Biotechnology/Bioinformatics Discovery!

该项目通过向高中灌输高质量的生物技术经验，扩大了合格高中生，特别是少数民族学生进入俄克拉荷马城社区学院（OKCCC）生物技术项目的渠道。俄克拉何马州将生物技术列为优先发展领域，但目前熟练的生物技术人员的劳动力资源无法满足当地的需求，而且普通高中生对生物技术的世界及其职业潜力知之甚少。来自俄克拉何马城公立学校（OKCPS）的教育团队，由社区学院的一名科学教育者/生物技术教员领导，正在从美国国家科学基金会支持的项目（如Shoestring biotechnology、BioLink和生物技术行业实践案例）以及冷泉港实验室多兰DNA学习中心的生物信息学活动中选择和改编示范材料。对教师的智力支持始于密集的夏季工作坊，在那里教师管理实验室，研究概念，并将材料与国家和州科学标准以及生物工业技能标准相匹配。随着生物技术学习社区的形成，通过定期会议、列表服务以及首席研究员和协调员的访问，不断提供建议、鼓励和经验分享。设备租借中心为教师提供实际支持，提供必要的设备和现成的实验用品。在实施本项目的过程中，教师的专业化得到了发展。有些人在传播成果和继续进行项目方面发挥领导作用。OKCPS的少数民族学生是潜在的第一代大学生。OKCPS还在一个由美国国家科学基金会资助的城市系统项目中，该项目旨在将基于探究的学习引入科学和数学规划。生物技术/生物信息学的发现!加强该地区正在进行的努力，通过使用国家开发的生物技术经验，非常适合这些学生的需要，提高少数民族学生的表现。该项目还计划通过将家长/导师纳入规划，解决科学职业和高等教育选择的文化障碍。在第一年，俄克拉荷马城公立学校（OKCPS）的三个高中团队（每所学校至少有三名教师）将在不同层次上实施生物技术模块，作为现有课程的一部分，而不仅仅局限于科学课程。第二年，该项目扩大到包括一个完整的生物技术课程，额外的OKCPS学校，以及额外课程中的更多生物技术模块。第三年，该计划扩展到整个地区的学校。学生的学习通过顶点体验得到增强：在OKCCC进行更复杂的实验，并访问俄克拉何马大学健康科学中心（OUHSC）和俄克拉何马医学研究基金会（OMRF）的工作生物技术专家，以见证这些知识的令人兴奋的应用。广泛接触高质量的生物技术经验，以及高等教育和研究场所，预计将提高这些高中生的大学出勤率和进入科学事业。

This project is expanding the pipeline of qualified high school students, especially minority students, into the biotechnology program at Oklahoma City Community College (OKCCC) through infusion of high quality biotechnology experiences into the high schools. The state of Oklahoma lists biotechnology as a priority growth area, but currently the labor pool of skilled biotechnicians cannot meet local demand, and the average high school student knows little about the world of biotechnology and its career potential. Educational teams from Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS), led by a science educator/biotechnology faculty at the community college, are selecting and adapting exemplary materials from NSF-supported projects such as Shoestring Biotechnology, BioLink, and Cases in Industry Practice in Biotechnology as well as bioinformatics activities from the Dolan DNA Learning Center of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Intellectual support for the teachers starts with intense summer workshops, where teachers run the labs, study the concepts, and mapmaterial to national and state science standards as well as bioindustry skill standards. As the biotechnology learning community takes shape, ongoing advice, encouragement, and sharing of experiences comes through regular meetings, a list-serve, and visits from the Principal Investigator (PI) and Coordinator. Practical support to teachers comes from the equipment loaner center, providing needed equipment as well as supplies for ready-to-go experiments. In the course of implementing this project, teachers develop professionally. Some assume a leadership role in dissemination of results and continuation of the project. OKCPS is enriched with minority students who are potential first-generation college students. OKCPS is also in the midst of a NSF-funded Urban Systemic Program, which aims to bring inquiry-based learning into the science and mathematics programming. Biotechnology/Bioinformatics Discovery! augments the district's ongoing efforts to improve the performance of minority students by using nationally developed biotechnology experiences well suited to these students' needs. The project also plans to address cultural barriers to science career and higher education choices by including parents/mentors in the programming. In the first year, three Oklahoma City Public School (OKCPS) high school teams (a minimum of three teachers per school) are implementing the biotechnology modules at various levels as part of existing courses, not limited to science courses. The second year, the project expands to include a full biotechnology course, additional OKCPS schools, and more biotechnology modules within additional courses. The third year, the scheme expands to schools throughout the region. Student learning is augmented with capstone experiences: more elaborate/sophisticated experiments at OKCCC, and visits to working biotechnologists at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) and the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) to witness exciting applications of this knowledge. The extensive exposure to high-quality biotechnology experiences as well as to higher education and research sites is expected to increase the college attendance rate and entry into science careers of these high school students.