The scientist and explorer that is best known for discovering the shipwreck of RMS Titanic, Dr. Robert Ballard, will discuss his underwater adventures with teachers and students of the Hidden Promise Consortium at Glenville State College on Wednesday, March 31st. Ballard is the founder of the JASON Project, a non-profit subsidiary of the National Geographic Society, which delivers science curriculum and professional development to area teachers.

All 5th through 8th grade teachers and students in the Glenville State College Hidden Promise Consortium are invited to attend this event. Dr. Robert Ballard will give a 9:00 a.m. and a 2:00 p.m. presentation in the GSC Fine Arts Center Auditorium.

“Since GSC has partnered with the JASON Project we have exposed 112 teachers and around five-thousand students with this hands-on approach to learning science,” said Jessica Dorr, GSC JASON Project Science Coordinator.

“The excitement to have Dr. Robert Ballard visit the Glenville State College campus is unbelievable. To have these middle school students exposed to such an influential scientist is very important to everyone involved with the JASON Project,” said Ed Toman, GSC Director of JASON Project and Coordinator of the Hidden Promise Consortium.

Ballard founded the JASON Project in 1989. Within months of discovering the RMS Titanic, he received thousands of letters from middle school students asking to join his next expedition. Dr. Ballard knew his discovery had tapped a wellspring of curiosity and excitement about science and was determined to feed it. The result was the JASON Project, named for the mythological Greek explorer. Since then, JASON has connected more than 10 million students and teachers with real scientific exploration and discovery.

Congressman Alan B. Mollohan has been invited to introduce Dr. Robert Ballard and to discuss his longtime push to raise science proficiency and how important and influential the JASON Project has become to the science curriculum across the state.

For more information on this event or the JASON Project, go online at www.jason.org or contact Toman at Edward.Toman@glenville.edu or (304) 462-6023.