Fighting with Food: Battling Chemical Toxicity with Good Nutrition

描述(申请人提供)：长期接触潜在有毒的环境化学品是一个日益严重的问题，许多污染物的生物积累，如重金属和持久性有机物，在心血管疾病、癌症、肥胖和高血压中发挥着重要作用。虽然没有简单的解决办法来防止环境毒素，但目前的生物医学研究表明，营养是干预和预防与有毒物质暴露有关的疾病的一个基本因素。与食物抗争：用良好的营养抗击化学毒性的目标是创建、测试和评估初中和高中课堂教学材料，旨在将当前关于营养和有毒接触的生物医学研究成果带入课堂，纳入最佳STEM教育实践，并导致提高学业成绩和食物选择。与食物作斗争是科学家、科学家教育家、营养学家以及初中和高中教育家的创新合作成果。该项目的目标是：1)开发8-10套初中和高中教材，其中包括合作和探究，以探索营养和接触有毒化学品的主题；2)为400多名教师提供专业发展和支持材料，他们将接触到1200多名学生；3)让教师和学生参与社区宣传，以支持改善营养；4)进行一项研究，以评估对学生科学学习、对科学和生物医学职业的态度以及健康观念和行为的影响；5：提高公众和专业人士对与食品材料作斗争的认识。第一年将由研究科学家、科学家教育工作者、营养学家和经验丰富的教师组成的团队致力于材料开发。对于每个主题，材料将包括杂志式的阅读；动手的、基于探究的化学调查；当前生物医学研究的摘要；伦理情景；以及课堂烹饪/品尝经验。小规模测试和专家审查将为教师专业发展规划的进一步测试准备草稿。在两到五年内，专业发展将包括为期一年的强化课堂研究合作伙伴学院、为期两天的学院和自我指导的在线课程。每门课程都将提供科学内容，促进对科学研究过程的理解，并在基于背景的科学教育、结构化合作和引导性探究方面培养教学技能。学院教师将作为研究伙伴，管理学生评估工具，完成教师工具，并根据要求提供项目活动的文件。广泛的传播将包括参与的教师通过社区活动进行外联，继续为教师提供在线自我指导课程，以及与媒体机构建立伙伴关系。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Chronic exposure to potentially-toxic environmental chemicals is an increasing problem, with bioaccumulation of many pollutants, such as heavy metals and persistent organics, playing a significant role in cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, and hypertension. While no easy fix exists to protect against environmental toxins, current biomedical research is revealing nutrition to be an essential factor in intervention and prevention of disease related to toxic exposure. The goal of Fighting with Food: Battling Chemical Toxicity with Good Nutrition is to create, test, and assess middle and high school classroom instructional materials designed to bring the results of current biomedical research on nutrition and toxic exposure into the classroom, incorporate best STEM education practices, and lead to improved academic achievement and food choices. Fighting with Food results from an innovative collaboration of scientists conducting research on nutrition and toxic exposure, scientist educators, nutritionists, and middle and high school educators. The project aims are: 1) Develop 8-10 sets of middle and high school instructional materials that incorporate collaboration and inquiry to explore the topics of nutrition and exposure to toxic chemicals; 2) Provide professional development and supporting materials to more than 400 teachers who will reach over 1200 students; 3) Engage teachers and students in community outreach in support of improved nutrition; 4) Conduct a research study to evaluate impact on student science learning, attitudes towards science and biomedical careers, and health perceptions and behavior; 5: Expand public and professional awareness of the Fighting with Food materials. Year one will be devoted to materials development by a team of research scientists, scientist educators, nutritionists, and highly experienced teachers. For each topic, materials will include magazine-style readings; hands-on, inquiry-based chemistry investigations; summaries of current biomedical research; ethics scenarios; and classroom cooking/tasting experiences. Small-scale testing and expert review will prepare drafts for further testing in teacher professional development programming. In years two to five, professional development will include an intensive, year-long Institute for Classroom Research Partners, two-day Academies, and self-guided Online Courses. Each course will deliver scientific content, promote understanding of the scientific research process, and build pedagogical skill in context-based science education, structured collaboration, and guided inquiry. Institute teachers will serve as research partners, administering student evaluation instruments, completing teacher instruments, and providing documentation of project activity as requested. Extensive dissemination will include outreach by participating teachers though community events, continuing availability of the self- guided online course for teachers, and partnerships with media outlets.