RICHARDSON , Texas (Sept. 15, 2005) – The University of Texas at Dallas’ popular “Seminar Series for Life-Long Learners,” begun last year to share recent advances in science and mathematics education with educators and the general public, will return this year with a lineup of four lectures by university faculty members and an administrator – UTD President Dr. David E. Daniel.

The first of the 2005-2006 sessions to be held over the next seven months will be a Sept. 26 talk by Dr. Scherry F. Johnson titled “Teachers – Life in the Eye of America’s Cultural Storms.” The event is billed as “straight talk about teaching in today’s America” by Johnson, who is director of UTD’s Teacher Development Center.

“As with last year’s inaugural seminar series, this year’s series will feature outstanding educators ready to share recent advances in science and math education with anyone who has a stake in our schools, colleges and universities – classroom teachers, administrators, faculty and staff, young adults, parents and grandparents,” said Dr. Cynthia E. Ledbetter, head of UTD’s Science/Mathematics Education Department. “The seminar series will provide audiences information about the state of Texas education, as well as innovations in teaching techniques, research and communication ideas unique to each discipline.”

According to Ledbetter, last year’s talks drew more than 300 members of the community to hear discussions about subjects ranging from teaching math to critical thinking to community-based science education. The latter was presented by Nobel laureate and UTD visiting professor Dr. Russell Hulse.

The 2005-2006 seminars, which will be free and open to the public, will be held on Monday evenings from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Conference Center, Room CN1.112, on the UTD campus in Richardson.

Teachers in attendance will receive continuing professional education credit at the close of each seminar, Ledbetter said.

In addition to Johnson’s talk, arrangements have been made for two additional seminars:

  • “Inquiry in the Science Classroom,” Nov.14, by Barbara A. Curry, senior lecturer, science and math education.
  • “Mathematical Induction: An Elegant and Powerful Method,” Feb. 13, by Dr. Titu Andreescu, associate professor, science and math education.

The fourth seminar, the series finale, will be presented on March 20 by UTD President Daniel, although the subject of the talk has not yet been determined. Daniel came to UTD on June 1 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he was dean of one of the top-ranked engineering schools in the country. He holds bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees in civil engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Seminar Series for Life-Long Learners is presented by two organizations at UTD – the Center for Science Education Research and the Teacher Development Center. For additional information about the series, please call 972-883-2496.

About UTD

The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor®, enrolls more than 14,500 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s website at www.utdallas.edu.