Education

As originally published in The Physiologist
Volume 45, Number 5, October 2002, page 402

Twenty Teachers Attend APS Professional Development Workshop
2003 Porter Fellows Announced

Twenty Teachers Attend APS Professional Development Workshop

    During the week of July 22-28, 20 Summer Research Teachers (SRTs) from this year?s ?Frontiers in Physiology? and ?Explorations in Biomedicine? Fellowship programs gathered at the Airlie Center in Warrenton, VA. In this intensive workshop, the teachers explored inquiry- and equity-based teaching strategies, how to integrate technology into their classroom and the use of animals in teaching and research. The SRTs participated in numerous hands-on laboratory and web-based activities, shared their summer research experiences, evaluated their current teaching techniques, and collaboratively developed strategies to implement teaching methods promoted by the National Science Education Standards. The SRTs also started developing their own hands-on, inquiry-based science activities. The teachers left the Airlie Center exhausted but thrilled with all that they had learned and the vibrant collegial network that had formed over the week.
    The 2002 SRTs spent the majority of the summer conducting research in APS-member host laboratories, learning first-hand how the research process works. Over the last twelve years, the APS has partnered with many of the nation?s leading biomedical academic, private, and government research facilities to provide research opportunities for over 270 teachers.
    The ?Frontiers in Physiology? and ?Explorations in Biomedicine? Professional Development Fellowships seek to build on-going connections between science instructors and the biomedical research community. The summertime workshop and research experience are components of the competitive yearlong Fellowships.
SRTs will also attend the Experimental Biology (EB) 2003 meeting in San Diego, CA, to further their science experiences and learn about the latest life-science research findings. Many SRTs will present their own research findings and/or activities at EB poster sessions.
    The ?Frontiers? Fellowship awardees teach at middle and high schools across the US. ?Frontiers in Physiology? is a program of APS, and is sponsored by APS, the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) Science Education Partner-ship Awards (SEPA), and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) at the National Institutes of Health. 
    The ?Explorations in Biomedicine? Fellowship is sponsored by APS and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)/Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) Program. ?Explorations? SRTs teach primarily Native American students at middle and high schools, and tribal colleges on Montana reservations.

Mentors and Curriculum Development: Deepening the Learning
    Another vital component of the weeklong Professional Development Workshop is the guidance provided by the Mentor/Instructor team composed of former SRTs and Physiologists-in-Residence. In 2001, the Frontiers and Explorations programs expanded to include Curriculum Development Summer Research Teacher (CD-SRT) Fellowships. These fellowships are designated for selected past SRTs, and offer teachers the opportunity to further develop their mentoring, educational technology, and curriculum development skills. 
    This year, two teams of CD-SRTs are developing web-based science activities in collaboration with Project WISE, of the University of California-Berkeley. Project WISE (Web-based Inquiry Science Environment) is an online science learning environment for students in grades 4-12, supported by the National Science Foundation. The CD-SRT team of Charlie Geach, of El Paso ISD Technology, El Paso, TX, and Lisa Bidelspach, of Clear Creek High School, League City, TX is adding finishing touches to their unit on the sense of touch and mechanoreceptors. Mary Alice Thomas of Polson High School, Polson, MT and Bob Madsen of Chief Dull Knife College, Lame Deer, MT have teamed up to create a unit on membrane permeability. Their completed units will involve students in web-based activities and discussions, hands-on lab experiments, and research questions linked to internet resources. 
    Two other former SRTs, Isabelle Camille, of Coral Gables High School, Miami, FL and Margaret Shain, of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Jr. High School, New Albany, IN, also served as mentors and instructors during the workshop. Isabelle, Margaret, Charlie, Lisa, Bob and Mary Alice will mentor the 2002 SRTs throughout the Fellowship year, mostly via email.

APS Members Serve as Physiologists-in-Residence
    Jeff Falcone, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY and Martin Farias, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Forth Worth, TX served as Physiologists-in-Residence during the 2002 Professional Development Workshop. Both actively and effectively fielded the SRTs? numerous questions related to science content, the use of animals in research, and classroom equity issues. Falcone and Farias also provided assistance to teachers as they began developing science labs and activities to use in their classrooms. 
    Back by popular demand, Susan Glueck, Brigham & Women?s Hospital, and deputy editor of the APS journal, Physiological Genomics, presented a lively discussion on genomics. Glueck presented information on the Human Genome Project and current genomics research findings in government and private sectors. She also fielded numerous questions about the genomics field, and presented participants with a ?hot-list? of related Internet resources. 
    Applications for the 2003 Professional Development Fellowships are available on the APS website at http://www.the-aps.org/education/edu_k12.htm. For additional information about the summer research programs, email the APS Education Office at education@the-aps.org, or call 301-634-7132. 

2003 Porter Physiology Fellows Announced

The APS and Porter Physiology Development Committee congratulate the 2002-2003 APS Porter Physiology Fellows:
Rashad Jabali Belin, Univ. of Illinois, Chicago 
Wendy Brisbon, Meharry Medical College
Jorge L. Gonzalez-Perez, Univ. of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus
Becky Marquez, Cornell Univ.
Carmen Aracelis Padr? Univ. of Puerto Rico Medical Science Campus
Myla Patterson, Meharry Medical College
Maurice Williams, University of North Texas Health Science Center
Elethia A. Woolfolk, Meharry Medical College
    The Porter Physiology Fellowships for minorities are 1-year fellowships that provide a stipend of $18,000. The fellowships are open to underrepresented ethnic minority applicants (African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Native Alaskans, or Pacific Islanders) who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its territories. Applicants must have been accepted into or currently be enrolled in a graduate program pursuing an advanced degree in the physiological sciences. For more information, see the APS website at http://www.the-aps.org/education/minority_prog/porterfell.htm or contact Melinda Lowy in the APS Education Office at education@the-aps.org or 301-634-7132.

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