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Project
Team Poster
Abstracts
Page 1: March
10, 2007 Saturday — Abstracts 1-20
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
Page
2: Use
the links below to see a specific project team abstract or,
instead, just scroll through all the Page 2 abstracts
below. Use the links above to access other pages.
21 Polytechnic University
22 Purdue University
23 Rutgers University
24 St. Joseph's University
25 San Francisco State University
26 Texas A&M University
27 Texas A&M Health Science Center
28 University of Arizona
29 University of Arkansas
30 University of California Berkeley
31 University of Central Florida
32 University of Colorado
33 University of Hawaii at Hilo
34 University of Idaho
35 University of Louisville
36 University of New Mexico
37 University of North Texas Health Science Center
38 University of Northern Colorado
39 University of Southern Maine
40 University of Texas at El Paso
41 Washington State University
21 Polytechnic University
Revitalizing Achievement by using Instrumentation in Science
Education (RAISE)
Vikram Kapila | vkapila@duke.poly.edu
The project team is using the following communication strategies:
(1) Through on-going pedagogy workshops, the Fellows are exploring
the effectiveness of an array of communication techniques with
the high school student population; (2) The Fellows are exploiting
numerous visual aids (e.g., smart board, power-point, etc.)
and hands-on lab activities to make science accessible to visual
learners and tactile/kinesthetic learners, respectively; (3)
The Fellows are using their engineering backgrounds to convey
real-life applications of various scientific concepts to students;
(4) The Fellows are using diverse scientific/technological tools
(e.g., computerized sensor and measurement technology, TI calculators
for pop-quizzes, Google spreadsheet for grading, etc.) to convey
to students modern approaches for doing science, math, and technical
work.
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22 Purdue University
Face Recognition & Misidentification: Using the Fellow’s
Research to Examine the Scientific Method & Measurements
of Central Tendency
Eric Kukula | kukula@purdue.edu
The purpose of this project was to enhance previously developed units in math
and science on measurement using the fellow’s research experience in biometrics,
anthropometry, and computers. Numerous objectives were outlined, but the focus
was to introduce students to the fellow's field of study, show applications
of math and science through the fellow's research, provide continued practice
with measures of central tendency, and learn to collect and analyze data. Through
the activities, at least thirty percent of Indiana's eighth grade math
and science standards were met. The activities in the project included an overview
of the fellow's research during the "Am I a Scientist" unit.
Next, the measurement unit in both Math and Science was enhanced using student
stature measurements and multiple measurements of the hand. Data was collected,
computed, and analyzed. Next the scientific method was explored in the math classroom
with students through a face recognition experiment. Ten teachers' faces were
photographed and data was collected with students identifying the faces from
different distances of 25, 50, 75, and 100 feet. This experiment was developed
out of news stories where individuals were wrongly convicted after being identified
from large distances. Data was analyzed by hand and by using MS Excel. Tutorials
in MS Excel were also developed and implemented. To follow-up (and assess) the
computer use during the face activity, a graphing and data analysis activity
was developed which used students' grades. Throughout all activities, there
were lessons learned, which are outlined in this poster to enhance the activities
presented in this poster for future use. Please see the attached low resolution
JPG of the proposed poster.
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23 Rutgers
University
Integration of Graduate Fellow Research with Real-World Applications
in the Classroom: Development of a Weather Station Network
Christopher Thurman | thurman@pegasus.rutgers.edu
Graduate fellows are integral to the success of the GK-12 program
because of their varied roles. They serve as educators and
role models for the students, idea generators and knowledge
support resources for public school teachers, facilitators
in partnerships forged between University and public school
environments, as well as experts in the science they teach.
Equally important within the program is the creation of a model
classroom which can be a hub for incorporation of the graduate
student's own research into the pedagogy designed for
a particular science in classroom teaching. In the case of
the Rutgers University-Newark GK-12 program, the Grad Fellows
and teachers plan to use the model classroom to incorporate
meteorology (not part of the current science curriculum within
the Newark Public Schools) into the 5th grade science lessons.
