A prii . 23, 1997 • T he P or i land O bservi R
P agi A 6
at on
Finalists Honored at “America’s Smithsonian”
Oregon Students Invent The Future As Part Of Intel Contest
A device that helps adults to walk
again after a debilitating accident, a
mobile power plant that harnesses
the energy generated by the ocean’s
currents and a machine that chills
beverages in mere seconds. These
are among the inventions submitted
by the 10 finalists from middle
schools in Oregon as part o f Intel
Corporation’s “Invention of the Fu
ture” contest.
The “ Invention of the Future”
contest is designed to encourage cre
ativity and innovation, as well as
strengthen students’ math and sci
ence skills. Organized for students
in grades five through nine, the com
petition challenges today’s youth to
invent something that will improve
their future. The 10 finalists were
honored guests at Intel’s reception
April 9th and were recognized dur
ing the awards ceremony. Their art
work and descriptions of their in
ventions was on display at the
"America’s Smithsonian" exhibition
throughout the evening. The grand
prize winner was the lucky recipient
of a 200 MHz Pentium processor-
based system with MMX technol
ogy; with an identical system also
being sent to the winner’s school.
The grand prize winner’s invention
will be on display at the exhibition
and on Intel’s World Wide Web
home page. It will then travel with
the “America’s Smithsonian” exhi
bition for the remainder of the tour.
The grand prize winner is Jenni
fer Stonewall, 12, from Beaverton,
Ore. J e n n ife r’s entry, “ Sm art
Alarm." is a smoke detector system
which, in the event of a fire, pro
vides all members of a household
with the peace of mind of knowing
that everyone has safely exited the
burning building.
The three-part system consists of
a smoke detector, individual “Smart
Buddy” units, and a “Smart Master”
parent unit. The smoke detector has
been modified so that someone’s cry
for help can be heard between inter
mittent beeps. The indiviaual“Smart
Buddy” units, in the form of a brace
let, watch, pet’s collar, or vibrating
unit for the hearing-impaired, emit
different sound tones for each per
son so it is easy to identify which
member of the household is miss
ing. Only the “Smart Master” parent
unit has the ability to deactivate the
“Smart Buddy” units.
“ I was very moved by a recent
story in the news about a woman
who died in a house fire when she
went back into the house to save her
dog,” said Stonewall. “ I realized
that most of the people who die in
fires die when they run back into a
burning house because that are not
sure if everyone is out. The Smart
Alarm’ allows you to take back con
trol over your home and not risk
your life by trying to save other
people when you do not have to.”
All of the entries demonstrated
the students’ creativity and under
standing of the patent and invention
process. Perhaps as significant are
the social issues touched on by stu
dents who participated in the con
test. Generating more than 275 en
tries within a four-week period, stu-
Molly Edmunds, 10, o f Portland, OR is one o f the finalists of Intel
Corp, 's “Invention o f the Future" Contest in Oregon. Here, she
poses with her invention at the "America's Smithsonian" exhibit at
the Portland Expo Center. Jennifer Stonewall, 12, of Beaverton, OR
is the grand prize winner of Intel Corp, 's “Invention o f the Future"
Contest in Or. Here, she poses with her teacher, Sherri Roberti,
and her grand prize, a 200 MHz Pentium processor-based computer
system with MMX technology, at the “America’s Smithsonian"
exhibit at the Portland Expo Center.
A Partnership for Public Education
K weisi M fvme
and C arole S hields __________
by
Across all racial and gender lines
and transcending the ideological
borders of our political parties, one
belief should unite us as Americans:
that public education should be a
consistent, national commitment to
every child. As longas we commit to
keeping our strong schools strong
and making our weak schools better,
we know that our children can do
anything.
But now, our nation’s covenant
with our children is in question.
That is why two organizations com
mitted to strong public schools-the
National Association for the Ad
vancement of Colored People and
People For the American Way—are
proud to announce a Partnership for
Public Education. This partnership
seeks to ensure that public education
will remain a fundamental guaran
tee for all of our children.
What threatens our children and
w hat th reaten s our c h ild re n ’s
schools? A pernicious, steal-from-
th e -p o o r -a n d - g iv e -to -th e -r ic h
scheme known as vouchers.
