US Navy & Chester County Intermediate Unit to Launch ”Real World Navy Challenge”

Navy Interactive Technology Program to Enhance STEM Education in Public Schools

The Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center (DVIRC) today announced that its partnership between the United States Navy and Chester County Intermediate Unit, a regional educational service agency, will introduce a new web-based education program at six Chester County school districts in October. The program is designed to improve Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education skills of students using real world naval scenarios.

The Real World Navy Challenge, a joint effort of the DVIRC, Chester County Intermediate Unit and the U.S. Navy, will challenge middle and high school students to solve real world problems using military strategy and a web-based software program to enhance their problem-solving skills and spur creative thinking as an innovative way to support math and science instruction. The initiative will connect teams of students from multiple school districts in Chester County initially, and is expected to expand to more districts in the region.

The centerpiece of the program – developed by education and software specialists – is a scenario or “back story” provided by Navy consultants that presents a catastrophic disaster such as an earthquake or famine to test both analytic and contextual skills of students using Web 2.0 technologies. Wikis, Whiteboards, Project Objectives, Voice Chat, Video and other tools are used to drive collaboration and learning. Math and science teachers will integrate the program into their curriculums starting October 1, 2009. DVIRC will serve as the project manager promoting the program to school districts throughout the Philadelphia region.

“We are excited to launch this new education tool,” says Tony Girifalco, executive vice president of DVIRC. “This is part of our ongoing commitment to improve STEM education. By combining the engineering and logistics expertise of the Navy with state-of-the-art technology, we are providing students a dynamic and engaging application for their math and science instruction.” Girifalco continues, “We believe The Real World Navy Challenge will provide school districts and teachers with a valuable educational asset that will help students to have fun learning the math and science skills required for jobs in today’s global economy.”

The project was made possible thanks to a generous grant from the Lenfest Foundation. H.F. “Gerry Lenfest” is a former Navy captain who believes that critical decision making skills used in the military have valuable applications in education. The grant also supports the Military Education Corps, a related program that places former officers from the U.S. Navy and other branches of the service in K-16 classrooms.

“We are delighted to team up with DVIRC on this initiative,” says Diane Thomson, program development & support coordinator for Chester County Intermediate Unit. “Our teachers have been saying for awhile that students need to apply math and science instruction beyond the classroom and into the real world in order to make it relevant. This program does just that and we couldn’t be happier.”

Education reporters or editors are invited to review the product or sit in on classroom demonstration. For more information about The Real World Navy Challenge, please contact Tony DeFazio at 484-532-7783 or tony@defaziocommunications.com.

About DVIRC – DVIRC is a leading economic development organization established in 1988 to serve the needs of nearly 5,000 Small to Midsized advanced manufacturing Enterprises (SME) in five counties throughout the Philadelphia region. The organization’s primary focus is to grow business value for clients through consulting services, talent development and regional, state and federal resource assistance, helping to establish the region as an internationally recognized leader in manufacturing competitiveness. We believe growing business value improves the standard of living and quality of life for those that live and / or work in the region. A diverse board of directors comprised of executives from the manufacturing, banking, legal and economic development communities govern the DVIRC.

–(BUSINESS WIRE)–