Meteorology has the potential of engendering excitement within
the student population who will be part of the teams who set
up weather stations in the 5 public schools serviced by the
grant. The Grad Fellows who share their expertise with the
student scientists will serve as role models who encourage
the younger group to consider further educational pursuits
as well as look upon science careers as goals within their
future. Focusing on the weather through lessons in meteorology
will allow students exposure to how science impacts our daily
lives. Further, studying weather captures the interest, curiosity,
and awe of young students. There are countless ways to explore
the weather and atmosphere with students both inside and outside
of the classroom. In the Newark Public Schools, we will be
constructing a weather station network involving the five model
schools and Rutgers University. This network of weather stations
will allow for the examination of present conditions in multiple
locations throughout the city, plenty of teachable opportunities
regarding the how’s and why’s of weather, student
record keeping and journaling of weather parameters for an
extended period of time, the potential forecasting of weather
using trends and local climatology, and an introduction to
meteorological measurement techniques and instrumentation.
A weather station network such as this will serve as the backbone
of an extremely beneficial teaching unit on atmospheric science.
This plan also gives way for introducing other sciences and
disciplines through the weather, including physics, chemistry,
geology, and mathematics. Further, we hope to connect with
a similar network outside of the United States, allowing for
an international partnership in data collection and analysis.
Our plan to further implement this network and the limitless
possibilities surrounding it will be presented at the 2nd Annual
Rutgers-Newark GK-12 training session in August 2007.
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24 Saint
Joseph's University
Elementary urban ecology education enhanced by a museum,
university, school partnership
Mariana Morris | mmorri04@sju.edu
GeoKids LINKS (Learning Involving Neighborhoods, Kids, and
Science) is a collaboration between the Wagner Free Institute
of Science, Saint Joseph’s University, and four North
Philadelphia elementary schools. It has become a model for
how expertise, initiative and creativity can make science come
alive in an urban environment. Faculty and students work closely
with museum staff and district teachers to develop and implement
hands-on natural science curriculum that is aligned with national,
state and local standards. The curriculum uses urban neighborhoods
as a primary source for learning, field trips, and creating
interdisciplinary connections as well as utilizing museum and
university resources. Each partner makes essential contributions;
K-6 expertise comes from the museum and school district participants,
while the university partners bring enthusiasm for science
as well as content knowledge. Now in its sixth year, the partnership
has resulted in a variety of positive outcomes. GeoKids LINKS
student participants have a deeper and more personal connection
to science and scientists, and they outperform non-participants
on standardized tests in math and language arts, as well as
in science. Elementary school teachers have increased comfort
levels with science content, as evidenced by their participation
in formal courses and field trips sponsored by the collaboration.
Fellows become comfortable talking about science to non-scientists
and learn how to design standards-based curriculum. University
students and faculty get first-hand exposure to the complex
realities of urban schools and issues of school reform.
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25 San
Francisco State University
Developing Scientist Educators: Analysis
of Integrating K-12 Pedagogy and Partnership Experiences into
Graduate Science Training
Allison Busch | akbusch@sfsu.edu
Collaborations between members of the scientific community
and K-12 educators are increasingly seen as a key mechanism
of science education reform in the United States. Although
informal scientist-teacher partnership
approaches are increasingly common, the integration of science
education partnership experiences into science graduate training
is less prevalent. This study began to address several questions
around whether this formalized K-12 science education partnership
aspect of their graduate experience influenced participating
scientists’ professional identities. Do scientists begin
to see a role for themselves in K-12 science education? Do
they shift the way they think about science teaching in K-12
education and are they able to generalize these ideas around
undergraduate science teaching? Do scientists begin to think
about themselves as both scientists and educators by integrating
their pedagogy and partnership experiences with their other
formal graduate training? For this poster, we have limited
our analysis to a collection of final, summative, reflective
essays, submitted by participating GK-12 scientists (N=10)
at the commencement of their GK-12 experience. Scientist participants
were given the question: “What have you learned from
your GK-12 experiences this year that will continue to influence
you for many years to come? How did you learn these things?” Scientist
participants report that their pedagogy and partnership experiences
have significantly impacted their professional identities and
expanded their definition of what it means to be a scientist.
