Katy Nicholson Herald Staff Writer

TODD WETHERINGTON | DAILY HERALD Dr. Ron Preston, graduate program director of the Department of Mathematics and Science Education at East Carolina University, discusses the importance of education reform during a press conference at Halifax Community College Wednesday. Advertisement

WELDON - Officials from area school districts, Halifax Community College and local businesses met Wednesday to discuss how thousands of dollars in grant money can help them work together and make school subjects more applicable for students.

The $1.1 million National Science Foundation grant will support TechMath, a program which allows East Carolina University to join with public school teachers to plan lessons relevant to jobs in science, mathematics, engineering and technology. The grant will be spread over three years.

Teachers will learn to use technology tools in their classrooms and work with business partners to design curriculums relevant to students and future careers.

John Parker, former superintendent of the Roanoke Rapids Graded School District and a former math teacher, explained that it can be difficult to make subjects like math and science real to students.

“It wasn't until the latter part of my career ... that I was able to do more creative things to make it more meaningful,” he said.

Parker and the other speakers were enthusiastic and optimistic about the effects the new program will have on local students.

Representatives from businesses will visit high school classrooms and talk about the relevance of math and science classes, explained Ernest Marshburn, director of strategic initiatives for the division of research and graduate studies at East Carolina University. The students then will have the opportunity to visit the businesses and see those skills put to use.

The program will begin this fall with Hertford, Northampton, Halifax and Warren counties, using Halifax Community College as a base location. More than 30 businesses will be involved in the program, including the Advanced Vehicle Research Center, International Paper and Roanoke Electric Cooperative.

Next year, Edgecombe, Beaufort, Nash and Washington counties will join the program.

Richard Dell, executive director of the Advanced Vehicle Research Center, spoke about how the need for technologically-skilled workers in the automotive industry has increased over the years. Now, automotive engineers and technicians need more than mechanical skills to do their jobs. Dell hopes TechMath will help increase the number of students who are prepared for the workforce.

Though the program is the first of its kind, it could be an indication of the future of education, said Patrick Pellicane, dean of ECU's graduate school.

“This program may be a model that may extend to who knows where in the years to come,” he said.