THE MIT CLUB OF PUGET SOUND AGAIN INVESTS IN EDUCATION - 2008 Each year, the MIT Alumni Club of Puget Sound selects five Washington State teachers to attend the Science and Engineering Program for Teachers (SEPT) at MIT (this year SEPT runs from June 22 to June 28, 2008). We pay the cost of their tuition (which includes room and board) as well as provide a travel allowance. This one week workshop gives local teachers a "drink from the fire hose". They attend lectures from MIT faculty that give them new ideas and tools for inspiring their students to study math, science, and engineering. They also gain access to a peer network of teachers (NEST) from around the country, and world, with whom to exchange ideas throughout the year. Find out more about the program at the SEPT website: http://web.mit.edu/scienceprogram/index.html Our club sends a remarkable group of teachers to SEPT each year.  Several of our teachers have been asked to return as hosts!  The SEPT organizers in Cambridge truly appreciate the efforts we take and the results that we get. Let’s do it again this year! Support your club and your community. We are again asking MIT alumni in our state to help with candidate nominations and program donations - both for this year's operations, as well as for the endowment fund. NOMINATIONS Please contact promising math or science teachers (elementary, middle, junior or high school) that you consider to display above-average initiative and performance in math or science teaching. Encourage them to check out the SEPT website. If you have recommended an outstanding teacher in the past who was not selected but is interested in being considered again, have them contact our selection committee to apply again. Those wishing to apply for scholarships may do so by filling out an application (see link below).  Letters of recommendation by nominating alumni/ae, while not required, will be considered along with scholarship applications. TEACHER APPLICATIONS Application in MS Word format (Note:  if your browser asks you for a username and password when downloading the document, please click 'cancel'.) Applications and recommendation letters, should be sent to the Education Committee at no later than March 7, 2008. To allow time for the club's selection process, the scholarship application must be received by March 7, 2008. Notification will occur before the end of March. Note that these applications supersede any received from MIT and will be forwarded to MIT-SEPT after being reviewed locally. COMMITTEE INVOLVEMENT We encourage club members who are interested in helping with this program to volunteer. Contact David Hijirida (hijirida@amazon.com)  if you are interested in helping. The minimal time commitment for the committee is to read applications and attend a selection meeting shortly after the mid-March application deadline, as well as to assist with some further follow up. FUND RAISING To maintain this program, we encourage contributions to this year's scholarship fund. You can send a check, made out to the MIT Club of Puget Sound, with an employer gift-matching form if possible, to: Attn: Kevin Chester, Education Committee MIT Club of Puget Sound 9212 SE 46 St Mercer Island, WA 98040