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Project Team Poster Abstracts
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1: March 10, 2007 Saturday — Abstracts
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Page 2: March
10, 2007 Saturday — Abstracts 21-41
Page 3: March
11, 2007 Sunday — Abstracts 1-20
Page 4: March
11, 2007 Sunday — Abstracts 21-40
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21 University of Memphis
22 University of Minnesota
23 University of Missouri - Columbia
24 University of Missouri -
St. Louis
25 University of Montana
26 University of Nebraska
27 University of New Hampshire
28 University of New Mexico
29 University of Oklahoma
30 University of Oregon Institute of Marine Biology
31 University of Pennsylvania
32 University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez
33 University of South Carolina
34 University of Tennessee
35 University of Utah
36 University of Wyoming
37 Washington University
38 Western Washington University
39 Wichita State University
40 University of Washington
21 University of Memphis
Tri-P-LETS: The Power of Partnerships
Linda Sherrell | lbshrrll@memphis.edu
The Tri-P-LETS (Three P Learning Environment for Teachers
and Students) Project is a three year endeavor to enhance high
school computer science classes through the creative application
of Programming, Process, and Problem Solving concepts. Over
the course of this project several partnerships have been formed
with teachers, students, and the community at large. This poster
highlights these connections and describes some of the ways
that these groups interact. Students enjoy the open-ended projects,
game development, programming robots, and other events like
the annual programming challenge at the University of Memphis.
Teachers have participated in various workshops and traveled
to several educational conferences. Finally, the Tri-P-LETS
group has put together additional workshops for targeted community
audiences including a one-day game creation workshop for a group
of minority middle school students.
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22 University of Minnesota
What is science? Developing scientific inquiry in the K-6
classroom
Daniel Hernandez | hern0111@umn.edu
The GK-12 program at the University of Minnesota is one of the few programs that
train fellows to work with teachers and students at the K-6 level. Graduate student
fellows are paired with one of four inner city schools in the Twin Cities metro
area and work as a team with teachers at their school to develop inquiry-based
curriculum appropriate for the grade school level. Fellows also lead weekly,
after school science clubs that give students additional opportunities in science
and allow for long-term experiments and projects. Through classroom activities
and science clubs students are gaining a richer science education focused on
science as a process of inquiry. One particular challenge for fellows is learning
to disseminate topics in their area of scientific expertise to a young audience.
Here we highlight several examples of how fellows in our program are successfully
infusing their research interests into the K-6 classroom. This experience achieves
several key goals of the GK-12 program: fellows are learning to describe their
research to a broad audience by developing new curriculum appropriate for young
ages; students are gaining important lessons in environmental science and the
process of scientific inquiry; and fellows work alongside teachers to better
understand the rewards and challenges of a grade school classroom.
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23 University
of Missouri - Columbia
Pedagogy and Other Soft Skills in Engineering
Satish Nair | nairs@missouri.edu
Potential employers have serious concern about the lack of
soft skills in new graduates. The Boyer Commission emphasizes
the fact that as the range of employment for scientists and
engineers expands, especially in the nonacademic world, it
is vital to gain as many skills as possible before leaving
the university setting. An exposure to the importance of these
skills in introductory courses will provide students the opportunity,
early in their curriculum, to design appropriate curricular
and extra-curricular activities during their program, based
on their understanding and interest in the topics. This will
ensure that students who emerge as young scientists and engineers
do not have deficits of social and communication skills that
might severely handicap their ability to pursue a satisfying
career in the fast-changing work place. A faculty team from
the Colleges of Engineering and Education has developed a seminar
course for engineering Ph.D. students to emphasize the role
of soft skills in engineering. Titled 'Preparing Engineering
Faculty and Professionals,' the two-semester course sequence
includes several book readings with different focus areas:
'How People Learn' (Bransford et al. 2000) with a focus
on the latest findings from cognitive science and their applicability
to teaching, 'The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People' (Covey
1990) for discussion of other soft skills that have been successful
in industry, and 'The World is Flat' (Friedman
2005) for a discussion of global trends affecting professionals
in all walks of life. The other sections of the course included
lectures by guest speakers on a variety of related topics from
how universities work, and how to run successful research centers,
to leadership traits for engineers.
