N.C. State gets $1.5 million from medical institute to improve science education
Get out of the classroom and do real science. That's the idea behind N.C. State University's new $1.5 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). The grant aims to improve science education through bold and creative initiatives that instill a passion for science in students of all ages.
Dr. Thurman Grove, CALS professor of zoology, and Dr. David Haase, professor of physics and director of The Science House (an N.C. State science education outreach unit), say the grant's three components will afford N.C. State students - and students from traditionally underserved northeastern North Carolina - hands-on experiences with science, especially biology.
That's important, the professors say, because opportunities to delve into scientific concepts - learning by doing science rather than passively accepting lecture materials - help create the scientists of tomorrow.
"The underpinning for this project is the dearth of expertise in science and math in this country," Grove says. "Inquiry-based learning - whether it's called 'learning by doing' or simply 'research' - gets people really excited. We need to go beyond the classroom and provide alternate methods so students learn to love science."
The four-year project began Sept. 1.
The first component of the grant calls for the development of a new introductory biology course for non-science majors at N.C. State. With a goal of ensuring that citizens are better informed about biological concepts and based on hands-on experiments and problem solving, the course will focus on timely, multidisciplinary scientific issues such as genetic engineering, evolution and cloning. Grove expects the course to provide an understanding of the scientific method and the relevance of science to approximately 1,000 students annually.
Development of the class will take about one year, after which experimental classes will be held with a few groups of students. If successful, the university will introduce it as the introductory biology class for non-science majors.
The grant also expands undergraduate research opportunities at N.C. State. Through the Reaching Incoming Student Enrichment (RISE) program, eight first-year students will receive the opportunity to have a summer research experience at the university before their fall classes begin. In addition, 10 of N.C. State's best and brightest will conduct research during their junior and senior years. Their research projects will be supported for 12 months per year and will be mutually beneficial to students and faculty members, Grove says.
"This is not just training for undergraduates who will soon take their experiences and leave the university, but substantive work that also benefits the faculty member as he or she publishes research findings," Grove says. "Students will also be required to write an honors thesis in support of the experience."
The grant will also make an impact on the K-12 population outside the university's walls. Through The Science House, students and teachers from four high schools in four counties will continue the Bennett's Millpond Environmental Learning Project near Edenton in Chowan County. According to Judy Day, an N.C. State program coordinator who has coordinated multiple HHMI grant projects, the Bennett's Millpond project - in which soil composition, water quality and aquatic flora and fauna of this coastal swamp are studied - brings science to life for both students and their teachers.
HHMI - a nonprofit medical research organization that is the nation's largest private supporter of science education - is investing $86.4 million to support programs at 50 universities this year.
- NCSU News Services
Dr. Thurman Grove, CALS professor of zoology, and Dr. David Haase, professor of physics and director of The Science House (an N.C. State science education outreach unit), say the grant's three components will afford N.C. State students - and students from traditionally underserved northeastern North Carolina - hands-on experiences with science, especially biology.
That's important, the professors say, because opportunities to delve into scientific concepts - learning by doing science rather than passively accepting lecture materials - help create the scientists of tomorrow.
"The underpinning for this project is the dearth of expertise in science and math in this country," Grove says. "Inquiry-based learning - whether it's called 'learning by doing' or simply 'research' - gets people really excited. We need to go beyond the classroom and provide alternate methods so students learn to love science."
The four-year project began Sept. 1.
The first component of the grant calls for the development of a new introductory biology course for non-science majors at N.C. State. With a goal of ensuring that citizens are better informed about biological concepts and based on hands-on experiments and problem solving, the course will focus on timely, multidisciplinary scientific issues such as genetic engineering, evolution and cloning. Grove expects the course to provide an understanding of the scientific method and the relevance of science to approximately 1,000 students annually.
Development of the class will take about one year, after which experimental classes will be held with a few groups of students. If successful, the university will introduce it as the introductory biology class for non-science majors.
The grant also expands undergraduate research opportunities at N.C. State. Through the Reaching Incoming Student Enrichment (RISE) program, eight first-year students will receive the opportunity to have a summer research experience at the university before their fall classes begin. In addition, 10 of N.C. State's best and brightest will conduct research during their junior and senior years. Their research projects will be supported for 12 months per year and will be mutually beneficial to students and faculty members, Grove says.
"This is not just training for undergraduates who will soon take their experiences and leave the university, but substantive work that also benefits the faculty member as he or she publishes research findings," Grove says. "Students will also be required to write an honors thesis in support of the experience."
The grant will also make an impact on the K-12 population outside the university's walls. Through The Science House, students and teachers from four high schools in four counties will continue the Bennett's Millpond Environmental Learning Project near Edenton in Chowan County. According to Judy Day, an N.C. State program coordinator who has coordinated multiple HHMI grant projects, the Bennett's Millpond project - in which soil composition, water quality and aquatic flora and fauna of this coastal swamp are studied - brings science to life for both students and their teachers.
HHMI - a nonprofit medical research organization that is the nation's largest private supporter of science education - is investing $86.4 million to support programs at 50 universities this year.
- NCSU News Services