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26 Texas A&M
University
Profiles in Spatial Literacy: How Young
Americans Think Spatially
Sarah Witham Bednarz | s-bednarz@tamu.edu
Advancing Geospatial Technologies in Science and Social Sciences (AGSSS) is conducting
classroom-based action research and evaluation focused on three questions: 1)
What is the nature of spatial thinking in classroom settings? 2) What practical,
classroom-based strategies can be used to develop spatial thinking? and 3) What
is the role of spatial thinking in the implementation of geospatial technologies?
To establish a baseline data set, AGSSS Fellows, PIs, and partner teachers developed,
field tested, and implemented an instrument to examine students’ spatial
thinking preferences and skills. The results provide an interesting portrait
of the current status of spatial literacy in adolescents. Nearly two-thirds (65.7
percent) of all students agree that, in general, they are "good at reading
and interpreting maps" and three-fourths (76.6 percent) agree or strongly
agree that "following written and visual directions…is easy." A
similar proportion also agree or strongly agree that "graphs, charts, and
maps help me learn." However, less than one-third (28.1 percent) use maps
frequently and only a few more (34.6 percent) report using diagrams and sketch
maps to communicate and think. Nearly all students (93.4 percent) use visualization
in some problem solving situations, for example, to remember where they last
left or saw something they had lost, but a smaller number incorporate spatial
thinking as a "habit of mind." These results suggest that students
use their spatial thinking skills in a more passive than active fashion. Our
goal is to infuse spatial thinking into the classroom in a manner that enables
students to use it to analyze spatial information and communicate their conclusions
through graphic representations (e.g., diagrams, maps, geospatial technology
such as GIS).
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27 Texas A&M
Health Science Center
NSF GK-12 Experiences Enhance Graduate Education
Larry Johnson | ljohnson@cvm.tamu.edu
"There has not been one most meaningful experience, the
past nine months have been a series of continually rewarding
and meaningful experiences." —PEER NSF GK-12 Graduate
Fellow comment
The Partnership for Environmental Education and Rural Health's
(PEER) main goal is to assist middle school teachers in creating
a fun and inviting atmosphere in their science and mathematics
classrooms while fellows serve as math and science content
resources. Each June, a new group of graduate students at Texas
A&M University is trained for interaction in the middle
school classroom. These students become resident scientists
and mathematicians and spend their time working directly with
students and teachers from local middle schools. In addition
to studying the benefits received by middle school students,
PEER hopes to catalog experiences by graduate students. Most
graduate students at PEER have never taught before, much less
interacted with middle school students in a public school classroom.
By the time they reach the end of their year as resident scientists,
many feel they have reached a new level of understanding about
their careers, their education and their year in public school.
PEER investigated the qualitative experiences of graduate students.
The goal was to understand how GK-12 experiences have enhanced
graduate student skills, knowledge and career options.
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28 University
of Arizona
Biotechnology K-12 Outreach, The
BIOTECH Project: Current Technology for the New Science Student
Arin Haverland | arin@ag.arizona.edu
The University of Arizona BIOTECH Project provides technical
support for Arizona teachers so that they can integrate molecular
genetics (DNA science) experiments into their curriculum. The Collaboration
to Advance Teaching Technology and Science (CATTS) Fellows work with teachers
and students to include University research techniques into classroom activities.
Overall, educators recognize the importance of introducing
pre-college students to biotechnology so that they may better understand
the molecular basis of heredity and critically evaluate the benefits and
risks of this new technology. The BIOTECH Project has been successful in
raising students' and teachers' interest and awareness of molecular genetics
by partnering with teachers to engage their students in a hands-on approach
to understanding biotechnology. The BIOTECH Project has worked with hundreds
of Arizona teachers to conduct molecular genetics activities with thousands
of students each year.
Making a Splash in Environmental and Extension Education: The
University of Arizona Junior Watershed Steward Program
The Junior Watershed Steward Program is a technology and research
based cooperative high school extension education program focusing
on hands-on training of students and teachers across the state
to serve as volunteers in the protection, restoration, monitoring,
and conservation of their water and watersheds. The J.W.S. program emulates
the Arizona Master Watershed Steward Program which is geared
towards adults and continuing education, and operates through grants from
the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and the University of Arizona
Cooperative Extension office. As a leaner centered inquiry based program,
the Junior Watershed Steward Program cultivates the ideas of environmental
leadership and stewardship at the high-school level while simultaneously
building a strong, sustainable science and technical foundation in water
and water related issues for the teachers AND students. Junior Watershed
Stewards learn about: Climate, Weather, Geology, Soils, Hydrology, Mapping,
GIS Technology, Fire in Watersheds, Ecology in Watersheds and Water Management.