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24 University
of Missouri - St. Louis
Future Ecologists as Researchers: A
F.E.A.R. Factor Summer in St Louis
Patrick Osborne | osbornepl@umsl.edu
Students in urban settings have limited exposure to conservation
biology and ecology topics. However, studying ecology in urban
environments is accessible, rewarding and can provide students
with authentic research opportunities. Towards these goals,
the Biology Department at the University of Missouri-St Louis
and Missouri Science Teaching and Education Partnerships (MO-STEP,
a National Science Foundation GK-12 Program) implemented the
Future Ecologists As Researchers (F.E.A.R. Factor) program.
F.E.A.R. Factor was a 6-week summer internship program for
high school students. Through field work and on-site research,
students studied aquatic, prairie and forest ecosystems, investigated
native and exotic species, and discovered the wildlife in managed
urban habitats. Students measured biodiversity in urban ecosystems,
compared biotic and abiotic factors, investigated habitat fragmentation,
and studied the impact of introduced species in Missouri habitats.
The National Science Education Standards were addressed through
the inquiry-based structure of the program. Reinforcement of
life science content standards such as biological evolution
and interdependence of organisms were supported through field
research and direct observation. Students improved their higher-order
skills by developing hypotheses, designing experiments, critiquing
scientific literature, routinely interacting with scientific
professionals, and explaining and defending their research
and hypotheses in oral presentations. The F.E.A.R. Factor program
concluded with a Student Symposium, with each student presenting
their research through a poster session attended by faculty,
graduate students, teachers, parents, and peers.
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25 University
of Montana
No Child Left Indoors - Partnerships between Montana Ecologists,
Educators and Schools
Carol Brewer | carol.brewer@umontana.edu
The Ecologists, Educators, and Schools (ECOS) Program at the
University of Montana has been building partnerships with K-12
schools and the broader community in western Montana for three
years now. To build partnerships for enhancing science education
we have focused on 1) translating ecological research for K-12
audiences; 2) matching teacher and fellow expectations to promote
successful collaborations in the partner schools; and 3) building
infrastructure and learning laboratories for teaching ecology
in local schoolyards and open areas, thereby ensuring that
resources for teaching ecology outdoors will remain in our
community long after our GK-12 grant has ended. Partner teachers
have benefited from ECOS by learning more about the nature
of scientific inquiry and the field of ecology. UM GK-12 fellows
are learning how to translate their scientific research in
ways that are easily understood by children and the general
public. Local businesses, parents, and community volunteers
have been instrumental partners in working with us to turn
areas in the play grounds at partner schools into ecological
laboratories where learning about the world around us happens
outdoors. UM GK-12 fellows have created dozens of curricular
materials focused on learning about ecology in schoolyards
and local outdoor habitats (www.bioed/org/ecos). And K-12 students
have scientist role models to help
them learn about ecology and investigate the world around them.
Together, we are working to make sure no child is left indoors!
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26 University
of Nebraska
Project Fulcrum: Building Partnerships
Marisol Baquerizo-Birth | fulcrum2@unl.edu
Project Fulcrum, in its sixth year at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln,
has built partnerships that form a base for future K-12 activities. Partnership
with the local school district has increased involvement of the University in
in-service teacher professional development and pre-service teacher preparation.
Our long-term emphasis on improving student attitudes toward science and scientists
has produced partnerships with teachers that focus on helping students understand
the important roles math and science play in their lives. Projects ranging from
role-playing yourself at age twenty and explaining how you will need math in
your intended career to students comparing traits of famous scientists to their
own skills and interests help prepare students for their future careers, whether
they become scientists, engineers and mathematicians, or scientifically literate
citizens in other fields. The involvement of GK-12 Fellows is especially important
in schools with underserved populations, as these students encounter fewer science,
mathematics and engineering role models. In looking toward the future, Project
Fulcrum is building a partnership with the University of Nebraska Materials Research
Science and Engineering Center, Q-SPINS, to work with teachers participating
in the Research Experiences for Teachers program. GK-12 Fellows will build on
Project Fulcrum's experience to help teachers translate their summer research
experiences in nanomaterials to the classroom. The project will focus on the
development of scientific skills and techniques, which will be incorporated into
courses in chemistry and physics.
