Integrating Biotechnology and Ecology into Science Education in Rural Schools in Oregon

我们的农村科学教育项目的目标是通过与俄勒冈州立大学学术界的合作，为俄勒冈州的农村学校提供机会，为学生提供先进和创新的探究式科学教育。在我们的项目中，来自俄勒冈州立大学的训练有素的国家科学基金会研究员将与参与项目的农村学校的教师导师合作，开发满足俄勒冈州初高中学生需求的探究性科学课程。课程将包括简单和创新的实验，这些实验结合了生物技术和生态学的进展，以鼓励对农业对环境的影响以及先进科学研究对人类生活的影响进行批判性思考。将从昆虫学、植物学与植物病理学、园艺学、作物与土壤科学、科学与数学教育等学科中选出12名NSF研究员，其中6名研究生和6名本科生来自俄勒冈州立大学。一名研究生和一名本科生将在每个教室作为NSF Fellow Team工作。每位研究员的项目将包括以下活动：由科学与数学教育系提供的校园科学和农村教育指导，在参与的学校提供为期一年的科学教育，参与俄勒冈州立大学的拓展活动，如4-H，科学与数学研究性学习体验，博物馆日，以及对项目的年终评估。参与学校的科学教师将担任NSF研究员的教师导师，以促进实验的发展，补充现有的科学课程。将为实验制作视频和网页，供俄勒冈州的科学教师将来使用。该计划将通过课堂上的“前”和“后”测验，以及K - 12学生、教师导师和NSF研究员的学期和年终评估来评估。K-12学生将受益于使用现场材料进行科学研究的实践经验，并接触到当前的科学思想和先进技术，使他们更具竞争力，为以后的教育做好更好的准备。这种伙伴关系将更好地装备教师导师，以便在未来提供先进的基于科学探究的科学教学。除了为他们的项目获得津贴外，NSF研究员还将受益于他们在课堂上获得的动手教学经验。该项目将使俄勒冈州立大学的专业人员能够招收高质量的研究生，提供教学经验来补充学生可以在校园内获得的研究经验，并与俄勒冈州的学校建立合作伙伴关系，以扩大科学教育。

The goal of our Rural Science Ed. program is to offer rural schools in Oregon the opportunity to provide advanced and innovative inquiry-based science education to their students through a partnership with the academic community at Oregon State University. In our program, trained NSF Fellows from Oregon State University, in collaboration with Teacher Mentors from participating rural schools, will develop inquiry-based science curricula that meet the needs of middle and high school children in Oregon. The curricula will include simple and innovative experiments that integrate advances in biotechnology and ecology to encourage critical thinking about the impacts of agriculture on the environment, and the implications of advanced scientific research on human lives.Twelve NSF Fellows, 6 graduates and 6 undergraduates from Oregon State University, will be selected from the disciplines of Entomology, Botany & Plant Pathology, Horticulture, Crop & Soil Science and Science and Math Education. One graduate and one undergraduate will work as an NSF Fellow Team in each classroom. Each Fellow's program will consist of the following activities: on-campus instruction in science and rural education provided by the Department of Science & Math Education, provision of year long science education in participating schools, involvement in outreach activities of Oregon State University such as 4-H, Science & Math Investigative Learning Experiences, and Museum Days, and year-end evaluation of the program.Science teachers from participating schools will serve as Teacher Mentors for NSF Fellows to facilitate development of experiments that complement existing science curricula. Videos and web pages will be developed for experiments conducted for future use by science teachers in Oregon. The program will be evaluated using 'before' and 'after' quizzes in the classroom, and term and year-end evaluations by K 12 students, Teacher Mentors and NSF Fellows.K-12 student will benefit by hands-on experience in scientific research using live material and exposure to current scientific ideas and advanced technology to make them more competitive and better prepared for later schooling. The partnership will better equip Teacher Mentors for providing advanced scientific inquiry based science instruction in the future. Besides obtaining a stipend for their programs, NSF Fellow will benefit by the hands-on teaching experience that they will gain in the classroom. The program will enable Oregon Styate University professionals to recruit high quality graduate students, provide teaching experience to complement research experience that students can acquire on campus, and form partnerships with Oregon schools for extending science education.