STEM topics and careers, and Sally Ride EarthKAM, a unique NASA-backed educational outreach program enabling students, teachers, and the public to learn about Earth from the unique perspective of space. Visit http://www.sallyridescience.com for more information.

Contact:

Matt Casper

mcasper(at)sallyridescience(dot)com

858.882.4421






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