I suggest that millimeters should be introduced as part of teaching the use of geometric instruments.
-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: 08 February 2011 02:40 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:49798] Re: STEM metric foundation in America Proposal Great idea, Tim. Use the STEM and "Competitiveness" initiatives to promote SI. The "kits" must be appropriate for grade level. i.e. Different contents! NIST standard SP 811 is *free* and should be included, at least for High Schools. The centimeter *is appropriate* for early elementary pupils as Jim asserts. The millimeter is best for industry, but not for elementary education. You include "mass sets" with the balances. Fine! But "weight" sets contradict a resolution by the CGPM that "weight is a force" not identical with mass. Gene Mechtly. ---- Original message ---- >Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2011 14:39:44 -0600 >From: Tim Williamson <[email protected]> >Subject: [USMA:49794] STEM metric foundation in America Proposal >To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> > > Here's what I've developed thus far.... see > http://MetricAmerica.blogspot.com for additional > information. Metric America Foundation is listed > as a non-profit foundation with the IRS. > > Proposal for STEM - foundation development project > > Creating New Good Paying Jobs by Building a Modern > Educational Foundation in America > > 5 Feb 2011, Saturday > > Introduction > > A sustainable economy and the creation of new good > paying jobs is driven by technological and > scientific innovation and creativity from which new > industries evolve. To be competitive on the local > and global stage requires academic excellence and a > proper foundation in science, technology, > engineering and math (STEM), and a strong investment > in research and development programs at the private, > corporate and government levels. > > The educational transformation must begin in > Kindergarten and continue through the twelfth grade > into college and must include training programs for > workers. Only then will we see a sustainable > long-term economic recovery. Only then will we > create the new high tech good paying jobs our people > need and deserve to be competitive in the global > marketplace. If we are serious about our future, > then we must invest in R&D and in education all > across the US, in every classroom in the country. > > President Obama said recently, ....our true > measure of progress has to be whether every American > who wants a job can find one; whether the jobs > available pay well and offer good benefits; whether > people in this country can still achieve the > American Dream for themselves and their children. > Thats the progress were after. > > To get there, we have to realize that in > todays global, competitive economy, the best jobs > and newest industries will take root in the > countries with the most skilled workers, the > strongest commitment to research and technology, and > the fastest ways to move people, goods, and > information. To win the future, America needs to > out-educate, out-innovate, and out-build the rest of > the world. from Remarks of President Barack Obama > Weekly Address Washington DC Saturday, > February 5, 2011 at > http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/02/05/weekly-address-if-busi ness-and-government-fulfill-their-responsibilities > > Our modern world of trade, information, knowledge > and science is truly global. There is no turning > back the clock on this development. We must work > within this new global paradigm if we are to be > successful. So what makes the people of the US > stand out among equals as the world grows more and > more connected, educated and scientifically savvy? > What is our competitive advantage? What > differentiates the US from the rest of the world? > What new skills must we teach our children to foster > and attract new industries and new businesses and > the development of new technologies? Are there any > obstacles and hurdles standing in the way of > producing the successful and educated workforce of > tomorrow from the children of today? > > The USA has always been a nation of fiercely free > and independent explorers who conquered the wild > west and who put men on the moon. How did we do > that? We did it through challenging ourselves to > overcome every obstacle and by being innovative > and creative, and by setting ourselves a goal, a > purpose, and having a vision that was greater than > ourselves of where we wanted to be, then doing it > and getting there. We can do this now. We must > do this now. A new grand vision to give the US > purpose and direction over time is required, and > hurdles must be removed. > > One hurdle our workforce and children must overcome > is the use of the imperial English measurement > system. Businesses that operate around the world, > and all industries that are connected to the > sciences, which is just about everything today, such > as materials sciences, the medical field, nursing, > pharmacies, biotechnology, transportation, > nanotechnologies and the nanosciences, information > technologies, chemistry, physics, aeronautics, > astronautics, telecommunications, the internet, R&D > facilities at the university, corporate and > government level, as well as the US government, and > many others, use the SI metric system for its ease > of use, its universality and simplicity. > > The metric system is the language of science, > technology, engineering and math, as well as of > global trade. The metric system is the foundation of > all great STEM progress and development. Why are > we not teaching the SI Metric system in our > workplaces and in our schools? What better way is > there to attract multi-national businesses to our > communities than by having the local workforce > proficient in the metric system? > > Teaching the SI metric system in our schools and in > re-training programs for workers would be the place > to start. We should be teaching the metric system > only, and not teaching multiple measurement systems > to our workers and students. Dual measurement > instruction in the classroom and around the nation > is an attempt at procrastination and a waste of > time. Teaching dual measurement systems just adds > to confusion which then causes the student to put > off learning the material. Teaching metric only is > the correct and most expedient way to learn SI > Metric. > > Thanks! > > Tim Williamson > > 1-205-765-6090 cell# > > 1-205-202-1902 fax# > > ------------------------------------------------ > > Proposal > > We need your help to purchase and distribute > metric only classroom materials to every > school in America. There are 130,000 schools in > the USA, and we propose giving four (4) classroom > metric only kits to each school. Each > classroom metric only kit costs $280.00. > This cost includes component materials, packaging > materials, kit assembly labor, warehouse rent & > utilities, insurance, shipping charges, etc., for > a total project cost of $145,600,000.00. The kit > price will go down as we finalize deals with > suppliers for the large quantities needed for this > project. > We hope to your support in this worthwhile national > project to help restore Americas competitive > advantage in the sciences, technology, engineering > and math. > > How you can help provide 4 metric only > classroom kits for every American school > > ******SEND NO MONEY NOW****** > > At this point, we need to know level of potential > interest in this endeavor. > > 1) Pledge by Letter of Intent to the email address > below to purchase: > > a. 1 kit @ $280.00 per kit for a total > of ------------- > $280.00 > > b. 10 kits @ $280.00 per kit for a total > of ---------- $2,800.00 > > c. 100 kits @ $280.00 per kit for a > total of --------- $28,000.00 > > b. 500 kits @ $280.00 per kit for a > total of --------- $140,000.00 > > c. 1000 kits @ $280.00 per kit for a > total of ------- $2,800,000.00 > > 2) Pledge to purchase a portion of the needed > components directly from the supplier, and have your > purchase delivered to us for assembly. > > 3) Pledge a specific amount to Metric America for > us to use to purchase and distribute kits: > > a. $100.00 > > b. $500.00 > > c. $1,000.00 > > d. $10,000.00 > > e. $25,000.00 > > f. $100,000.00 > > g. $______?______.00 > > Thank you! > > Metric America > > Email address: [email protected] > > *****Make no purchases of kit components nor > contributions at this time***** > > Estimated Detail of Costs for the proposal - > calculated on the high side. > > This will be less when bulk discounts are set up > with suppliers. > > Each classroom metric only kit is to include: > > 1) 30 - 30 cm Clear Vue plastic rulers, (.82 > ea retail) shipping weight 0.06 kg ea > > 2) 1 - Meter stick, hardwood, clear > varnished, with plain ends, (2.00 ea retail) sh wt > 0.14 kg > > 3) 1 - Trundle Wheel, with 1 meter > circumference, high strength plastic, (11.95 ea > retail) sh wt 1.13 kg > > 4) 1 - Liter Cube with lid, calibrated in > 100 ml, (6.60 ea retail) sh wt 0.17 kg > > 5) 5 - Durable Plastic measuring tape, 1.5 > m, (3.90 ea retail) sh wt 0.10 kg ea > > 6) 1 - Metric Wall Chart, (11.50 ea > retail) sh wt 0.23 kg > > 7) 1 - Weight Set, set of 54, four colors, > (7.95 ea retail) sh wt 0.4 kg > > 8) 1 - Student Balance, 2000 g capacity, > (21.95 ea retail) sh wt 1.02 kg > > 9) 1 - Equal Arm Balance, with stacking > mass set, (14.96 ea retail) sh wt 0.79 kg > > 10) 30 - Celsius Thermometers, (.58 ea retail) > sh wt 0.06 kg > > 11) 1 - Colorful Metric Poster showing > relationships and names, (12.00 ea retail) sh wt > 0.10 kg > > 12) 1 - Online resource information sheet for > metric instruction websites. To be created in house. > (3.00 ea retail) sh wt 0.02 kg > > Retail cost of one classroom kit - $153.41 each kit, > estimated high at $160 per kit to cover > unanticipated increases in materials costs. > > Chart of costs (national distribution to 130,000 > schools, 4 kits per school) > > Item # Qty of item Unit Total Cost per item > from kit cost > listing @ 4 (retail) (retail) > kits/school (a) > 1 15,600,000 $0.82 $12,792,000.00 > 2 520,000 $2.00 $1,040,000.00 > 3 520,000 $11.95 $6,214,000.00 > 4 520,000 $6.60 $3,432,000.00 > 5 2,600,000 $3.90 $10,140,000.00 > 6 520,000 $11.50 $5,980,000.00 > 7 520,000 $7.95 $4,134,000.00 > 8 520,000 $21.95 $11,414,000.00 > 9 520,000 $14.96 $7,779,200.00 > 10 15,600,000 $0.58 $9,048,000.00 > 11 520,000 $12.00 $6,240,000.00 > 12 520,000 $3.00 $1,560,000.00 > Subtotals 38,480,000 approx. $83,200,000.00 > Shipping 520,000 ~$100.00 approx. > per kit kits per kit $52,000,000.00 > Warehouse 520,000 ~$8.00 approx. > rent & kits per kit $4,160,000.00 > utilities > Kit > Assembly 520,000 ~$5.00 approx. > packaging kits per kit $2,600,000.00 > materials > Kit 520,000 ~$6.00 approx. > Assembly kits per kit $3,120,000.00 > labor > Misc. 520,000 ~$1.00 approx. > costs kits per kit $520,000.00 > TOTALS approx. $145,600,000.00 > > Some general statistics for schools in the USA: > > 1) There are approximately 16,000 school districts > in the USA. > > 2) There are approximately 130,000 schools in the > USA. > > 3) There are about 60,000,000 students in grades K > - 12 in the USA. > > 4) On average, there are about 30 students per > classroom in the USA. > > Thanks for your time. > > Tim Williamson > > Brookwood, Alabama, USA > > 1-205-765-6090 cell > > 1-205-202-1902 fax > > [email protected] > > Blog - MetricAmerica
