April 7, 2006 -- A $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation’s GK12 program will strengthen STEM (science, technology, mathematics and engineering) education in Wyoming, according to the dean of the University of Wyoming Graduate School.

Don Roth says the grant will support a multi-faceted effort that will link graduate education with Wyoming schools and communities to provide innovative curricula and professional development opportunities for teachers and increase community awareness of STEM’s role in society.

To begin with, the three-year grant is directed to students in grades 7-9 in Albany, Fremont and Laramie counties. "Students will have to develop their skills in the various sciences to solve the problems of the future," says Roth. "Our goal is to motivate them and promote self-directed, life-long learning in the STEM disciplines."

Graduate students will receive NSF fellowships to help students become competitive and motivated to choose careers in the STEM fields, Roth says. The fellows will serve as mentors to students and assist them in participating in the state science fair.

"The graduate students will be models for the young students, and could influence their career decisions," Roth says. "At the same time, this project will enhance the graduate experience and increase the competitive success of our graduate students in the workforce."

Teachers will benefit by receiving comprehensive and innovative lesson plans developed by the graduate fellows, their faculty mentors and 7th-9th grade science and math teachers. To foster professional development, the program will provide various opportunities for continuing education.

Additionally, teachers will have access to the program Web page with diverse STEM teaching resources from across the United States. Program participants, including teachers, students, parents and graduate fellow will take part in ongoing workshops, the state science fair and summer research apprenticeships on campus.

Roth says involvement by parents and communities will be a significant component of the program.

"We recognize that parental involvement is vital to their children's learning, and so we plan to include parents in summer workshops and in other opportunities to help them better understand the role of science in society," Roth says. "We are developing a newsletter and a Web page for parents to look at, so they can see the opportunities in science, math and engineering."

The UW Graduate School is recruiting fellows for the project's initial phase beginning next fall. Roth anticipates that all Wyoming counties eventually will have the opportunity to participate.

UW faculty members who will lead the project are Danny Dale, Department of Physics and Astronomy; Carrick Eggleston, Department of Geology and Geophysics; Randy Lewis, Department of Molecular Biology; and Heywood Sawyer, Department of Medical Education and Public Health.

Posted on Friday, April 07, 2006