UCI's Department of Education has received $3.2 million from the federal government for a three-year project designed to teach 240 current and pre-service K-12 teachers how to integrate technology into their curriculum.

Funded under the government's "Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology" program, the initiative will help teachers take advantage of technology's potential as an instructional tool. Through this effort, 200,000 teachers nationwide are expected to become technology-proficient by 2003.

In addition to the federal grant, UCI will receive support from the Orange County Department of Education, along with other institutional organizations and partners.

Students in UCI's Digital ArtsBridge program, one of many initiatives affiliated with the grant, will also help develop and conduct free multimedia lessons primarily in low-income Orange County schools. More than half of the teachers selected will be from low-income schools throughout Orange County.

For more information, contact Sue Marshall, Research Specialist, Department of Education, at (949) 824-1556; smarshal@uci.edu.

UCI Professors Featured in PBS TV Series

UCI professors are featured in a new PBS series entitled "Closer to the Truth." The series features more than 50 of today's most influential minds who explore current trends in science, philosophy and human understanding.

Participating in the roundtable discussions are: Dr. Francisco Ayala, a geneticist and professor of biological sciences, who discusses scientific breakthroughs and gene therapy; Arthur De Vany, a professor of economics, who explores the possibility of extending your life; Brian Skyrms, member of the National Academy of Science and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and professor of social sciences, who speaks on how people thought in the last millennium; and Gregory Benford, science fiction author and professor of plasma physics and astrophysics, who explores topics on the transformation of society through technology.

"Closer to the Truth" airs on Wednesdays and Saturdays on PBS. Check local PBS channels for air times.