News

The Preuss School, a public middle and high school on the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) campus, presented the annual "Spirit of Preuss" award to Rozeanne Steckler, director of education at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC). Steckler was acknowledged at a July 18 Awards Assembly for her work in involving members of the university community in programs that engage middle school and high school students in learning about science and using computers.

Among other activities, Steckler assisted the Preuss School in setting up a system of remote monitoring of student teachers, supplied teachers from the SDSC Education Department for a multimedia class, and brought the science and technology educational modules developed at SDSC into the Preuss curriculum.

"Rozeanne Steckler makes things happen," said Preuss School Principal Doris Alvarez. "She exemplifies the ideals we uphold here at the school. She is dedicated. As a scientist, she is a wonderful role model for girls and boys alike. Her strong character and values come through loud and clear, whether she is teaching teachers, teaching students, or organizing modular science and technology lessons. She has provided so much in terms of equipment and expertise, and she has been a great resource in bringing UCSD faculty and staff into school programs."

The Preuss School at UCSD is a middle/high school dedicated to providing an intensive college preparatory education for motivated low-income students who will become the first in their families to graduate from college. Using a high degree of personal attention and parental involvement, Preuss prepares students to succeed at the University of California or other colleges.

SDSC Director Fran Berman said, "We are very proud of the role Rozeanne has played with the school and of the opportunities she has made for Preuss School students to excel." Steckler is the fourth recipient of the Spirit of Preuss award. Previous recipients are UCSD Chancellor Robert Dynes, Preuss School benefactors Peter and Peggy Preuss, and Cecil Lytle, Provost of Thurgood Marshall College at UCSD.

"This works both ways," Steckler said. "Some Preuss students will help us next week with TeacherTECH. our summer training course for K-12 teachers, because SDSC has come to them for help. Next summer we expect to have interns from the Preuss School. The school takes advantage of the university as a great and various resource, and we think of it in much the same way."

About SDSC

The San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) is an organized research unit of UCSD and the leading-edge site of the National Partnership for Advanced Computational Infrastructure (NPACI). SDSC's mission is to develop and use technology to advance science, and SDSC provides leadership both nationally and internationally in computing, data management, biosciences, and other areas. As a national laboratory for computational science and engineering, SDSC is funded by the National Science Foundation through NPACI and other federal agencies, the State and University of California, and private organizations. For more information, see www.sdsc.edu or contact David L. Hart, SDSC Communications, 858-534-8314, dhart@sdsc.edu.

Merry Maisel, SDSC maisel@sdsc.edu, 858-534-5127