Nobel Laureate Leon Lederman Kicks Off 2002-03 IMSA Great Minds ProgramŽ Lecture Series

For Immediate Release, November 2002
For comment, contact Brenda Buschbacher at (630) 907-5033

Photography and videotape and audiotape recording of  the lecture is permitted.  If you would like to attend, please contact Brenda Buschbacher no later than December 3, 2002.   Media will be required to wear an IMSA press badge (can be obtained at front desk).

AURORA - Dr. Leon Lederman, Nobel Laureate and Resident Scholar at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA), will present "Stop the Century - We're Not Ready!" on Wednesday, December 4 at 7:00 p.m. in the IMSA Auditorium.  The lecture coincides with IMSA's newest book release, Science Literacy for the Twenty-first Century, for which Dr. Lederman wrote the epilogue.  

During the lecture, Dr. Lederman will explore how science and technology cause great changes in our lives, whether such changes are in society's best long-term interest, and how citizens with limited scientific understanding can participate in issues affecting their daily lives.  Within that context, Dr. Lederman will discuss whether we can devise an educational system that will produce high school graduates with a sense of how science works.  

The lecture will be followed by a proclamation from Mike McCoy, Chairman of the Kane County Board, in honor of Dr. Lederman's lifetime achievements and contributions to Kane County and the world.    

Following the lecture, refreshments will be served during a reception held in Dr. Lederman's honor and in celebration of the release of  Science Literacy for the Twenty-first Century.  The book is a collection of essays from noted scientists, science educators and policy makers aimed at enhancing science literacy and science education written in honor of Dr. Lederman's 80th birthday.  The book's editors include IMSA President Dr. Stephanie Pace Marshall, IMSA Coordinator of  Student Inquiry Dr. Judith Scheppler and Dr. Michael Palmisano, former IMSA vice president for research and design.    

Contact the Center@IMSA at (630) 907-5921 or email IMSA at greatminds@imsa.edu for details.  Admission is $10.00 for adults, $6.00 for seniors and free for K-12 students with ID.  Visit the Great Minds Program web site for more details at http://www.imsa.edu/programs/greatminds/.  

This lecture is a Great Minds Program event and is made possible in part by a grant from the Tellabs Foundation.  The Great Minds Program is shared with students and teachers throughout Illinois and the nation through Seminars, Dialogues, and Community Lectures that are videotaped and/or videostreamed.  (Call (630) 907-5921 for accessing these programs.)  The Tellabs Foundation was established by Tellabs, a global communications equipment manufacturer based in Naperville, Illinois. The Foundation's primary focus is to support programs in priority areas of education, health & wellness, and the environment.  More information about the Tellabs Foundation can be found at www.tellabs.com.

Located in Aurora, Illinois, the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy is an internationally- recognized pioneering educational institution created by the State to develop talent and stimulate excellence in teaching and learning in mathematics, science and technology.  IMSA's advanced residential college preparatory program enrolls 650 academically talented Illinois students in grades 10-12.   More than 14,000 teachers and 20,000 students in Illinois and beyond have benefited from IMSA's professional development and enrichment programs.  IMSA serves the people of Illinois through innovative instructional programs, public and private partnerships, policy leadership and action research.