(Track 2, GK-12) Sustaining the Maine ScienceCorps: Collaborative Integration of Research Experiences and Active Learning into Biosciences Education

缅因科学队将农村高中的科学教师和学生与南缅因大学（USM）的生物科学研究界和血液研究基金会（FBR）的教育部门联系起来。第二轨道项目旨在将这种仍在发展的协同伙伴关系制度化并扩大规模，以培育一个可持续的跨学科学习社区，将主动学习、合作研究和探究经验注入到大学预科和大学生物科学教育中。在Track 1资助的最后一年，10名USM免疫学和分子生物学研究生研究员（8名NSF资助，2名USM资助）与缅因州12所学校的教师合作，在这一年中为大约1000名学生带来先进的标准生物科学实验室活动。具有更广泛影响的显著效益和结果包括：(1)农村学校获得以前不可能的分子生物学和免疫学实验室活动；(2)农村学校不同类型学生与科学榜样的联系；(3)研究生的有效发展。培养学生的教学和沟通技巧，同时提高他们对大学预科科学教育潜力的认识；(4)为有动力的教师和学生提供新的机会，在真正的研究探究和在科学会议上展示成果方面进行合作。具有智力价值的成果（并非完全排除上述成果）还包括：(1)所有学校的积极科学学习都有所增加，特别是那些参与了第1轨道资助第三年引入的新试点研究项目合作的学校；(2)设计和实施一个潜在的长期区域跨学科研究项目，为所有参与者扩大合作科学探究的范围和经验。智力上的优点：指导这个项目的建构主义教学法和哲学，以及它在所有层次上强调积极的实验室和基于探究的学习，得到了大量关于接触不同学生的有效策略的教育研究的支持。该方法为所有参与者提供了一个协作专业发展的框架。更广泛的影响：缅因科学队的合作伙伴关系解决了资金严重不足的偏远农村学校的特殊教育需求，使他们能够参与以实验室为基础的探究活动，并与更广泛的科学世界建立联系。预计将对各级生物科学教育改革作出贡献，并与缅因大学系统另一个校区的另外两个GK-12项目成功进行持续合作。建立一个新的合作研究经验和科学主动学习研究所将提供跨学科的基础设施，以维持该项目，同时为从事教学和学习奖学金的教师开发新的资源和奖励。

The Maine ScienceCorps connects science teachers and students at rural high schools with the biosciences research community of the University of Southern Maine (USM) and the Education Division of the Foundation for Blood Research (FBR). This Track 2 project seeks to institutionalize and scale up this still evolving synergistic partnership to foster a sustainable interdisciplinary learning community that infuses active learning and collaborative research and inquiry experiences into both pre-college and university bioscience education. During the final year of Track 1 funding, ten USM Immunology and Molecular Biology graduate student fellows (8 NSF-, 2 USM-funded) are partnered with teachers in twelve schools across Maine to bring advanced standards-aligned bioscience laboratory activities to about one thousand students during the year. Significant benefits and outcomes with broader impacts have included: (1) Access in rural schools to molecular biology and immunology lab activities not previously possible; (2) connection of diverse students in rural schools with scientific role models; (3) effective development of graduate student.s teaching and communication skills while increasing their awareness of their potential for contributions to pre-college science education; and (4) introduction of new opportunities for motivated teachers and students to collaborate in authentic research inquiry and in presentation of results at scientific conferences. Outcomes with intellectual merit (not completely exclusive of those listed above) have also included: (1) Increased active scientific learning in all schools but particularly in those that participated in a new pilot research project collaboration introduced in year three of Track 1 funding; and (2) design and implementation of a potentially long-term regional interdisciplinary research project expanding the scope and experience of collaborative scientific inquiry for all participants.INTELLECTUAL MERIT: The constructivist pedagogy and philosophy guiding this project and its emphasis on active laboratory and inquiry-based learning at all levels is supported by considerable education research on effective strategies for reaching diverse students. The approach provides a framework for collaborative professional development for all participants.BROADER IMPACTS: The Maine ScienceCorps partnership addresses specific educational needs of isolated severely under-funded rural schools for access to laboratory-based inquiry activities and connection with the broader scientific world. Contributions to bioscience education reform at all levels and to success in sustained collaboration with two other GK-12 projects at another campus of the University of Maine System are expected. Establishment of a new Institute for Collaborative Research Experiences and Active Learning in Science will provide interdisciplinary infrastructure for sustaining the project while developing new resources and rewards for faculty engaging in the scholarship of teaching and learning.