A Starfish Can Grow a New Arm, Why Can't? - Phase I & II Educational Partnership

描述（由申请人提供）：该项目是与正式和非正式的教育工作者、临床医生和研究人员合作，开发一个永久性的科学中心展览和相关的、系统集成的正式和非正式的教育计划——所有这些都旨在激发和有意义地吸引学生参与科学奇迹和组织工程（TE）和干细胞研究领域。为了以一种亲身参与的方式向中学生介绍基本的TE/再生医学概念，匹兹堡组织工程计划（PTEI）与通过卓越教学（ASSET）、卡内基科学中心（CSC）和匹兹堡大学学习研究与发展中心（LRDC）合作，将开发一个1200平方英尺的永久性TE展览，首次安装在宾夕法尼亚州匹兹堡的卡内基科学中心。展览名为“如果海星能长出新手臂，为什么我不能？”，以及配套的以标准和探究为基础的课程材料将针对6 -8年级的学生和他们的老师。这个独特的TE展览将有三个活动集群（亭），每个亭有3-4个活动。第一个亭子，自然世界，将作为背景，展示低级生命形式天生的自我再生身体部位的能力，以及高级生命形式这种能力的丧失。第二个展台名为The Science of TE，将展示TE和干细胞研究的组成部分，包括天然和合成支架材料的类型、可以植入支架的前体细胞类型、生长因子、分化因子和使这些细胞能够生长成体内各种组织的营养物质。第三个信息亭，临床应用和未来问题，将展示细胞种子支架成功恢复人体功能的临床案例，互动“问科学家”视频，以及TE的未来。目前在宾夕法尼亚州和其他美国城市使用的生命科学教学模块计划复制该展览，将以探究式教学课程为基础，用于课堂和教师的专业发展。特别重要的是，将在整个过程中进行详细的项目有效性评估。总之，这个面向6 -8年级学生的展览及其附带的教学材料将进一步了解各种生命形式中的基础生物学、化学和工程学原理，以及科学技术如何通过TE利用这些原理以自然的方式促进组织功能的愈合和恢复。这一经历将为学生认识到未来生物科学的跨学科性质铺平道路，并灌输对公共卫生和公共政策影响的认识和理解。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project is a partnership with formal and informal educators, clinicians, and researchers to develop a permanent science center exhibition and related, systemically integrated formal and informal educational programming -- all of which are aimed at exciting and meaningfully engaging students to the wonders of science and the field of tissue engineering (TE) and stem cell research. To introduce basic TE/Regenerative Medicine concepts to middle-school students in a hands-on, engaging way, The Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative ( PTEI), in collaboration with Achieving Student Success through Excellence in Teaching (ASSET), the Carnegie Science Center (CSC) and the University of Pittsburgh Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC), will develop a 1,200 square foot permanent TE Exhibit to be first installed at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh, PA. The exhibit, If A Starfish Can Grow a New Arm, Why Can't I?, and accompanying standards- and inquiry-based curricula materials will target 6th-8th grade students and their teachers. This unique TE exhibit will have three activity clusters (kiosks), with 3-4 activities per kiosk. The first kiosk, The Natural World, will present as background the biology of the innate ability of lower life forms to self-regenerate body parts, and the loss of this ability in higher life forms. The second kiosk, The Science of TE, will present the components of TE and stem cell research, including types of natural and synthetic scaffolding materials, types of precursor cells that can be seeded onto scaffolds, and the growth factors, differentiating factors, and nutrients that enable these cells to grow into various tissues within the body. The third kiosk, Clinical Applications and Future Questions, will feature clinical cases in which cell-seeded scaffolds have successfully restored function in humans, interactive "ask the scientist" videos, and the future of TE. Life-science teaching modules currently used in PA and other U.S. cities planned for replicating the exhibit will have inquiry-based TE curricula enhancements constructed for use in classrooms and in teacher professional development. Of particular importance, detailed project effectiveness assessments will be conducted throughout. In all, this exhibit for 6th-8th graders and its accompanying instructional materials for students and teachers, will further understanding of principles of basic biology, chemistry, and engineering within various life forms and how science and technology, through TE, take advantage of these principles to promote healing and restoration of tissue function in a natural way. This experience will pave the way for students' appreciation of the interdisciplinary nature of biosciences of the future and inculcate an appreciation and understanding of public health and public policy implications.