New, GK-12: ShowMe Nature from Elements to Ecosystems

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PI Name: Candace Galen Institution Name: University of Missouri-Columbia Proposal Title: ShowMe Nature from Elements to Ecosystems Proposal ID: 1045322The ShowMe Nature GK-12 will enhance graduate student development of teaching and communication skills, bring research into elementary school classrooms, and catalyze collaboration between agricultural and conservation scientists at the University of Missouri. Graduate fellows studying the biochemical, physiological and genetic mechanisms underlying plant growth and development will work alongside peers studying biodiversity in populations, communities and ecosystems. The synthesis of perspectives across disciplines and scales will promote agricultural productivity while sustaining natural resources. Partnership with K-12 classroom teachers will simultaneously provide graduate fellows with the communication and teaching skills needed to implement their ideas as they advance professionally. Innovative aspects of this GK-12 plan include use of scientific proposal writing as a strategy for multi-disciplinary collaborative learning, peer mentoring as a mechanism to enhance Fellow retention of teaching skills, virtual expeditions to integrate fellow?s research with classroom learning, and recognition of Fellow achievements through Conservation and Outreach Certification Programs. Strong industry and agency partners promote sustainability of this GK-12.ShowMe Nature will enhance teaching and leadership capacity of outstanding young scientists while providing teachers at all elementary schools in Columbia MO with immersion in research. Fellows will teach students to visualize and conduct research in laboratory and field settings. Working with faculty in the MU School of Medicine, fellows will advance health, memory and learning of students by guiding them in scientific discovery out of doors. Fellows recruited from under-represented groups will serve as role models in Columbia?s diverse classrooms, cultivating the next generation of scientists.