By Ellen H. King
April 28, 2003

At a Cities United for Science Progress (CUSP) Science in the School Day April 10, Providence Mayor David Cicilline and DuPont field engineer Bryanne Grainger led a classroom of 3rd grade elementary school students in exploring science and engineering. Upon learning about Science in the School Day, Mayor Cicilline brought the USCM/DuPont CUSP partnership to his city to assist him in emphasizing the importance of science education in Providence school children.

"The rewarding and exciting opportunities for young people in science, mathematics and engineering are unlimited. Today's event was fun for these children and allowed us to possibly spark a lifelong interest. Hopefully, many of them will be encouraged to pursue courses and careers in these challenging fields," Cicilline said.

In his first year of office, Cicilline is committed to enhancing the educational experiences of Providence school children. By inviting CUSP's Science in the School Day to his city, Cicilline was able to demonstrate his commitment directly to students in the classroom. Grainger and Cicilline worked side-by'side with students hypothesizing, experimenting and concluding science and engineering principles.

"Through our CUSP partnership, we are able to provide mayors with an educational resource that they can easily implement in their cities," said Conference Executive Director J. Thomas Cochran. "We were pleased to team up with Mayor Cicilline through CUSP and look forward to assisting other mayors in reinforcing the importance of science education in their communities."

"A diverse pool of talented engineers is required for our company and country to remain competitive in a rapidly changing global market," said Mary Kate Campbell, Manager of Public Affairs at DuPont. "Together, our field engineer and Cicilline, were able to engage Providence school children in the exploration of science, mathematics and engineering in an effort to spark an interest in these essential subjects."

CUSP works with mayors across the country to bring similar programs to cities nationwide. To learn more about the CUSP partnership, please contact CUSP Managing Director Ellen H. King at 202-861-6791 or e-mail eking@usmayors.org.