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27 University
of New Hampshire
Integrating Research Experiences
into the Classroom: Impacts on Students and Teachers
Karen Graham | Karen.graham@unh.edu
The University of New Hampshire (UNH) GK-12 initiative, Promoting
Research Opportunities to Benefit Education (PROBE) is in its
third year. PROBE Graduate Fellows, representing ten different
UNH academic departments in the STEM disciplines, are paired
with a high school science teacher to form ten teacher-fellow
teams. PROBE Fellows work in the schools the equivalent of
two-days per week. The Fellows have integrated their own personal
research practices, findings, and enthusiasm into the classroom
to varying degrees and have, in many cases, provided demonstrable
evidence of the impact on both students and teachers. Our research
has found that the Fellow's support has enriched the
teaching in the Fellow's particular content area (e.g.,
biology, physics, chemistry, earth sciences, etc.). Also, teachers
partnered with fellows were likely to adapt their teaching
style more toward full-inquiry. Importantly, teachers have
increased their own understanding of the conceptual basis for
inquiry-based teaching/learning, which increases the likelihood
of a lasting (sustainable) impact of the experiences on the
teacher and his/her peers. Students benefited from the inquiry-minded
fellow-teacher partnerships in predictable ways. They gained
knowledge of current scientific questions, research methods,
and findings. Students were proud of the experimental work
they did and were pleased to take ownership of their experiments.
This poster will share stories of PROBE's successes
and challenges.
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28 University
of New Mexico
Teacher-fellow collaborations in middle school science classes,
central New Mexico
Mel Strong | mstrong@unm.edu
In central New Mexico, the E-MRGE (Ecohydrogeology in the Middle
Rio Grande Environment) GK-12 program places fellows into two
schools: Belen Middle School (in Belen) and Sarracino Middle
School (in Socorro). In this poster we present two examples
of how the fellows have been able to bring their expertise
into the classroom to enhance the learning experience. First,
we present an example of how a sixth-grade earth science classroom
at Sarracino studying a unit in weather has been supplemented
by local public domain weather data, including observations
from weather balloons and ground-based weather stations. With
the invaluable aid of the teacher's help, the fellow led students
in several exercises including investigation of the atmospheric structure,
description and interpretation of cloud types, weather prediction, and
long-term weather monitoring. In Belen, we present how eighth-grade chemistry,
life science and physical science classes benefited from the
collaboration between fellows from different disciplines with
each other and a with a pair of teachers working as a team.
This collaboration combined each fellow's expertise in geology
and ecology with the teacher's expertise in education to create
interdisciplinary activities and labs. These activities included
lessons covering how the geology and ecology of the local area interrelate,
how chemistry, geology and biology affect each other and how the disciplines
of chemistry, physics, biology and geology are a part of each
student's daily life. Furthermore, we engage a broader range of interest
and increase understanding by the students of the interdisciplinary nature
of modern science. Post-lesson surveys showed that students were more interested
in science projects introduced by the fellows-teachers group.
