Mercy High School alumna named Fulbright scholar
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Mercy High School alumna Dorothy Smith, a recent Boston College graduate, has been named a Fulbright scholar. Smith, a Parkville resident who graduated from Mercy in 2005, will travel to Jordan to study Arabic for two months before arriving in Oman in August. During her year in Oman, she will conduct research on water conservation education and awareness. She is the first alumna in Mercy's 49-year history to be named a Fulbright scholar.
OrchKids music program moving and expanding
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The after-school OrchKids program sponsored by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will be expanding and moving to a new city school in the fall. The program, which provides children with instruction in playing musical instruments, started its pilot year at Harriet Tubman Elementary last fall with 30 first-graders. Because Harriet Tubman is closing at the end of the school year, the program will be moving to Lockerman Bundy Elementary, where most of the current participants will enroll. There, the program will expand to include all first- and second-grade students. The children who participated in the pilot year received music lessons and tutoring three afternoons a week. They will show off what they have learned at a concert at 6 p.m. today at Harriet Tubman.
Odyssey School wins Hubble competition
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The Odyssey School, a private school in Stevenson for children with learning disabilties, has been chosen the winner of NASA's Hubble Telescope "You Decide Competition," which involved more than 50 schools throughout the country. The contest required students to determine in which of six positions the telescope should be pointed in space and explain their choice. After conducting research, two classes in the lower school's science department created a video about their choice to position the Hubble to view interacting galaxies. A NASA astrophysicist will present the school with an award today.
New genomic science center will study infectious diseases
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Baltimore scientists will be on the front lines of the fight against new and emerging infectious disease, thanks to a $20 million federal grant establishing a new genomic sequencing center at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases will support the Genomic Sequencing Center at the school's Institute for Genomic Sciences. Scientists at the center will receive samples of infectious agents and provide the genetic sequencing and analysis needed to identify and characterize the pathogens and communicate the data to other scientists. "Our work under this project could lead to new drugs, vaccines and diagnostic tools in the fight against infectious diseases, from emerging diseases such as 2009 H1N1 to agents of bioterrorism," said Claire Fraser-Liggett, director of the institute.
Maryland schools eligible for $589 million in stimulus funds
Rep. Frank Kratovil says the U.S. Department of Education has made more than $589 million in stimulus funding available to Maryland schools. The Eastern Shore congressman says Maryland will be eligible to apply for an additional $290 million this fall. Kratovil says that in order to receive the funds, the state provided assurances it would collect, publish, analyze and act on a variety of data including the quality of classroom teachers, annual student improvements, college readiness and the effectiveness of state standards and assessments.
- Associated Press
Cumberland to regulate home wind energy systems
The city of Cumberland has decided to regulate household wind turbines. The city has scheduled a public hearing Monday on proposed regulations for small wind energy systems. City Planner David Umling told the Cumberland Times-News this week that the proposed changes would establish standards for wind energy systems of up to 15 kilowatts and prohibit larger systems. The measure also would limit the height of the machines to 150 feet and require at least 15 feet of ground clearance by the rotor blades.
- Associated Press