Junior Watershed Stewards learn through: Hands-on Lab Exercises,
Specialist Lectures, Field Trips, Volunteer Service Projects, and Outdoor
Practical Experiences. In addition to exceeding science, math and reading
performance standards, exposure and training with cutting edge technology,
J.W.S. participants receive leadership and communication skills which will
enable them to be successful in any setting. Ultimately, the Junior Watershed
Steward program is riding the water wave of the future. By
fostering environmental stewardship, J.W.S. is not just preserving local
watersheds it is also empowering students and teachers to "make a splash"
in the environment by taking action in their own communities and beyond.
Return to list
29 University
of Arkansas
University of Arkansas K-12, I,
Do, Science: Blending Math and Science
Morgan Ware | meware@uark.edu
We present the University of Arkansas K-12, I, Do, Science
program. This year we have integrated the math and science classes at many
of our partner schools through the Fellow. Out of eleven fellows, seven
have been paired with both the math and science teacher within a pod in
each of the schools. After our summer training program where the fellows
and teachers were paired by personality and skill set, the fellows have
spent approximately equal time in each class during the week, while keeping
current on all the lessons covered in both. This allows the fellow the
opportunity, while developing and delivering inquiry based lessons in both
math and science to act as a bridge between the classes and reinforce topics
from each demonstrating applications to the student and showing relevancy.
We will demonstrate aspects of our program and lesson planning and show
preliminary results of this integration.
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30 University
of California Berkeley
NSF GK-12 ADEPT (Applied Design Engineering Project Teams)
Program at UC Berkeley
George Gagnon | gwgagnon@berkeley.edu
The College of Engineering in the University of California
at Berkeley will create Applied Design Engineering Project
Teams (ADEPT). These teams will design and deploy a standards-based
pre-engineering curriculum for middle schools and high schools
(grades 6-9) designed to integrate mathematics and science
concepts applied in engineering projects, to inspire secondary
students, and to strengthen the classroom experience of current
and future faculty in math, science, and engineering. ADEPT
curriculum development teams will combine the best of inquiry
and activity-based teaching and learning with cutting edge
university research and resources. Each team will be made up
of local school teachers (Teacher Fellows), graduate students
(Graduate Engineering Fellows), university faculty, and advanced
undergraduates. Each will contribute unique perspectives and
skills in the creation of discrete curriculum modules. These
modules will be exemplary “hands-on – minds-on” engineering
projects as model lessons that enrich the learning experience
of the entire range of secondary students. The overall goals
of the program are to: Engage middle and high school students
in doing mathematics and science through engineering projects
that strengthen their understanding of core concepts in math
and science; Engage and enrich learning for the diverse population
of middle and high school students found in urban classrooms;
Create and sustain a vibrant learning community of teachers,
graduate students, undergraduate students and university faculty
who work together to develop exemplary curriculum modules.
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31 University
of Central Florida
Strategies for improving the Communications Skills of STEM
Graduate Students
Mike McKee | mmckee@creol.ucf.edu
The Greater Orlando GK-12 Partnership (GO GK-12) has implemented
a plan to measure and improve the communication skills of fellows
utilizing several approaches that involve oral, written, and
video presentations. At the first meeting for fellows in Year
2, conducted at the Orlando Science Center, fellows selected
a science exhibit to use to explain their research. Secondly,
each fellow submits a monthly lesson plan that explains a science
concept at a ninth grade level. Thirdly, fellows were interviewed
about their research which was recorded. At the end of Year
2, a follow-up interview will occur to determine how much change
has occurred in their ability to communicate difficult science
concepts using simpler language. Lastly, fellows are required
to interview their advisors about their research and present
it as a 90-second news story. This evaluated by the University
of Central Florida’s News and Information Division. Rubrics
to measure changes in communication ability are utilized to
assess overall communication ability.