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29 University
of Oklahoma
Partnerships Maintain Sustainability
for STEM Graduate Student Outreach into K-12 Classrooms: Engineering
in Practice (EiP) for a Sustainable Future, University of
Oklahoma
Mark Nanny | nanny@ou.edu
High quality and long-term partnerships among STEM and education
university departments and K-12 schools are essential for establishing
and maintaining sustainable K-12 outreach programs that engage
STEM graduate students. Such partnerships provide the creativity,
resources, and infrastructure permitting implementation of
innovative and new K-12 outreach programs. At the University
of Oklahoma, our partners include the College of Engineering,
the K20 Center for Educational and Community Renewal, the College
of Education, and secondary science and math teachers and principals
from across Oklahoma. Together, we have established sustainability
through the development of an upper-level, general engineering, 3 credit-hour
course for STEM graduate students entitled "Incorporating Authentic
Science and Math Activities into the Secondary School." STEM
students learn fundamental concepts related to cognitive processes, inquiry-based
learning, authentic teaching, and necessary classroom management skills,
all within the context of teaching secondary science and math. The EiP
program is now moving to a higher level of sustainability by implementing
Summer Engineering Academies that will provide STEM graduates and secondary
science and math teachers and students opportunities to explore selected
areas of engineering in depth. Even greater sustainability will be established
with the "Masters of Arts in STEM Education," a two-year program allowing
students with a STEM BS, MS, or PhD degree to earn a MA degree in STEM
education with a specialization in either: 1) the elementary/middle
school level, 2) the secondary level, or 3) the college/university
level. The poster presentation will convey the nature of these
partnerships and the status of where we are in accomplishing
each goal.
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30 University
of Oregon Institute of Marine Biology
Incorporating the Research of Oregon Institute of Marine
Biology Fellows into the Classrooms of the Learning About
Where We Live GK12 Program
Jan Hodder | jhodder@uoregon.edu
The Learning About Where We Live GK-12 Project at the University
of Oregon's Institute of Marine Biology focuses on providing
a whole school marine science professional development experience
and curriculum for teachers and students in kindergarten to
sixth grade in two school districts on the Oregon coast. The
curriculum is thematic with each grade focusing on a different
marine habitat. Several of the fellows have developed teaching
and learning units that take elements of their graduate research
and provide teachers and students with an understanding of
marine science concepts and of the process of science. The
teaching and learning units presented in this poster are from
three OIMB students: 1. Ben Grupe, a MS student studying the
ecology of urchins. Ben developed an inquiry unit in which
fourth grade students developed and tested hypotheses about
urchin biology. 2. Tracey Smart, a Ph.D. candidate who is
researching the distributions of infaunal invertebrates in
intertidal mud flats and life history biology of polychaetes.
Tracey developed a classroom and field inquiry unit in which
students in the third grade explored infaunal invertebrates.
c. Michelle Schuiteman, a MS student studying feeding ecology
of island nesting birds. Michelle developed a series of lessons
in which sixth grade students explored island biogeography.
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31 University
of Pennsylvania
STEM Academically Based Community
Service (ABCS) Courses: Innovative Teaching and Learning Through
University-K12 Partnerships
Idris Stovall | istovall@math.upenn.edu
Throughout Access Science's tenure as a GK12 funded program,
over a dozen STEM ABCS courses have been created that have
teaching and learning at multiple levels. These courses are
vehicles that allow for Penn students and
faculty to be service agents towards promoting and supporting
STEM learning and its usefulness at K12 schools in the community
it resides (as well as at Penn). There are several models of
these courses that allow for multiple means of teacher and
classroom support. These course have been institutionalized
into Penn's culture being offered by several STEM disciplines,
and are a means of sustaining Access Science work and missions
into the foreseeable future.
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32 University
of Puerto Rico Mayaguez
GK-12 Expository Programs: Enhancing Science and Technology
Education
Juan Lopez-Garriga | lopezj@uprm.edu
Our GK-12 expository programs consist of a nucleus of graduate
and undergraduate students (fellows) with multidisciplinary
experiences enhancing the understanding of science and technology
of K-12 teachers and students. Three sub-programs form this
relationship: Science on Wheels that uses demonstrations
to communicate the world of chemistry (supported by Pfizer
Inc.), Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment
(GLOBE) that helps integrating environmental science into
schools, and Calculator Based Laboratory (CBL), which uses
probes to incorporate chemistry and mathematics into the
curriculum (supported by GK-12 NSF). The chemistry demonstrations
have contributed to spark the interest in science to more
than 71,900 individuals, while 85 fellows contributed to
the education of 18,154 students and 372 teachers by means
of GLOBE and CBL. Thus, data in the last five years from
Office of Institutional Research and Planning of the University
of Puerto Rico, indicated that the number of students enrolled
in science departments representing 90 high schools participating
in the GK-12 projects (from a total of 414 high schools),
increased significantly almost five and two fold in science
and engineering, respectively. Furthermore, since the admission
requirements of the University are based in the average of
the high school grades (GPA) and the College Board exam,
the results suggests that those students interacting with
GK-12 fellows are motivated to learn more and may obtain
schools grades, which can facilitating their entrance to
the university. Other factors may contribute to these results,
but the uniqueness of the program is the constant way that
fellows from the GK-12 program interact with teachers and
students.
