June 12, 2002

Contact: Ranjit Arab, University Relations, (785) 864-8855.

Former KU administrator returns to discuss potential NSF project

LAWRENCE -- A leading official from the National Science Foundation who has ties to the University of Kansas will be back in this region this week to discuss potential project opportunities.

Judith Ramaley, assistant director of the Education and Human Resources Directorate at the NSF, will visit with KU and public school officials, researchers, entrepreneurs and philanthropists this Thursday during her visits to Lawrence and Kansas City, Kan.

Before joining the NSF, Ramaley was president of the University of Vermont from 1997 to 2001 and was president of Portland State University from 1990 to 1997. She was an executive vice chancellor at KU from 1987 to 1990.

The NSF's Education and Human Resources Directorate, which manages an annual budget of $800 million, is responsible for the continued vitality of the nation's science, mathematics, engineering and technology education.

Her meeting in Kansas City will focus on providing information about the NSF's proposed Science of Learning Centers program, which aims to capitalize on the understanding of learning to better prepare students to meet the challenges of a technologically advanced workforce.

Those scheduled to attend the Kansas City meeting include representatives from KU, the Kansas City, Kan., public schools, the KC Life Sciences Institute and the Stowers Foundation, among others.

"What we are going to recognize through these discussions is that education and research really aren't separable -- they have to act in concert in order for programs to really move forward and grow," said Joe Heppert, professor of chemistry and director of KU's Center for Science Education.

After the meeting in Kansas City, Ramaley will visit Lawrence to talk with KU researchers about the SLC program as well as other NSF funding opportunities.

KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway will hold a reception in Ramaley's honor from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the Spencer Research Library.

"The focus in the Kansas City meeting will be more on the community aspects," Heppert said. "I expect the KU discussion to focus more on how the university can contribute to fostering the types of changes that are envisioned by the SLC program."

While Ramaley's discussion is bound to shed some light on the proposed NSF project, Heppert said her visit to KU might give her ideas as well.

"One of the exciting things is that the partnerships that the chancellor and researchers in Lawrence and Kansas City have been fostering will provide a framework for developing many ideas that could be incorporated into an SLC program," he said.

While the KU campus and many of the people here will be familiar to Ramaley, Heppert said he hopes she also notices some of the advancements that have taken place since her tenure here.

"This will be an excellent opportunity for Dr. Ramaley to learn about the change that has happened over the 12 years since she left the University of Kansas," he said. "It will give her a chance to get a closer look at the dynamic activity in science, education and technology research happening here as well as a chance to see the partnerships we are building with other colleagues and K-12 public schools."