BIORETS Biological pathways to adaptability, interactions among the genome, epigenome and environment.

生物学中的一个基本概念是，地球上的生命随着时间的推移而变化。爱荷华州州立大学教师研究经验（ISU BIORETS）计划旨在帮助教师和学生更好地了解生物体如何通过促进科学素养和好奇心来适应或未能适应不断变化的环境，这会影响对公共政策及其实施的态度。科学、教育和行动在地球管理中从未像现在这样至关重要。教师在提高科学素养方面发挥着至关重要的作用，但研究表明，许多人在教授生物体如何适应不断变化的环境和这一科学领域的研究过程时缺乏信心。ISU BIORETS计划通过为教师，特别是那些在STEM领域代表性不足的教师和那些教边缘化人口学生的教师提供真实的，动手的暑期培训来解决这个问题。帮助教育工作者发展他们的内容知识和课程开发技能将建立他们的教学专业。反过来，他们的学生将围绕真实的科学家的问题展开争论，以传达科学的累积性质--新的数据增加了更完整的理解。除了为教师提供暑期培训外，该计划还将在整个学年中建立大学研究人员，教师和学生之间的创新，持续关系，为教师和学生提供机会，为解决现实世界的问题做出宝贵的科学贡献。 ISU将与四个爱荷华州学区和一个地区教育机构合作，在调查生物体如何适应不断变化的环境的基础上建立一个RET网站。教师们将在夏季与东道主大学教师合作六周，解决有关适应性的重大研究问题。宿主实验室中的植物和动物研究系统将推进基本的生物学概念，同时解决植物意识不足的问题。跨不同生物水平的概念整合将在每周的教师/教师会议上开发和加强。教师导师和教师之间的关系是一年之久，在学年期间有两天的教师队列活动，个别辅导，教师对高中的后续访问，以及学生对ISU的访问。双周专业发展计划将帮助教师将研究经验转化为课堂实践，并开发新的课程，鼓励学生实验和基于困境的学习。在可能的情况下，交付品将有面对面和虚拟活动的选择。对植物生物学的关注将吸引并招募不同的学生进入植物科学领域。教师和学生将通过以下方式受益：1）增加内容知识和课程开发; 2）扩大学生的教育和职业机会，特别是来自STEM学科的代表性不足，经济弱势或农村人口的学生;以及3）从代表性不足的人口和学生入学率高的学区招聘教师。这些好处推进了下一代科学标准的目标，并通过提高科学意识和世界一流的培训提高了美国的全球竞争力。该奖项反映了NSF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。

A fundamental concept in biology is that life on Earth changes over time. The Iowa State University Research Experience for Teachers (ISU BIORETS) program aims to help teachers and their students better understand how organisms adapt or fail to adapt to a changing environment by promoting scientific literacy and curiosity, which impacts attitudes towards public policy and its implementation. Never has there been a time where science, education, and action have been more critical in the stewardship of the planet. Teachers play a crucial role in enhancing scientific literacy, but studies show that many lack confidence when teaching how organisms adapt to changing environment and research processes in this area of science. The ISU BIORETS program addresses this issue by providing teachers, particularly those underrepresented in STEM fields and those who teach students from marginalized populations, with authentic, hands-on summer training in university research laboratories. Helping the educators develop their content knowledge and curriculum development skills will build their teaching proficiencies. In turn, their students will wrangle over real scientists' questions to convey the cumulative nature of science - that new data adds to a more complete understanding. In addition to summer training for teachers, the program will build innovative, on-going relationships among university researchers, teachers, and their students throughout the school year, offering teachers and students opportunities to make valuable scientific contributions towards solving real-world problems. ISU will partner with four Iowa school districts and an area education agency to conduct an RET site based on investigating how organisms adapt to changing environments. Teachers will partner with host university faculty for six weeks in the summer to address major research questions regarding adaptability. Plant and animal study systems in the hosts' labs will advance fundamental biological concepts, while addressing the plant-awareness deficit. Conceptual integration across different biological levels will be developed and reinforced during weekly teacher/faculty meetings. Relationships between faculty mentors and teachers is year-long, with two day-long teacher-cohort activities during the school year, individual coaching, follow-up visits by faculty to high schools, and student visits to ISU. Biweekly professional development programming will help teachers translate research experiences into classroom practices and develop new curriculum that encourages student experimentation and dilemma-based learning. Where possible, deliverables will have options for both in-person and virtual activities. A focus on plant biology will engage and recruit diverse students into the plant sciences. Teachers and students will benefit through 1) increased content knowledge and curriculum development; 2) expanded educational and career opportunities for students, especially from underrepresented, economically disadvantaged, or rural populations in STEM disciplines; and 3) recruitment of teachers from school districts with high enrollment of underrepresented populations and students who receive free and reduced lunch. These benefits advance the goals of the Next Generation Science Standards and enhance US global competitiveness through increased scientific awareness and world-class training.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.