The Sangari group, a Brazil-based company dedicated to advancement and innovation in science education, and the National Science Teachers Association have announced that Sangari has donated $1 million to the construction of the John Glenn Center for Science Education in Arlington, Virginia.
The Glenn Center will be an LEED-certified green building and is scheduled to open in late 2011. It will enable science teachers throughout the world to gather in house and online to discuss methods and innovation in science education. Toyota has sponsored the top floor of the building, which will be used to host conferences between science teachers, stakeholders and science education advocates.
In November 2009, President Barack Obama announced an increased focus on science education in the United States. The announcement included $260 million in funding for partnerships provided by several nonprofit organizations and science societies as part of the administration’s "Educate to Innovate" program.
Obama commented that American 15 year olds have fallen to "21st in science and 25th in math when compared to their peers around the world," in a speech at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C.
The construction of the $30 million Glenn Center will provide science teachers a place to formulate ideas and methods for teaching science in ways to nurture a passion and curiosity for the sciences in elementary and secondary students.
Sangari has fostered a love for science in young people since British physicist Ben Sangari founded the organization in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1997.
"Partnering with America’s NSTA in the development of this world-class meeting facility is part of Sangari’s goal of creating international partnerships with leading organizations in the area of science education," said Ben Sangari. "We are honored to support such a worthwhile science initiative."
Sangari has also announced it will translate NSTA materials into Spanish and Portuguese as part of the partnership.