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33 University
of South Carolina
Institutionalizing GK12 at the University of South Carolina
Jed Lyons | lyons@sc.edu
As a Track II project, our primary emphasis is on institutionalizing
GK12-like experiences for science, engineering and mathematics
graduate students. This is being accomplished by establishing
the Partners in Inquiry (Pi) Program. Like GK12, the Pi program partners
our STEM graduate students with middle school teachers in local schools
to work together to adapt, adopt and develop inquiry-based, hands-on and
developmentally-appropriate instructional materials for science, mathematics
and engineering-related topics. The GK12 and Pi programs, however, differ
in time commitment and in amount of financial support. GK12 fellows work
an average of 15 hours per week for a year. They provide direct assistance
to a teacher Partner in a middle school classroom during the school year.
GK12 fellows plan and teach our GK12 Institute for teachers in the summer.
Each Pi fellow is appointed as a 10-hour-per-week graduate assistant through
the university's
Center for Teaching Excellence. Pi fellows receive a $10,000
stipend during the 9-month school year. Pi fellows typically
work 1 day per week providing direct assistance to a Teacher Partner in
a middle school classroom. Pi fellows are supported by the College of Engineering
and Information Technology, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Office
of Research and Health Sciences, the Graduate School, and Richland County
School District I. Additional monetary and in-kind support for the Pi Program
is provided by the College of Education, the Office of Information Technology,
and the Richland County District II. The Pi fellowship is intended as a
supplement to other graduate assistantships.
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34 University
of Tennessee
Research in the Classroom: The University of Tennessee GK-12
Earth Project
Sally Horn | shorn@utk.edu
The core of the GK-12 Earth Project at the University of Tennessee
is the development and delivery of research-based activities
and local research. Our fellows are working hard to link classroom
activities to University and other research, and where possible
involve middle school students in authentic research, in which
the outcome is new knowledge rather than well-known expectation.
This research often links to the fellows' own expertise
and studies. For example, fellows from our Laboratory of Tree-Ring
Science are involving students in determining the date of establishment
of invasive tree species in the local area; in developing fire
histories from tree-ring analysis of fire-scarred trees; and
in tree-ring dating a log cabin on school grounds. Fellows with
research experience with soils and streams have organized students
to characterize soils on their campus, monitor soil erosion,
or carry out water testing. A fellow with expertise in stable
isotope analysis has arranged to bring a small group of students
to campus on weekends to pursue research on the isotopic signatures
in mollusk shells from local reservoirs. The weekend laboratory-scientist
students share experiences with the entire class during the week,
and everyone graphs and interprets the data they collect. Other
research experiences developed by our fellows derive from national
and international programs such as the 'Mastodon Matrix' project
and the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program. Several fellows are
working individually with students on research the students are
pursuing for school science fairs. We believe that involving
students in open-ended research using materials from our labs
and other programs enlivens science instruction, and gives us
the opportunity to teach science as a process for understanding
the world. As we develop research-based activities and experiences
for middle school students, we are building up sets of materials
and supplies that can be used on into the future by our GK-12
teachers and others at their same schools, contributing to the
continuation and wider dissemination of our efforts.
