Integrating Imaging Physics into Undergraduate STEM Education

该项目旨在通过开发生物医学成像的教育资源来服务于国家利益，生物医学成像是一个引人入胜的跨学科主题，用于一系列STEM课程。这个合作项目涉及刘易斯和克拉克学院(应获奖2315741)和波特兰州立大学(应获奖2315742)的研究人员。成像无处不在。人们用眼睛看东西，用相机拍照。科学家用显微镜观察细胞，用望远镜观察太空。医生使用超声波、X射线、放射性同位素和磁共振成像(MRI)来观察人体内部。该项目将提供引人入胜的互动教程，帮助下一代科学家和非科学家以及普通公众了解和掌握关键医学成像技术的科学基础、诊断和治疗应用以及优势和劣势。此外，这些教程将通过说明STEM概念在引人入胜且高度相关的医学成像和成像科学领域中的关键作用来提高STEM的参与度、学习和保持能力。多学科研究团队将开发、测试和传播一套具有凝聚力的交互式、探究驱动的教学模拟，涵盖医学成像及其科学基础。模拟以及背景文本、评估问题和研究导向调查将被组织成四个模块，每个模块涵盖四种主要医学成像方式之一：超声波、放射成像(基于平面和层析X射线成像)、核成像(基于平面和层析放射性核素成像)和核磁共振成像。为便于在本科教育中广泛使用，这些模块将是开放源码的，设计用于常见的在线学习管理系统(如Moodle、Canvas)。项目小组的主要目标是(1)开发四个单元；(2)将它们整合到两个机构的两个不同的生物医学物理课程中，这两个机构拥有不同的学生人口和教学环境；(3)评估两个机构的学生使用这些单元的情况和对他们的影响；以及(4)传播和维护互动教学单元、评估材料、教师资源和研究成果，以支持相关的教学社区。作为这项工作的教育研究部分的一部分，调查人员将进行基于调查和访谈的研究，以探索这些模块如何影响(1)STEM专业学生对跨学科科学背景重要性的态度，(2)STEM专业学生对科学和传统学科边界职业的兴趣。NSF IUSE：EDU计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生的STEM教育的有效性。通过其参与的学生学习跟踪，该计划支持有前途的实践和工具的创建、探索和实施。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。

This project aims to serve the national interest by developing educational resources on biomedical imaging -- an engaging, interdisciplinary topic -- for use in a range of STEM courses. This collaborative project involves investigators at Lewis & Clark College (Award DUE-2315741) and Portland State University (Award DUE-2315742). Imaging is everywhere. People use their eyes to see and cameras to take pictures. Scientists use microscopes to peer into cells, and telescopes to peer out into space. Physicians use ultrasound, X-rays, radioisotopes, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to look inside human bodies. This project will generate engaging, interactive tutorials that will help the next generation of scientists and non-scientists, and the general public, learn about and master the scientific foundations, diagnostic and therapeutic applications, and strengths and weaknesses of key medical imaging techniques, such as ultrasound and MRI. In addition, the tutorials will enhance engagement, learning, and retention in STEM by illustrating the pivotal role of STEM concepts in the fascinating and highly relevant fields of medical imaging and imaging science.The multidisciplinary team of investigators will develop, test, and disseminate a cohesive set of interactive, inquiry-driven teaching simulations that cover medical imaging and its foundations in science. The simulations, together with background text, assessment questions, and research-directed surveys, will be organized into four modules, each covering one of four major medical imaging modalities: ultrasound, radiography (planar and tomographic X-ray-based imaging), nuclear imaging (planar and tomographic radionuclide-based imaging), and MRI. To facilitate broad use in undergraduate education, the modules will be open-source and designed for use in common online learning management systems (e.g., Moodle, Canvas). The project team's major goals are (1) to develop the four modules; (2) to integrate them in two different biomedical physics courses at two institutions, which have different student populations and teaching environments; (3) to assess the modules' use by and impact on students at the two institutions; and (4) to disseminate and maintain the interactive educational modules, assessment materials, instructor resources, and research results to support relevant teaching communities. As part of the education research component of the work, the investigators will conduct survey- and interview-based research to explore how the modules impact (1) the attitudes of STEM majors about the importance of an interdisciplinary science background and (2) the interest of STEM majors in science and careers at the boundaries of traditional disciplines. The NSF IUSE: EDU program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through its Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.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.