Voucher proposals now pending
in both house of Congress as well as
nearly two dozen state legislatures
would take money away from our
public school students and give it to
private schools. And abandon many
of our children in the process.
These proposals represent a dire
threat to public education in this
nation.
What is wrong with vouchers?
Plenty-but our foremost objection
is this: They leave children behind.
There aren’t enough classrooms and
there aren’t enough desks in private
schools to hold all of the children
whomightwant to be included. And,
private schools are selective. Unlike
our public schools, they are not re
quired, nor are they inclined many
times, to regard children as equally
desirable to their school when it
comes to race, gender, faith, na
tional origin, disability, educational
challenge. Vouchers take us to a
world in which private schools
cherry-pick the best and the bright
est, leaving the other children be
hind to languish in schools that are
robbed of precious funds.
Skin color, religion, economic
class, language group, need for re
medial work—all of these things
would be barriers to acceptance and
success in a system designed around
the choices of the private schools,
not the choices of the parents and
students. And what happens when
private schools do let economically
disadvantaged kids in? In the few
places where voucher programs ex
ist—Milwaukee and Cleveland, for
example-vouchers pay only part of
the tuition bills. Parents pay the rest.
Transportation costs? Parents pay.
Extracurricular activities, such as
sports or band'1 Parents pay. Books
for learning? You guessed it—par
ents pay.
Although none is so pressing as
the attack they represent on our
children's future, other problems
exist with respect to voucher pro
posals. Vouchers would assuredly
result in many Americans paying
more in property taxes—either di
rectly or through higher rents.
Urban school districts, faced with
an even greater exodus of students
and dollars, would be forced to pre
vail upon state legislatures for mul-
timillion-dollar bailouts, or they
would disintegrate altogether. And
last but not never least: Let us not
forget that the U.S. Constitution
expressly precludes spending public
funds on the advancement of reli
gion—and that is exactly what would
happen if public tax dollars are fun-
neled to private schools, including
sectarian ones.
Voucher proponents argue that
the public schools are like sinking
ships. But they artrying to throw life
preservers to a few, select children.
We know that it’s better to make our
public education ship seaworthy and
safe. We can do this by taking an
interest in our schools, by attending
school board meetings and parent-
teacher conferences, by asking our
kids what they did at school that
day-and listening closely to their
answer.
The NAACP and People For the
American Way formed a Partner
ship for Public Education because
we feel it is time to reclaim our
public schools, and our national com-
mitment to the opportunity of every
child. Every child counts. All chil
dren need free and open access to
quality education. And not one child
must be left behind.
PSU salutes alumni, faculty and friends
Each year Portland State Univer
sity honors outstanding alumni, fac
ulty and friends during its annual
awards ceremony, PSU Salutes,
which takes place this year on Thurs
day, May 1, from 5 to 7 p m in
PSU’s Harrison Hall, 1833 SW I Ith.
Outstanding Alumni awards go to
northeast Portland resident Lee
Jenkins, recreation supervisor at the
University Park Community Cen
ter, and to Clackamas, O re , resi-
dent Keren Brown Wilson, presi
dent and CEO o f Assisted Living
Concepts, Inc. The Distinguished
Faculty Service Award goes to Port
land State biology Professor Rich
ard Forbes of Portland.
Friends of the University Awards
recognize support given to PSU The
Clark Foundation, Sue Stafford
Remy of The Hasson Company Re
altors, U.S Bank, the PSU Advo
cates, and PSU President Judith A.
Lee Jenkins
Ramaley.
The public is welcome to attend
to celebrate the accomplishment of
these community and faculty mem
bers and organizations and the suc
cess of the University. Admission is
$15 and includes complimentary
parking (w ith perm it), hors
d'oeuvres by Ron Paul Charcuterie,
beer and wine, and musical perfor
mances. For information, call 725-
5073.
Charter School legislation passed
The Oregon State Senate passed
legislation allowing the creation of
charter schools within the public
school system. Sponsors o f SB628
believe it will offer flexibility to
teachers and increased educational
opportunities to Oregon's children
“This bill will improve a system
that is failing many of our children,"
said Senator Hartung (R-Portland).
“This collaborative effort will pro
tect local schools and give families
more choices. Charter schools will
finally provide the opportunities out
communities and our children de
serve.”
