JASON ALLIANCE OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS (JASET) HOSTS
FAMED SCIENTIST DR. ROBERT BALLARD

The JASON Alliance of Southeast Texas (JASET) was established in 2001 in a cooperative effort between Lamar University, local Chambers of Commerce, and diverse members of industry to bring the hands-on science of the JASON Project to our 4th-8th grade students. The Jason Project, a subsidiary of National Geographic, was founded by Dr. Ballard in 1989 as a means to connect students to the world around them through research and discovery. Dr. Ballard is widely known as the oceanographer and explorer who discovered the Titanic. However, after this extraordinary find, he made an effort to include students in his research. This involved the use of a technology called telepresence videos to show students what he was seeing while exploring. Eventually this interactive method of teaching evolved into a curriculum for students in the 4th - 8th grades based around his discoveries and explorations.

JASET encourages community support in order to fund the curriculum for each classroom. With the support of local business and school districts, over 22,000 local students are touched every year along with 220 teachers being trained.

On Tuesday, January 31, Dr. Robert Ballard will be here in Beaumont, TX presenting to over 8,500 students, teachers and community members at the Montagne Center as a celebration of the ten years anniversary of the Jason Project in this area.