May 20 2008
Applied Materials, Inc. today announced the launch of its Bright Future"! card game, an innovative tool for teaching sustainability and environmental concepts to children in a fun and flexible way. Intended for ages nine and up, the card game provides an interactive and easy-to-use aid for teachers across the United States to help students better understand how their actions can affect the planet.
Sponsored by Applied Materials, the Bright Future card game was developed in conjunction with two teachers as part of the Industry Initiatives for Science and Math Education (IISME) program. The card game is currently being evaluated in 25 public and private schools across three states involving more than 1,200 students. Participants in this testing phase include schools in San Jose, California; San Francisco, California; Austin, Texas; and McMinneville, Oregon, among others. Applied Materials intends to make the card game available at no charge to interested teachers for the 2008/2009 school year, along with a Teacher’s Guide.
"The Bright Future card game is an extension of Applied's corporate citizenship initiatives to help build a more sustainable future around the world," said Mark Walker, managing director of Global Community Affairs, Applied Materials. "Today's students are increasingly more insistent on gaining knowledge and taking positive action to combat climate change. We hope that through this game their interest in science will be strengthened so that they can make positive contributions to sustainability."
“What I like about the Bright Future card game is that it empowers youth to think critically about environmental sustainability in a fun and approachable way,” said Heather Wong, co-creator of the game and fifth-grade teacher at Lawton Alternative School, San Francisco. “The game can easily be incorporated in science, language arts, math, social studies or arts programs, and is a great tool for guiding class discussions and writing assignments. After seeing the success of the card game in my own classroom, I look forward to broader adoption of this resource into today’s school curricula.”