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35 University
of Utah
WEST: Working with community partners to build scientific
literacy
Holly Godsey | godsey@earth.utah.edu
WEST (Water, the Environment, Science and Teaching) is working
with community partners to involve fellows, faculty, K-12 students
and teachers in scientific exploration and environmental advocacy.
Two curriculums, the Great Salt Lake Water Quality project,
and the Tracy Aviary Wetland Restoration project, demonstrate
the benefits of involving participants with diverse interests
and backgrounds to develop experiences that foster scientific
thinking and awareness of local environmental issues. The Great
Salt Lake Water Quality project was developed by WEST fellows
to mimic activities of researchers engaged in an actual Utah
Dept. of Natural Resources study. Fellows worked with over
600 fourth-grade students to plan and execute a series of research
cruises on the lake where students netted brine shrimp, collected
water samples for chlorophyll and sulfide testing, measured
lake depth, observed waterfowl and food chain interactions,
and tracked movements with a real-time GPS device. Researchers
and volunteers from the Dept. of Environmental Quality, the
U.S. Geological Survey, Friends of Great Salt Lake, and Great
Salt Lake Audubon participated in the trips and helped students,
teachers and fellows develop an understanding of the Great
Salt Lake ecosystem. The Tracy Aviary Wetland Restoration project
was pioneered by WEST fellows after discovering that there
are natural springs on the Aviary grounds.
A curriculum was developed that involves students in every
step of the restoration process including pre-restoration observation,
documentation of existing conditions, researching native plants,
and writing proposals for remediation. Volunteers from the
aviary and the Utah Dept. of Natural Resources are assisting
in planning and implementation.
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36 University
of Wyoming
Science Posse: An Integration of
Fellows' Research into the Classroom
Jesse Anderson | jessesa@uwyo.edu
The Science Posse is a University of Wyoming Graduate School
program enhancing science awareness and understanding in
Wyoming. In a program called Wanted: Science Alive!, graduate
fellows use their science expertise to collaborate with middle
school and high school science teachers. Together they develop
and deliver motivational, exciting, and inquiry-based science
lesson plans designed to get students to think and act like
scientists. Currently, our library of lesson plans includes:
(1) Are You Lying? What is Your Body Saying?; (2) Do Greenhouse Gases Really
Heat Up?; (3) The World is a Toy Box — An Engineer's View of the
World; (4) Linking Two Worlds- Using Animals to Learn How the Human Body Works;
(5) Deciphering Diabetes and Obesity; (6) What is Alive in an Ecosystem?; (7)
The Nitty, Gritty Science of Teeth; (8) Is that Alive? An Introduction to Inquiry
Cardiovascular Health and Science; (9) Using the Scientific Method to Determine
Start Formation Rates During the Past 10 Billion Years; (10) Behavior and Adaptation:
Can You Train Your Parents? (11) Do Fish Feel Fear?; (12) Is Yawning Contagious?;
and (13) Are you Dreaming?
As well as spending time in classrooms acting as resources
for teachers and scientist mentors for students, the graduate
fellows work with students and teachers on science fair projects
and other science events. The Science Posse is also working
to develop a program that connects kids to science using
popular technology such as iPods, GarageBand, and podcasts.
For more information about these and other Science Posse
programs, visit: www.uwyo.edu/scienceposse.
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37 Washington
University
Engineering, Science, and Math Education
for a Global Technological Society
Wally Barnawi | wtb2@cec.wustl.edu
The GK-12 program at Washington University in St. Louis has added value to k-12
education in the St. Louis community through the development of engineering based
teaching modules for 6th through 12th grades. In general, the program enriches
the k-12 teachers' curriculum by bringing new, engaging elements such as GK-12
Fellows as mentors, hands-on math, physics and engineering based projects, and
an appreciation of the use of math and science in everyday life. Graduate students
at Washington University use their cutting edge knowledge and research to develop
hands on applications based on their own research interests and the related subjects
the junior high and high school students are learning in class. Through the successes
using this approach, Washington University has incorporated another element into
the GK-12 Program. Partnerships with junior high and high schools in Japan have
been developed in order for the GK-12 Fellows, the k-12 teachers and the k-12
students can develop cultural awareness and a sense of globalization related
to math, science, engineering and day-to-day living in other countries. The partnerships
have students from America and Japan contacting each other and exchanging discussions
related to the sciences and math via a secure server based out of Washington
University in St. Louis. The students find this an exciting and interesting change
from the traditional methods of learning. Learning in such a new fashion has
piqued the interests of the students in the science-related fields from not only
a local but also a global sense. The new global partnership element of the Washington
University in St. Louis GK-12 element promises to not only promote retention
and interest in the sciences but to provide students with a new outlook on the
changing world around them.
