RALEIGH, N.C. (Sept. 23, 2010) – Golf Channel and Time Warner Cable’s Connect a Million Minds initiative teed up STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) in a unique way for Raleigh-area middle school students at the SAS Championship in Cary.
On Thursday, Sept. 23, Golf Channel and Time Warner Cable hosted a group of area middle-school students for an interactive tour at the Champions Tour event, titled On the Greens and Behind the Scenes. Nearly 25 students from three, local after-school programs leveraged both the game of golf and TV production to demonstrate practical applications of STEM learning principles through the unique lens of golf.
The tour at Prestonwood Country Club included hands-on learning about the science, technology and engineering applied in the equipment used to play the game of golf, with the help of a Champions Tour player. Students also took an inside tour of Golf Channel TV production trucks to see the equipment and real-time decision-making involved with producing golf tournaments like the SAS Championship, which are played on 18 different “fields” at any given time. In addition, students received a printed activity guide that summarized STEM learning through golf and a Connect a Million Minds backpack.
Time Warner Cable recently launched Connect a Million Minds, a five-year, $100 million philanthropic initiative to support middle school students’ exposure to STEM. Connect a Million Minds is aimed at engaging students outside the classroom, with hands-on activities that will inspire them to pursue learning opportunities and careers related to STEM.
“STEM education is about so much more than scientists wearing white lab coats. On the Greens and Behind the Scenes offers kids a chance to engage in these school subjects with a fun, compelling twist,” said Regina O’Brien, Golf Channel senior vice president of marketing.
“Time Warner Cable will be increasingly dependent on a highly technical workforce,” said Christine Whitaker, Time Warner Cable area vice president for the Raleigh, Fayetteville and Coastal areas. “Every opportunity to promote STEM learning today helps us inspire young people to become problem solvers of tomorrow. We are pleased Golf Channel has taken an innovative approach to supporting our efforts to engage students in a creative, real-world STEM learning opportunity.”
STEM education is the combined learning of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics into one integrated course of study, designed to help students become better prepared for the 21st century workforce. STEM is grounded in inquiry-based problem solving where learning begins with a series of questions, and students must gather and apply knowledge to answer those questions. STEM coursework challenges students to work together to solve problems or design solutions, rather than listen to a teacher impart knowledge. “The game of golf and the production of golf for live TV provide sound examples of applying STEM’s problem-solving approach to learning,” said O’Brien.
About Golf Channel
Golf Channel is a multimedia, golf entertainment and services company based in Orlando, Fla. The Golf Channel cable network, co-founded by Arnold Palmer and a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK), is available in more than 120 million homes worldwide through cable, satellite and wireless companies. Exclusive partnerships with the world’s top tours allow Golf Channel to feature more live golf coverage than all other networks combined, added to a programming schedule distinguished by golf’s best news, instruction and original programming. Golf Channel’s digital platform of businesses is led by www.GolfChannel.com, a leading golf destination on the Internet, delivering unmatched coverage of the world of golf, as well as services that help the recreational player with how to play, what to play and where to play golf.
About Connect a Million Minds
Time Warner Cable’s (TWC) Connect a Million Minds (CAMM) is a five-year, $100 million philanthropic initiative to address America’s declining proficiency in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), which puts our children at risk of not competing successfully in a global economy. Using its media assets, TWC creates awareness of the issue and inspires students to develop the STEM skills they need to become the problem solvers of tomorrow. Program highlights include: original PSAs that challenge public perceptions of STEM; a unique website, www.connectamillionminds.com, where parents and community members can pledge to connect young people with the wonders of science; “The Connectory”, a one-of-a-kind online resource that makes it simple and easy for parents and students to find informal science and technology learning opportunities in their communities; grants to support non-profit organizations that bring stimulating, high-quality and affordable after-school STEM learning to students; TWC employees, over 47,000 strong, who volunteer their time at community events like science fairs and robotics competitions, and share their passion for engineering and technology with students at CAMM career days. TWC’s national CAMM partners are CSAS (Coalition for Science After School) and FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). Local TWC markets are activating CAMM across the country with community-specific programs and partnerships.
About Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable Carolinas provides video, Internet and telephone services to more than 2.1 million residential and business customers in more than 400 cities and towns across North and South Carolina. Time Warner Cable is the second-largest cable operator in the U.S., with technologically advanced, well-clustered systems located in five geographic areas-New York State, the Carolinas, Ohio, southern California and Texas. Time Warner Cable serves more than 14 million customers who subscribe to one or more of its video, high-speed data and voice services. Time Warner Cable Business Class offers a suite of phone, Internet, Ethernet and cable television services to businesses of all sizes. Time Warner Cable Media sales, the advertising arm of Time Warner Cable, offers national, regional and local companies innovative advertising solutions that are targeted and affordable. More information about the services of Time Warner Cable is available at www.timewarnercable.com, www.twcbc.com, and www.twcmediasales.com.
Contact:
Jeremy Friedman
Golf Channel Public Relations
407-355-4058
jfriedman@golfchannel.com
