Monarchs and Milkweeds: A Partnership to Develop a Integrated and Culturally Relevant Science Curriculum

在“改善本科STEM教育：西班牙裔服务机构（HSI）计划”的支持下，本项目旨在通过将与文化相关的主题纳入本科STEM教育，吸引和留住更多的拉丁裔生物和化学学生。帝王蝶和乳草项目旨在开发一个垂直整合的课程，涵盖从高中到大学低年级和高年级的课程。课程将侧重于黑脉金斑蝶及其主要食物来源马利筋植物的生物学、生态学和化学。帝王蝶每年在墨西哥越冬并返回美国，帝王蝶的象征意义在一些拉丁文化中很突出。来自三所拉丁裔高中、两所两年制学院和大学生物系和化学系的教师和教职员工将合作建立基于帝王蝶和乳草科学的学习活动、实验室练习和其他内容。该项目还包括一个密集的夏季研究经验，学生将调查城市植物群落作为帝王蝶的栖息地，并参与社区参与科学。该项目预计将惠及芝加哥地区参与的高中和大学的数千名学生，其中包括数百名拉丁裔学生。此外，还将与其他机构共享课程和相关资料，从而促进其他高中和大学学生的研究经验的融合。黑脉金斑蝶幼虫是乳草的专业食草动物，它们从乳草植物中吸收有毒类固醇，作为抵御捕食者的防御。每年秋天，它们离开美国的觅食地到墨西哥越冬，这是任何其他昆虫都无法比拟的迁徙。帝王蝶和乳草之间的复杂关系跨越了从生态学到药理学的科学领域，并为从高中到高等大学的科学课程提供了丰富的案例研究。帝王蝶和乳草项目将侧重于建立基于帝王蝶和乳草科学的学习活动、实验室练习和其他内容。帝王蝶和乳草项目的其他组成部分包括密集的夏季研究经验、社区参与科学、促进文化和科学知识之间协同作用的对话，以及学生探索他们作为拉丁裔科学家身份的机会。帝王蝶和乳草项目旨在通过创造有关改善包括拉丁裔学生在内的STEM学生成绩的新知识，为科学教育做出贡献。该项目将探讨生物和化学课程中与文化相关的内容如何影响拉丁裔学生的兴趣和学习成绩。由于课程的所有学生都将参与学习模块，因此该项目旨在分解整合内容与文化相关性的影响。城市公立中学和高等教育机构之间的合作将有助于评估与设计广泛的、与文化相关的科学课程有关的挑战和机遇。HSI计划旨在加强本科STEM教育，并在HSI建立能力。HSI计划支持的项目将产生关于如何实现这些目标的新知识。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

With support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Program, this Track 1 project aims to attract and retain more Latinx students in biology and chemistry by incorporating a culturally relevant theme into undergraduate STEM education. The Monarchs and Milkweeds Project seeks to develop a vertically integrated curriculum that spans from high school to lower- and upper-level college courses. The curriculum will focus on the biology, ecology, and chemistry of monarch butterflies and their principal food source, milkweed plants. Monarch butterflies overwinter in Mexico and return to the United States each year, and the symbolism of monarchs is prominent in some Latin cultures. Teachers and faculty from three Latinx-serving high schools, two 2-year colleges, and the University departments of biology and chemistry will collaboratively build learning activities, laboratory exercises, and other content based on the science of monarchs and milkweeds. The project also includes an intensive summer research experience in which students will investigate urban plant communities as habitat for monarchs and engage in community participatory science. The project expects to reach thousands of students, including hundreds of Latinx students, at participating high schools and colleges in the Chicago area. Further, the curriculum and related materials will be shared with other institutions, thus promoting incorporation of research experiences for students at other high schools, colleges, and universities.Monarch larvae are specialist herbivores of milkweeds that sequester toxic steroids from milkweed plants as a defense against predators. Every fall they leave feeding grounds in the United States to overwinter in Mexico, a migration unmatched by any other insect. The complex relationship between monarchs and milkweeds spans scientific fields ranging from ecology to pharmacology and provides a rich case study to develop curriculum content in science classes from high school to upper-level university courses. The Monarchs and Milkweeds Project will focus on building learning activities, laboratory exercises, and other content based on the science of monarchs and milkweeds. Other components of the Monarchs and Milkweeds Project include an intensive summer research experience, community participatory science, dialogues to promote synergies between cultural and scientific knowledge, and opportunities for students to explore their identities as Latinx scientists. The Monarchs and Milkweeds Project aims to contribute to science education by creating new knowledge regarding improving outcomes for students in STEM, including Latinx students. The project will explore how culturally relevant content in biology and chemistry classes impacts interest in and the academic performance of Latinx students. Since all students in the courses will participate in the learning modules, the project seeks to disaggregate the impacts of integrated content versus cultural relevancy. The collaboration across urban public secondary and post-secondary education institutions will allow an assessment of the challenges and opportunities associated with designing a broad, culturally relevant science curriculum. The HSI Program aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education and to build capacity at HSIs. Projects supported by the HSI Program will generate new knowledge on how to achieve these aims.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.