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38 Western
Washington University
WWU GK-12: Catalysts for Reform "Partnership
Highlights"
Miguel Boriss | jose.boriss@wwu.edu
Building strong working partnerships has been a key to the
success of the WWU GK-12 Catalysts for Reform project. Through
an intensive 2 week summer institute, bi-weekly seminars
and quarterly meetings, we have been able to build and support
transformative partnerships. From these mutually beneficial
relationships, Fellows have increased their ability to communicate complex
science ideas to non-scientists. In addition, the Fellows have contributed
sustainable components to the curriculum of their Partner Teachers that
will continue to have a large impact on science teaching and learning
in the local area for many years beyond the life of NSF funding. This
poster highlights 4 of the 12 partnerships from the 3rd and final year
of the project. Each Fellow has selected a high quality component of
their work from the classroom, which reflects a collaborative effort
between the Fellow and Partner Teacher. Kelley Turner highlights her
contribution to the ongoing ROV project in Grant Bowen's 7th & 8th
grade classroom. This project is possible due to the partnership between
WWU and the Lummi Nation Schools. Megan Riddle shows how she is working
with Margaret Morgan at Horizon MS to modify the existing curriculum
by adding a unit on photosynthesis and cellular respiration. Kelsay Davis
highlights the elicitation questions she has developed for Erin Duez's
7th grade classroom at LaVenture MS. These questions allow both Kelsay
and Erin to better gauge student understanding about specific science
concepts. Finally, Andy Wiser provides an inside look at the 'walking'
fieldtrips he has co-developed with Ashley Griffith for her
6th grade students at Shuksan MS. These trips expose students to field
work and help them to view themselves as scientists.
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39 Wichita
State University
Pass Me the Salt: Bringing Molecular
Biology, Microbiology, and Primary Research into the High
School Classroom
Mark Schneegurt | mark.schneegurt@wichita.edu
Concepts and techniques in molecular biology and microbiology
are central to modern biology research and students should get this exposure
at as many levels as possible. The Pass Me the Salt program is developing
classroom laboratory activities in molecular biology and microbiology for
the general biology curriculum in Wichita public high schools. One activity
includes RFLP analyses set in a forensics context, while a second uses PCR,
DNA sequencing, and phylogenetic analyses to introduce molecular microbial
ecology. The GK-12 team is developing online in silico alternatives and
low-budget activities that transmit comparable content. Previous work demonstrated
that safe low-cost microbiology activities can be performed using household
materials and hypersaline media. High school students and teachers are teaming
with university faculty and graduate students to develop molecular biology
activities that can be performed using household materials. The introduction
of primary research into the high school classroom is being supported by
the Pass Me the Salt program. Cadres of high students and teachers work
with graduate students on a broad program of research that includes the
human physiology of the Valsalva response, discovery of antimicrobials in
plant extracts, and examination of pigment production in hypersaline microbes.
Exposing high school students and teachers to current biology techniques
and to primary research increases opportunities to recruit students into
careers in the sciences. The involvement of graduate student fellows enhances
their educational experience, while forming a basis to pursue broader impacts
from their work in the future. This work is supported by grants from NSF
GK-12, NSF Microbial Observatories, Kan-ed, and Kansas NSF EPSCoR.
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40 University
of Washington
Loyce Adams | adams@amath.washington.edu
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