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32 University
of Colorado
The TEAMS Program: A Grades 3-12
Engineering Continuum
Malinda Zarske | malinda.schaefer@colorado.edu
The Integrated Teaching and Learning (ITL) Program at the
University of Colorado at Boulder partners with seven schools
in their NSF-funded GK-12 Track 2 engineering initiative
to improve science and math literacy, and increase the number
of high school graduates prepared from and interested in,
choosing an engineering and/or technology career path. The
TEAMS — Technology and Engineering to Advance Math
and Science — partnership is between the university’s
engineering college and schools from the Lafayette, Colorado-area:
four elementary and one middle school that feed into a high
school with a four-year pre-engineering program. TEAMS also
partners with the Denver School of Science and Technology,
an urban high-tech high school established in 2004. The TEAMS
program brings engineering and technology curricula weekly
into these grades 3-12 classrooms to make engineering exploration
part of every child’s educational experience, through
in-class, hands-on, engineering instruction. GK-12 engineering
TEAMS Fellows work with partner teachers to successfully
bridge engineering subject area content to age-appropriate
education pedagogy through relevant classroom interactions.
Informative assessment and evaluation of the participants
is extensive and imperative to the data-driven improvement
and success of the program. During 2005-2006, TEAMS Fellows
impacted 1,865 students weekly via the instruction of engineering
curriculum in 68 classrooms: four elementary schools; one
middle school; and two high schools. Fellows also led five
before- or after-school TEAMS clubs. The Fellows’ sought-after
hands-on activities have become an integral teaching component
for teachers’ and an anticipated thrill for the students.
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33 University
of Hawaii at Hilo
Learning in Hawaii's Living Laboratory – Hawaii
Island's Partnerships for Reform through Investigative
Science and Mathematics (PRISM)
Elizabeth Stacy | estacy@hawaii.edu
PRISM is a partnership between Hawaii's Department of Education
and the M.S. Program in Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental
Science at the University of Hawaii at Hilo (UHH). The partnership
includes a Superintendent of Schools, an Education Technology
Specialist, and UHH faculty in education and biology. GK-12
Fellows are working alongside Partner-Teachers to develop and
implement investigative science curricula in ethnically diverse
K-8 classrooms on Hawaii Island. A majority of the curricula
are from FOSS and MARE kits that are being expanded and adapted
to fit Hawaii's unique natural and cultural environments. Fellows
and Teachers are working on creative ways to open students'
minds to science, taking advantage of the incredible living
laboratory that is Hawaii. On land: Middle-school students
are studying Hawaii's unique
plants and animals to discover adaptations, natural selection,
and genetic variation. Other middle-schoolers are using Hawaii's
endemic Koa Bugs in the classroom to learn about insect life
cycles, how energy moves through food webs, and how an organism’s
structure impacts its ability to survive and reproduce. On
the shore and ocean: Second-graders are observing the sandy
shore habitat to answer questions about what sand is made of,
who lives on the sandy shore, and why. Fourth-graders are combining
digital microscopy and geometry to understand the structure
and function of coral reef ecosystems. Eighth-graders are dissecting
seabird boluses collected from the Northwest Hawaiian Islands
to explore ocean currents and the consequences of pollution
in the oceans. Lastly, fifth-graders are developing their mapping
skills as they learn about open ocean habitats and foodwebs,
and the impacts of commercial fishing on both.
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34 University
of Idaho
Online Journals: A Tool for Evaluation & Sharing
Paul Allan | pallan@uidaho.edu
We present how the UI GK-12 project online journals were designed,
what their purposes are, some of the challenges we encountered,
and how we have revised the journal procedures to respond to
those issues. We also present examples of journal entries, demonstrating
types of information which can be gathered at a distance. We
will also have pictures of Fellows in action, sharing highlights
of our graduate students as they bring science activities into
elementary classrooms.
