Carl Wieman gets funding boost for science education
The Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative, at the University of British Columbia, has received a donation of $2 million from Stanford computer science professor, David Cheriton. According to a university press release, Cheriton is “widely credited for mentoring Google’s founders and helping establish the company.” A UBC alumnus, he graduated in 1973 with a bachelor of science in Mathematics, and later earned a doctorate from the University of Waterloo. He then returned to UBC as an assistant professor from 1979 to 1982, before taking a position at Stanford. The University of Waterloo computer science department bears his name in recognition of $25 million he donated in 2005.
The Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative is led by Nobel Laureate physicist Carl Wieman. The initiative aims to improve science education at UBC:
Since 2007, the CWSEI has helped UBC Faculty of Science departments undergo curriculum and course improvements, including the establishment of learning goals, adoption of new and proven teaching techniques and scientifically evaluating and documenting student achievements. More than 18,000 students will benefit from CWSEI activities this year.
To read Erin Millar’s profile of Wieman, please click here.