The NanoBio Science Partnership for Alabama Black Belt Region

纳米生物科学伙伴关系由塔斯基吉大学领导，包括伙伴大学(奥本大学、阿拉巴马州立大学、塔斯基吉大学、阿拉巴马大学伯明翰分校和阿拉巴马大学)、社区学院(中央阿拉巴马州社区学院、企业州立社区学院、谢尔顿州立社区学院、华莱士州立社区学院、汉斯维尔和华莱士州立社区学院，塞尔玛)和学区(巴伯、布洛克、达拉斯、李、朗德斯、梅肯、蒙哥马利、佩里和塞尔马)。该伙伴关系还包括支持来自阿拉巴马州数学科学和技术倡议(AMSTI)、麦克韦恩科学中心、康奈尔和威斯康星州材料研究科学和工程中心、东南少数族裔工程联盟(SECME)以及当地工业的合作伙伴。纳米生物科学伙伴关系解决了黑带地区中等年级(6-8年级)科学教育的关键需求，该地区长期以来一直是社会经济和教育方面处于不利地位的地区。该伙伴关系为6至8年级的科学教师提供专业发展，以便将他们的教学从传统的教学策略转变为使用以探究为中心的方法，并结合灌输纳米生物科学原理和对其科学课程中的概念进行三维模拟。正在开发支持探究的课程模块，供教师使用，并与中学科学课程目标挂钩。该项目还通过合作大学的教师培训计划招聘和培训未来的科学教师，为他们提供具有适当挑战性的当代科学课程和教师教育基础。通过定量和定性的方法收集和分析了学生和教师的工作表现数据。最终，该项目将在五年内直接影响大约80名教师和10,000名学生。该伙伴关系寻求对黑带地区的教育及其经济产生持久的积极影响。正在综合项目中正在研究的研究问题和整个项目评价方面的调查结果，以便广泛传播。

The NanoBio Science Partnership is led by Tuskegee University and includes partner universities (Auburn University, Alabama State University, Tuskegee University, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, and The University of Alabama); community colleges (Central Alabama Community College, Enterprise State Community College, Shelton State Community College, Wallace State Community College, Hanceville, and Wallace State Community College, Selma) and school districts (Barbour, Bullock, Dallas, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Montgomery, Perry and Selma). The partnership also includes supporting partners from the Alabama Math Science and Technology Initiative (AMSTI), the McWane Science Center, Cornell and Wisconsin Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers, the Southeastern Consortium for Minorities in Engineering (SECME), and local industry. The NanoBio Science Partnership addresses critical needs in middle grade (6th-8th) science education in the Black Belt region, an area that has long been characterized as socioeconomically and educationally disadvantaged. The partnership provides professional development to 6th to 8th grade science teachers in order to shift their instruction from conventional teaching strategies to the use of an inquiry-centered approach in conjunction with the infusion of NanoBio science principles and 3-D simulations of concepts from their science curricula. Curriculum modules that support inquiry are being developed for use by the teachers and are tied to the middle grade science curricular objectives. The project also is recruiting and training prospective science teachers through the partnering universities' teacher preparation programs to provide them with an appropriately challenging and contemporary science curricula and teacher education foundation. Data on student and teacher performance are collected and analyzed through quantitative and qualitative methods. Ultimately, the project will directly impact approximately 80 teachers and 10,000 students over five years. The partnership seeks to make a lasting positive influence on education in the Black Belt region and its economy. Findings in connection with research questions being studied in the project and in regards to the overall project evaluation are being synthesized in order to be disseminated broadly.