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35 University
of Louisville
GEMS Partnerships Established, Expanding, Envisioned: Redefining
Traditional Roles in K-12 and Graduate STEM Education
Christine Rich | Christine.rich@louisville.edu
GEMS established the first major collaboration between STEM
content faculty at the University of Louisville and our Science/Math
Specialist counterparts in the Jefferson County Public Schools
(JCPS). The four GEMS leaders share a mutual conviction that
an emphasis on content, methodology, and critical reasoning
skills is key to inquiry-based STEM teaching and learning.
One outcome of this has been that the leaders themselves have
stepped outside of their traditional roles, expanding their
STEM K-12 activities beyond GEMS project management and promoting
novel roles for GEMS participants at every level. GEMS content
faculty leaders have worked with the JCPS co-PIs in formulating
new world-class standards in mathematics and science for the
District. They became involved and informed by evaluating new
K-12 curricular materials and by developing assessment strategies.
Likewise, GEMS leaders from JCPS have increased their interactions
with STEM content and education faculty on campus, clearly
communicating evolving District needs such as revisions to
pre-service training and the focus of future collaborations
in STEM education. The UofL-JCPS partnership also has led to
non-traditional collaborations and learning opportunities for
Fellows and teachers. One Fellow is earning chemistry research
credit by co-developing a cholesteric liquid crystal experiment
to enrich a high school unit on intermolecular forces. What’s
unique about this? The JCPS co-developer works on our campus
with the Fellow in a chemistry research laboratory. With planned
campus research activities for GEMS teachers and Fellows beginning
next year, we envision that even more of the boundaries that
have delineated traditional STEM research (post-secondary vs.
STEM pedagogy (K-12) will no longer exist.
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36 University
of New Mexico
Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Optics and Photonics Education
Edgar Pedrego / epedrego@gmail.com
The poster will use images of the Fellows working with students,
teachers, and each other and will also have examples of materials
developed by the Fellows. The images will be surrounded with
reflecting and diffracting laser light along with electron
and photon representations in quantum energy wells, as in semiconductor
laser.
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37 University of
North Texas Health Science Center
Department Support for Project SCORE Expands Teacher Workshop
and Student Research Capabilities
Rusty Reeves | rustyr@hsc.unt.edu
A major highlight this past year for Project SCORE was
the purchase, with departmental funds, of a new light microscope
for use in our teacher workshops, summer science camps, and
summer young scientists program. We expressed to our chairman
the need to expand the training for FWISD science teachers
and students in cellular biology, histology, and tissue culture.
Our department chairman, Robert Wordinger, Ph.D., acquired
funds to purchase an Olympus BX51 light microscope to be
used for these outreach activities, and we have since designed
a series of workshops for training teachers in the areas
of immunoflourescence and cell staining techniques. The microscope
is equipped with an Olympus DP70 digital camera and a reflected
fluorescence system for DAPI, flourescein isothiocyanate
(FITC-green), and Texas red fluorescence. Image capturing
is processed with a Dell Precision Workstation 370 using
the DP controller software and visualized with a 20-inch
Dell 1905FP UltraSharp flat panel monitor. The total cost
for the system was over $25,000, and the first scheduled
workshop will take place on March 1, 2007. Teachers will
have the opportunity to label certain cell proteins with
fluorescent labels, then take pictures of the labeled cells
using the new microscope and camera system, save their images
to CDs, and take them back to their classrooms to share with
their students. The scope has already been used for research
purposes in the Young Scientists Program by FWISD high school
science students. We plan to incorporate the microscope into
our summer science camp for SCORE students. This instrument
will allow us to offer science workshops for our classroom
teachers in Project SCORE for many years to come and give
FWISD students training in immunoflourescent staining technique.
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38 University
of Northern Colorado
Human Impacts on Ecosystems Along
the Front Range
John Moore | jcmoore@nrel.colostate.edu
Teachers and fellows work together to develop age appropriate
K-12 curricula that is based on the fellows' research and tied to state
and national education standards. Much of our work involves outdoor learning
opportunities, either through schoolyard ecology plots, in-district environmental
learning centers, or local outdoor locations. Classroom-based education
is enhanced with direct out-door experience in subject matter, all while
ensuring that state standards continue to be met.
