URC Planning Grant for INSPIRE: Interstate Network of Science Programs Integrating Research and Education

该奖项来自化学部门，支持本科生研究中心（URC）计划拨款。PI是Lon J. Mathias，由副PI Pollyanne Franz协助。这项计划赠款将首先将南密西西比大学的私人项目与圣诺伯特学院（威斯康星州绿湾）和威斯康星大学史蒂文斯角分校的合作者联系起来。这些参与者将主持一个研讨会，与会者包括来自不同类型机构（高中、社区学院、学院和大学）的教师，以及密西西比研究生教育联盟（AGEM）和密西西比少数民族参与联盟（MAMP）等支持团体。讲习班将制定课程修改模式，强调接触化学和聚合物科学的研究，适合他们所服务的机构的学生。一个目标是修改现有的普通化学探究式讲座课程与实验室，是一个项目导向的研究经验。规划补助金还将促进编制资源和培训材料，以协助教育工作者开展研究活动；初高中学生大学前研究体验启动模式的构建并为学生制定一个互联网接入共享仪器程序，以进行实时实验。该项目将开发一个物理和虚拟中心，其中包含所有教育工作者都可以使用的模块，以实施课程改革（增加科学和非科学专业学生的研究机会），并在各个层面提供新的研究项目。

The award from the Chemistry Division supports an Undergraduate Research Centers (URC) planning grant. The PI is Lon J. Mathias assisted by co-PI Pollyanne Franz. This planning grant will initially connect the University of Southern Mississippi PIs with collaborators from St. Norbert College (Green Bay, WI) and University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. These participants will host a workshop that will involve faculty from different types of institutions (high schools, community colleges, colleges and universities) and support groups such as the Alliance for Graduate Education in Mississippi (AGEM), and the Mississippi Alliance for Minority Participation (MAMP). The workshop will formulate curriculum modification models that emphasize exposure to research in chemistry and polymer science appropriate to the students at the institutions that they serve. One goal is to modify an existing general chemistry inquiry based lecture course with a laboratory that is a project-oriented research experience. The planning grant will also foster development of resource and training materials to aid educators in implementing research activities; development of a high school junior-senior model for initiating pre-college research experiences; and development of plans for an Internet-access shared instrumentation program for students to carry out experiments in real time. The project will develop a physical and virtual center with modules that all educators can use to implement course changes (that increase exposure to research for science and non-science majors alike) and offer new research projects at all levels.