0001|                       HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 84
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0002|     43RD LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 1998
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0003|                            INTRODUCED BY
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0004|                          RAYMOND G. SANCHEZ
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0005|     
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0006|                                   
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0007|     
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0008|     
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0009|     
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0010|                           A JOINT MEMORIAL
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0011|     REQUESTING THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION TO OUTLINE
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0012|     A STATEWIDE PROGRAM USING "MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES" TEACHING
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0013|     STRATEGIES AND INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGY, INCLUDING COLLABORATION
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0014|     BETWEEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, NATIONAL LABORATORIES, STATE RESEARCH
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0015|     INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING AND OTHER NONPROFIT
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0016|     INSTITUTIONS ENGAGED IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH OR TECHNOLOGY
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0017|     TRANSFER AND TO CULTIVATE ALTERNATIVE SOURCES FOR FUNDING AND
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0018|     SUPPORT OF ACADEMIC AND STUDENT SKILL PERFORMANCE COMPETITIONS
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0019|     IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS.
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0020|     
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0021|          WHEREAS, the Pojoaque high school robotics team placed
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0022|     second in the world at the international B.E.A.M. robotic
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0023|     games and the Quanta international games for science and
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0024|     technology held at the City of Montessori college in Lucknow,
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0025|     India in November 1997; and
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0001|          WHEREAS, students who were enrolled in a special
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0002|     alternative learning class funded by a nonfunding formula
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0003|     grant excelled in their efforts and won a prestigious
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0004|     international academic award; and
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0005|          WHEREAS, the special alternative learning class helped
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0006|     the students develop their abilities, and the students
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0007|     responded by applying their mechanical and electronic skills
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0008|     to solar robotics and excelled by distinguishing themselves
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0009|     and New Mexico in an international competition; and
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0010|          WHEREAS, the students and their parents had to struggle
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0011|     to raise the needed money to attend the international
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0012|     competition, and schoolmates and businesses contributed to
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0013|     raising the funds necessary for their attendance; and
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0014|          WHEREAS, as a result of this effort, the team members
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0015|     have made the honor roll at Pojoaque high school, and the
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0016|     experience demonstrates the exceptional value of these
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0017|     competitions; and
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0018|          WHEREAS, the fields of science and math have contributed
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0019|     greatly to the economy and general welfare of the state of New
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0020|     Mexico, and the state desires to promote and encourage these
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0021|     fields and their related industries in the state and the
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0022|     skills involving critical thinking, problem solving, invention
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0023|     and creation that will prepare our children and our state for
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0024|     the future;
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0025|          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE
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0001|     STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the state department of public
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0002|     education be directed to outline a statewide program,
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0003|     including a cost-benefit analysis of sustained collaboration
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0004|     between public schools, national laboratories such as the Los
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0005|     Alamos and Sandia national laboratories, New Mexico research
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0006|     institutions of higher learning and other nonprofit
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0007|     institutions engaged in scientific research or technology
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0008|     transfer; that the statewide program be composed of
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0009|     geographically representative regions throughout the state;
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0010|     that a central coordinating point be established in the
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0011|     department to coordinate the activities between the schools
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0012|     and the research institutions; that the department develop
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0013|     with the collaborators a statewide, public performance,
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0014|     project-oriented skill demonstration "challenge competition"
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0015|     system similar to the "Supercomputing Challenge" sponsored by
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0016|     Los Alamos national laboratory and the robotic challenge
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0017|     competition participated in by Pojoaque high school and that
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0018|     the system be constructed to plug into existing national and
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0019|     global academic challenge systems such as B.E.A.M.; that the
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0020|     department explore and cultivate alternative sources of
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0021|     funding and support for academic and skill performance
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0022|     competitions in science and technology so that New Mexico
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0023|     students can participate in more prestigious competitions such
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0024|     as the robotics event in India, and therefore be encouraged,
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0025|     as were the Pojoaque high school students, to excel and
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0001|     distinguish themselves; and
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0002|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the state department of
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0003|     public education deliver its plan and recommendations to the
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0004|     legislative education study committee no later than August 20,
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0005|     1998 for considered implementation during the 1999 legislative
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0006|     session; and
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0007|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
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0008|     transmitted to the superintendent of public instruction and
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0009|     the director of the legislative education study committee.
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0010|                                 
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