PARENTS & STUDENTS & GUESTS EXPERIENCE THE WISDOM & WORDS OF DR. IRVING MC PHAIL
Since 2008, growing numbers of inner city children and their parents have been given the rare opportunity of engaging in hands on STEM (Science, Technology, Mathematics, and Engineering) education on Saturday mornings. The free programs take place in the Spring and Fall of each year, kicked off by an orientation session designed to familiarize parents and their children with the process for the Saturday engineering program. Parental participation is an essential component of the program.
On Saturday, September 19, 2015 the Chicago Pre-College Science & Engineering Program (ChiS&E) held its Fall 2015 Parent/Student Orientation session at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Open to grades 1 through 7, it will be held in Lecture Hall “A,” 750 S. Halsted Street.
The featured key-note speaker was be Dr. Irving Pressley McPhail, President and CEO of the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME). Dr. McPhail, who previously served as a college professor and chancellor and held tenured full professorships at three colleges and universities, is known throughout the academic world for his innovative approaches to teaching and learning. He is the co-editor of Teaching African American Learners to Read: Perspectives and Practices, published by the International Reading Association in 2005, and the author of more than 50 journal articles, chapters, monographs and technical reports.
“Dr. McPhail provided valuable information about opportunities in STEM fields and future possibilities for students pursuing science, technology, mathematics and engineering at the orientation,” said Kenneth Hill, founder & president of ChiS&E. “But his engaging and informative address will also inspire and motivate parents and students to become fully committed to participating in ChiS&E.”
Dr. McPhail earned a bachelor’s degree in development sociology at Cornell University and a master’s degree in reading at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He earned the doctorate in reading/language arts at the University of Pennsylvania as a National Fellowships Fund Fellow. He was awarded the Honorary Doctor of Engineering degree at the 155th Commencement of Polytechnic Institute of New York University in 2010.
Along with parents and their children in grades 1 through 7, a number of city and state officials came out to support the orientation.
About The Chicago Pre-College Science and Engineering Program
The Chicago Pre-College Science and Engineering Program (ChiS&E) provides highly-engaging, age-appropriate hands-on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities for Chicago Public School (CPS) students in grades K–7 and their parents. For more information, visit www.chiprep.org.
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