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39 University
of Southern Maine
Establishing Frameworks for Sustained
Student-Driven Multidisciplinary Research in Rural Maine
High Schools in Collaboration with the Maine ScienceCorps
S. Munroe Duboise | duboise@usm.maine.edu
The Maine ScienceCorps, the University of Southern Maine
NSF funded GK-12 Fellowship project (DGE-0440560), has since
its inception in 2001 brought laboratory based bioscience enrichment to
isolated under-funded rural high schools across Maine. Research interests
of Fellows are multidisciplinary and include microbiology, virology, neurobiology,
immunology, epidemiology, plant physiology, ecology, and environmental health.
Classroom activities are built around chosen research contexts sufficiently
broad to include environmental, ecological, molecular biological, and health
related aspects. Sustained student driven inquiry focuses on defined model
environmental systems as the central frameworks for multidisciplinary investigation.
Fellow teams with various research interests work to both collaborate across
disciplines and to integrate their own research interests into the classroom
projects. During the current year, model classroom aquatic habitats have
been established as year long frameworks for high school student research
studies in the schools with ecological concepts, responses to selected pollutants,
and changes in microbial communities and biodiversity being emphasized.
Several groups are investigating microbial and viral ecology in natural
and model habitats and are being assisted by Fellow's capabilities in genomic
analysis and through access to university resources such
as transmission electron microscopy. Culminating the extended projects is
presentation of research findings within the schools and at a university
poster day presentation. The combination of web based interactions, intensive
teacher involvement, and periodic school visits by Fellow teams to distant
rural schools has been essential to successful partnership in prolonged
research projects
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40 University
of Texas at El Paso
El Paso GK-12 Partnership: Connecting
with Students through Their Desert Environment
Kate Miller | miller@utep.edu
The El Paso, Texas-based GK-12 partnership provides middle
school students with opportunities to explore their local Chihuahuan
desert environment. Building on fall semester presentations
designed around their research topics, fellows are currently
preparing and delivering original, week-long modules that introduce
local environmental issues. Subject areas include investigations
of our water sources, treatment and conservation; air quality;
waste management and recycling; energy conservation; and environmental
health issues that affect our border community. During seminar,
fellows benefit from a fertile setting for cross-disciplinary
lesson planning that is the result of their wide range of research
backgrounds. UTEP faculty who are engaged in environmental
science and engineering research relevant to the El Paso region
have shared their expertise with fellows and have made themselves
available for technical assistance. A key component of lesson
plan design is the development of assessments of lesson effectiveness
on student learning, with the goals of increasing fellows’ ability
to conduct scientific inquiry, improving their teaching, and
their oral and written communication.
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41 Washington
State University
The Sound of Mathematics
Andy Wekin | awekin@wsu.edu
The Washington State University GK-12 program has a focus
of Culturally Relevant Engineering Applications for Math
(CREAM). In our inaugural year, we have collaborated with
Pullman HS to create and implement The Mathematics of Sound.
In this three week project, we foster a constructivist
math environment and promote math talk through small group
hands-on activities. Students are first introduced to sound
waves- what they are, how they are produced and how we
can measure them. Next they conduct experiments on musical
instruments and graphically discover the mathematical relationship
between instrument geometry and sound frequency. They then
are guided through an engineering capstone project of researching,
designing and building their own novel musical instruments.
The project is completed with a power point presentation
to the rest of the class. The project was created to be
inline with NCTM standards and learning outcomes. The ultimate
goal is for students to realize that mathematics is an
integral part of the world around them and that the application
of math in engineering is present in all aspects of our
society. The hope is that by utilizing music as a medium,
the project will affect students on an emotional level
and they will discover that math and engineering are an
integral part of most of their pop culture. This realization
may lead to better attitudes towards math and with the
possible result that some students may consider a career
in math or engineering.
Aspects of the project: building on prior knowledge by
using sound and music- most students have some musical
knowledge or exposure; vocabulary building- introducing
engineering and acoustic terminology and explain them by
using everyday language; students constructing knowledge—setting
up open-ended experiments to be done in small groups; technological
and quantitative literacy—using graphing calculators,
data acquisition and PowerPoint presentation; team building—by
having students work in small groups, they learn valuable
interpersonal skills; engineering design process—by giving
clear guidelines and expectations, good engineering practices
are modeled.
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