Sally O'Connor
$592,819
Converse College
South Carolina
Biological Sciences (BIO)
This BIORETS Site award to Converse University, located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, will support the training of 24 teachers for six weeks during the summer and ten weeks during the academic year. Three cohorts of eight teachers will be recruited for three years. Based on data from K-12 institutions, COVID-19 disrupted learning outcomes in K-12 and higher education settings. Students, on average, are four to five months behind in math and reading skills. Training programs and continuing education for teachers paused, as did hands-on research activities. This challenge is heightened in underserved schools, placing underrepresented and low-income students at a greater disadvantage. This program aims to close the gap by engaging middle and high school teachers in authentic research experiences in cellular and molecular biology and biomathematics research with a focus on neurobiology. Priority will be given to teachers who work in under-resourced schools. Teachers will receive support in developing lesson plans and hands-on activities to engage their students in neurobiology concepts to improve their students' readiness for STEM careers. Teachers will conduct research in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics & Computer Science, and Psychology departments. Before starting their research projects all research teams will attend workshops that will acquaint them with the necessary skills such as responsible conduct of research, laboratory safety, chemical hygiene and professional development workshops on how to design and carry out an experiment, data collection, analysis, and presentation, and project-specific content. Teachers serving in upstate SC will be invited to apply to the program through the NSF ETAP system. Applicants will be required to submit a lesson plan, answer essay questions, and interview the faculty mentors. Curriculum development is an integral part of the program and will be integrated into the summer experience. For effective post-program transition, the PIs will visit the classrooms supporting lesson plan implementation. Program assessment will measure the quality of the research experience, workshops, post-program support, and the effectiveness of the application and recruitment process. Data will be used to develop a model for the BIORETS program at other PUIs. More information is available by visiting http://www.converse.edu/biorets or contacting Dr. Neval Erturk (neval.erturk@converse.edu). This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.