Curricula Modeled on Biodiversity & Vector-Borne Disease

描述(由申请人提供)： 最近重要传染病的死灰复燃导致了对K-12学校课程的需要，这些课程需要更好地了解疾病传播的动态及其生物学基础。为了制作这些课程，莱姆病和西尼罗河脑炎被选为模型，因为它们对公共卫生具有重要意义，因为它们为了解更广泛的生物关系提供了一个窗口，最后，因为耶鲁大学是这些疾病的主要研究中心，可以提供科学权威的课程内容。以疾病为基础的课程项目将使(1)政府和学术研究机构，(2)皮博迪博物馆及其教育人员，(3)相关的K-12教师和(4)需要新教学工具的学区之间建立自然的伙伴关系。在第一阶段，来自耶鲁大学医学院和康涅狄格州农业实验站的研究人员将与皮博迪博物馆的教育工作者一起，与来自三个城市公立学区的10名精选的科学教师合作。在博物馆教育工作者的后勤和材料支持下，这些教师将设计课程资源，包括探究式教案、教师参考手册和学生科学工具包。研究人员将提供专业知识和技术援助，致力于该项目的研究生将在开发和实施阶段提供更直接的协助，博物馆将为“动手”活动提供和组织标本。莱姆病和西尼罗河脑炎将在国家科学教学标准提供的指导范式下，作为探索生物多样性和病媒传播疾病之间相互作用的示范系统。教师设计的资源将经过严格的实地测试和完善，然后才能融入每个地区的正式科学课程。这包括由专业人士在课程开发和学生层面的影响方面进行评估。在第二阶段，课程资源将在区域和全国范围内传播。参与的教室将通过博物馆的视频会议设施进行电子连接，以讨论和比较研究项目的数据。公共教育倡议将包括在博物馆的实践学习体验、学术研讨会和巡回展览，并将莱姆/西尼罗河上的生物多样性研究和生物医学研究并列放在一起。项目活动预计在第一阶段达到5850名学生，第二阶段达到11400名学生。博物馆活动每年将影响皮博迪博物馆的4000名参观者；巡回展览每年将影响额外的15万人。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The recent resurgence of important infectious diseases has led to a need for K-12 school curricula that create a better understanding of disease transmission dynamics and their biological underpinnings. To produce these curricula, Lyme disease and West Nile encephalitis were selected as models because of their public health significance, because they provide a window for understanding broader biological relationships, and, finally, because Yale University is a major research center for these diseases and can provide scientifically authoritative curriculum content. A disease-based curriculum project will enable a natural partnership between (1) government and academic research institutions, (2) the Peabody museum and its educational staff, (3) concerned K-12 teachers and (4) school districts in need of new teaching tools. In Phase I, investigators from the Yale University School of Medicine and the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station together with Peabody Museum educators will work with a select group of ten science teachers from three urban public school districts. With logistic and materials support from the museum educators, these teachers will design the curriculum resources to include inquiry-based lesson plans, teacher reference manual, and student science kits. Researchers will provide expertise and technical assistance, graduate students dedicated to the project will assist more directly in the development and implementation phases, and the museum will provide and organize specimens for 'hands-on' activities. Lyme disease and West Nile encephalitis will serve as model systems for exploring interactions between biodiversity and vector-borne disease under the guiding paradigms provided by national standards for science teaching. The teacher-designed resources will undergo rigorous field testing and refinement before integration into the formal science curriculum in each district. This includes evaluation by professionals in curriculum development and student level impact. In Phase II, the curriculum resources will be disseminated regionally and nationally. Participating classrooms will be connected electronically for discussion and comparison of data from research projects via the museum's videoconference facility. Public education initiatives will include hands-on learning experiences at the museum, academic symposia, and a traveling exhibit and will feature the juxtaposition of biodiversity studies and biomedical research on Lyme/West Nile. Project activities are expected to reach 5,850 students during Phase I and 11,400 students in Phase II. Museum activities will impact annually 4,000 visitors at the Peabody Museum; the traveling exhibit will impact an additional 150,000 each year.