New York City Chancellor Joel Klein Joined by The Creative Coalition’s Co-President/Actor Tim Daly and Actress Andrea Bowen to Spotlight Math & Science Learning

**EVENT ADVISORY: 11:00am, WEDNESDAY (TOMORROW), May 5th, EAST SIDE COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL**

NEW YORK CITY CHANCELLOR JOEL KLEIN JOINED BY THE CREATIVE COALITION’S CO-PRESIDENT/ACTOR TIM DALY AND ACTRESS ANDREA BOWEN TO SPOTLIGHT MATH & SCIENCE LEARNING

Arts and Entertainment Community Partners with City Officials to Support National Lab Day – An Initiative Promoting Hands-On Learning in Classrooms

New York City (May 4, 2010) – New York City School Chancellor Joel Klein and Deputy Chief Technology Officer for the Obama Administration Beth Noveck with actor Tim Daly, Co-President of The Creative Coalition, and actress Andrea Bowen will join National Lab Day (NLD) to lead hands-on exercises at East Side Community High School on Wednesday, May 5th, at 11:00am.

The Creative Coalition is spearheading a campaign to use the arts to make the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and math – STEM – more appealing to students. NLD’s goal is to bring attention to STEM programs in schools, and promote learning through discovery and exploration.

At East Side, 10th-grade chemistry students have recently been introduced to the concept of sustainability issues related to water through the lens of the “3 Es”: social Equity, Environment, and Economic impacts.

Joseph Vicente, chemistry teacher at East Side, will collaborate with Chemical Engineering Professor Ben Davis of Cooper Union College whom he met via www.nationallabday.org to run the lab.  They will work with students on different methods of filtering water.  Clean water is an issue of increasing concern across the country and the planet.   This lab will enable students to try new methods in a hands-on manner.

WHO: Actor and The Creative Coalition Co-President Tim Daly (“Private Practice”); Actress Andrea Bowen (“Desperate Housewives”); NYC School Chancellor Joel Klein; Dr. Beth Noveck, Deputy Chief Technology Officer, The White House; along with National Lab Day’s Chairman Jack Hidary and The Creative Coalition’s CEO Robin Bronk

WHAT: Hands-on lab experiments run by the students, Joe Vicente and Ben Davis

WHEN: 11:00am, Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

WHERE: East Side Community High School, 420 East 12th Street, New York, NY, 10009-4019

PRESS: OPEN TO ALL MEDIA

National Lab Day is on Wednesday, May 12th – but the concept is more than just one day.   It is a year-round, nationwide effort to bring hands-on learning to students working on STEM projects by collaborating with experts (scientists, engineers, architects, etc.) who currently work in those fields.  National Lab Day is working with more than 1,000 schools in all 50 states and building to 10,000 active projects around the country by the end of the year.

President Barack Obama recognized National Lab Day at the White House on January 6th, 2010, in his call-to-action for all federal scientists to get involved in educational opportunities such as the NLD effort.  The Department of Energy, National Institutes of Health (NIH), NASA, and the National Science Foundation (NSF), among others, have all responded to the President’s call to action with direct outreach to their scientific communities and employees.

The Creative Coalition (www.TheCreativeCoalition.Org) is the premiere 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan social and public advocacy organization of the arts and entertainment community. Founded in 1989 by prominent members of the creative community, The Creative Coalition is dedicated to educating and mobilizing its members on issues of public importance, primarily public education, the First Amendment, and arts advocacy, and is headquartered in New York City.

To learn more about National Lab Day, please visit: www.NationalLabDay.Org.

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CONTACT:

Dennis St. Rose
P: 212-512-8570
DStRose@TheCreativeCoalition.Org

Anu Rangappa
P: 202-879-9338
ARangappa@DeweySquare.Com