Camarillo, Calif., Feb. 26, 2013 – CSU Channel Islands (CI) Professor of Chemistry Phil Hampton has earned a prestigious regional award from the National Engineers Week Foundation. The Edwin Allen Kindberg Distinguished Engineering Service Award is presented annually to “an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to advance or recognize the engineering profession in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties.” Recipients are selected by a committee of scientists and engineering professionals from the two counties. Hampton was honored for his efforts to spread enthusiasm for science to students of all ages through a variety of outreach programs and partnerships.
“We have a significant shortage of young people entering the science and engineering fields, but Dr. Hampton appears to have found the solution to this problem by his program of bringing science to the community at the elementary and middle schools,” said Allen Grizzard-Paul, National Engineers Week Committee Ed Kindberg Award Chair. “The committee felt that this was the most effective way of helping to get children interested in becoming the next generation of scientists and engineers. Also, I have been fortunate to see first-hand the impact his program has on the kids.”
Hampton received the award at the National Engineers Week Committee’s 39th Annual Dinner, held recently in Oxnard. The event also honored a teacher, five engineers, five “Projects of the Year,” and 10 students with scholarships. CI President Richard Rush was the featured guest speaker and Hampton gave a presentation on CI’s alliances with K-12 schools, community colleges, scientific and professional groups, and businesses to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) learning.
“As a chemistry professor, I am surprised and humbled to even be nominated for an engineering award,” Hampton said. “I would have to say that my impact is not at all directly in the area of engineering but, instead, encouraging kids to develop a love for science. I have a dream of a countywide effort to build outstanding STEM education at the K-12 level.”
In addition to teaching and mentoring CI students, Hampton serves as Director of Project ACCESO, an initiative funded by a federal Hispanic Serving Institution-STEM grant that encourages students in kindergarten through college to pursue STEM disciplines and careers. The program supports school and community outreach, career expos, tutoring and mentoring, afterschool programs, and an annual Science Carnival for kids and their families.
The Distinguished Engineering Service Award honors Ed Kindberg, an engineer and dedicated volunteer to National Engineers Week from Ojai. After Kindberg passed away in 2009 at the age of 93, an award was created to honor his legacy of service to the field of engineering. Hampton is the third recipient of the award. In 2012, Dr. Jerome Clifford of CI’s Applied Physics Program received the honor.
For more information on Project ACCESO, visit www.csuci.edu/projectacceso/ or contact Dr. Philip Hampton at 805-437-8869 or Philip.hampton@csuci.edu.
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CSU Channel Islands(CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more by visiting CI's Social Media.