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

在改进的本科生STEM教育：拉美裔服务机构(HSI)计划的支持下，这个Track 1项目旨在通过将与文化相关的主题融入本科生STEM教育来吸引和留住更多生物和化学领域的拉丁裔学生。君主和乳草项目寻求开发一种垂直整合的课程，涵盖从高中到低、高水平的大学课程。课程重点是帝王蝶的生物学、生态学和化学，以及它们的主要食物来源--乳草植物。帝王蝶每年在墨西哥越冬并返回美国，在一些拉丁文化中，帝王的象征意义很突出。来自三所为拉丁裔服务的高中、两所两年制学院以及大学生物和化学系的教师和教职员工将合作建立基于帝王和黄花科学的学习活动、实验室练习和其他内容。该项目还包括密集的暑期研究体验，学生将调查城市植物群落作为君主的栖息地，并参与社区参与性科学。该项目预计将覆盖芝加哥地区参与项目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，课程和相关材料将与其他机构共享，从而促进其他高中、学院和大学的学生纳入研究经验。帝王幼虫是马利筋的专业食草性动物，它从马利筋植物中分离有毒类固醇，以防御捕食者。每年秋天，它们离开美国的觅食地，在墨西哥越冬，这是任何其他昆虫都无法比拟的迁徙。帝王和黄花之间的复杂关系跨越了从生态学到药理学的多个科学领域，并为从高中到大学高级课程的科学课程开发课程内容提供了丰富的案例研究。帝王和乳草项目将专注于建立基于帝王和乳草科学的学习活动、实验室练习和其他内容。君主和乳草项目的其他组成部分包括密集的暑期研究体验、社区参与性科学、促进文化和科学知识之间协同作用的对话，以及为学生探索自己作为拉丁裔科学家的身份的机会。君主和乳草项目旨在通过创造关于改善STEM学生(包括拉丁裔学生)成果的新知识，为科学教育做出贡献。该项目将探索生物和化学课程中与文化相关的内容如何影响拉美裔学生的兴趣和学习表现。由于课程中的所有学生都将参与学习模块，该项目力求将综合内容与文化相关性的影响分开。城市公立中学和中学后教育机构之间的合作将使人们能够评估与设计广泛的、与文化相关的科学课程相关的挑战和机会。HSI计划旨在加强本科生STEM教育和HSI的能力建设。HSI计划支持的项目将产生如何实现这些目标的新知识。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.