PSOC@Penn Education and Outreach

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Abstract for Education & Outreach Education & Outreach Unit of PSOC@Penn The PSOC@Penn will support a wide variety of programs that aim to build a vibrant community of students, postdoctoral researchers, and scientists working on multidisciplinary approaches to understanding the physics of cancer with an aim of transforming the next generation of scientists, engineers, and clinicians. Penn graduate students and postdoctoral research associates participate in and are enriched by seminars, distinguished lectures, workshops, and short courses across the broad range of topics that cut across the research projects and cores. A biennial symposium serves as a focal point for cancer physics research by all researchers in the PSOC as well as a worldwide community of researchers. The Center sponsors a wide array of programs that include summer research experiences for undergraduate students along with meaningful early research experiences for high school students in the Philadelphia region. An annual series of teacher professional development programs ensures that local high school science teachers are provided with new content knowledge that will help enliven science curriculum making it more relevant to the lives of their students. To help jump-start this Unit under the Administrative Core and Center Lead PI, we will be advised by James McGonigle who is currently the Assistant Director in the Office of the Deputy Dean for Research, School of Engineering and Applied Science and whose biosketch illustrates extensive experience in the many aspects of the proposed programs. McGonigle has developed and managed education and outreach programs for NSF centers at the University of Pennsylvania, local museums and science centers, and a research laboratory. He has over twenty-five years experience recruiting undergraduate students for summer research experiences. He works closely with science teachers involved in summer research and assists them in incorporating new science content into local science curricula. Additionally, he teaches courses in science teaching methods at Penn's Graduate School of Education. McGonigle will help develop the initial structure of the education and outreach unit with input from the Center Advisory Committee, providing a plan for the early formative assessment, recruiting plans for undergraduate summer research programs, and outreach to area high schools for students and teachers. 1