Senate Majority Leader Gene
Derfler (R-Salem) added, “ With this
bill the Senate will introduce com
petition into our school system Edu
cators will be free from burdensome
regulations and will have the flex
ibility to effectively educate students
SB628 opens the door for inde
pendent schools to receive public
funds for operation. These schools
can be sponsored by local school
boards, community colleges, higher
education, education service dis
tricts, or school boards from adjoin
ing districts. Charter schools must
have at least 25 students in atten
dance and no more than 20 percent
of the student population from each
school district. At least 50 percent of
the teachers in charter schools must
be certified.
“Our children are important con
tributors to tomorrow s successes
and charter schools can help them
reach their full potential,” stated
Sen. Hartung. “This is one way we
can help give our children the qual
ity education they all deserve.”
dents and teachers rallied to propose
solutions to such social concerns as
natural energy conservation, tree
preservation and traffic safety. The
entries remind us that our children
are well aware of the social issues
that affect their every day lives. Their
thoughtfulness demonstrates a wel
come dedication to changing things
for the better.
“Intel’s Invention of the Future’
contest was a great medium to spur
the students’ problem solving and
critical-thinking skill, while rein
forcing the need to be concerned
about other people’s welfare," said
Sherri Roberti, Jennifer’s teacher
from Conestoga M iddle School. "On
the whole, the students seem opti
mistic about their future, as was
reflected in their creativity with their
contest entries.”
As a Corporate Partner of the
Smithsonian’s 150th anniversary
celebration, Intel has a unique op
portunity to reach a diverse national
audience with its commitment to
helping people understand and en
joy technology. As the world’s larg
est chip maker, Intel has played a
significant role in the information
revolution and in the development
of today’s computer. In fact, Intel
also had something to celebrate in
1996: the 25th anniversary of Intel’s
introduction of the microprocessor,
the “brain” of the computer.
In addition to its “ Invention of the
Future” contest, Intel has organized
a number of technology literacy pro
grams for Portland and surrounding
areas. On display at “Americas
Smithsonian" exhibition is Intel’s
very own 3,000 square-foot technol
ogy exhibit, complete with a 14-foot
tall walk-in computer, livecomputer
stations where visitors can experi
ment with Intel Video Phone, as
well as a movie called “More Than
You Ever Imagined,” starring a talk
ing microprocessor named Chip.
Intel also sponsored a “Field Trip
of Dreams” in which 3,000 students
from 25 Portland-area schools will
receive an all-expense paid trip to
the “America’s Smithsonian” exhi
bition and an overnight “camp-in”
at the Oregon Museum of Science
and Industry' (OMSI), including the
“Giants of Gobi” exhibit. The stu
dents, whose schools were selected
in a random drawing, will receive
meals, T-shirts, snacks and bus rides
to and from the exhibits.
In each of the stops along the
“ A m erica’s Sm ithsonian” tour,
Intel’s PC Dads have been teaching
people about the joys of computing
in a down-home and engaging way.
Without using any techno-talk, the
PC Dads guide the non-techie in all
of us through the “PC Frontier,”
while providing tips on buying com
puters, raising computer-savvy chil
dren, safely going online and choos
ing childrens educational software.
In Portland, which is also the PC
Dad’s hometown, they appeared at
the OMSI on March 25.
All of these illustrate the values
that Intel shares with the
Smithsonian Institution: a common
commitment to learning and discov
ery, to innovation and progress.
South Africa discussed
during annual Africa
Symposium
Economist George Ayittey,
currently president o f the Free
Africa Foundation and an as
sociate professor at Ameri
can University in Washing
ton, D.C., is the featured
speaker at the Third Annual
Symposium on Africa taking
place Saturday, May 3, at
Portland State University.
This year's symposium con
siders “South Africa’s New
Role as a Model for Economic George Ayittey
Recovery in Africa,” and continues from 5 to 10p.m. in the Nordic
Room (Room 26) in PSU’s Smith Center, 1825 SW Broadway. Cost
ofthe symposium is $ 10 in advance, $ 12 at the door; includes d inner.
Call 279-8822. Sponsors include Portland State's Association o f
African Students (AAS) and the Society o f Africans, Residents o f
North America (SARNA).
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