Teachers study cutting-edge science at summer research academy (2007)
This summer, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, in partnership with UC Davis School of Education, will offer workshops for middle and high school science teachers. The workshops will be held in Sacramento, Davis, Stockton, Fresno and Livermore, and will give teachers the opportunity to learn about cutting-edge scientific research conducted at the Livermore Lab.
The expectation is that the teachers will use what they learn to excite and motivate their students in pursuing careers in science.
The workshops are part of the Teacher Research Academy developed by the Edward Teller Education Center, as part of a joint collaboration between LLNL and UC Davis. The academy takes a unique four-step approach to introduce teachers to cutting-edge science. Each step, or level, builds upon the knowledge and skills developed in the previous step. The fourth and final level is a capstone six week internship in a research laboratory at LLNL. The model allows teachers to advance from novice to mastery, making the program suitable for both beginning and experienced teachers.
"The intention of the program is to provide teachers with access to the scientific community and for teachers to learn how to bring the real world of scientific research into the classroom," said Carey Kopay, executive director of the Edward Teller Education Center. "The program also offers flexibility and can be tailored to the needs of individual teachers. Teachers can select a scientific theme that interests them, and then select the level(s) at which they’ll participate."
The program currently offers workshops in biotechnology, biophotonics, fusion and astrophysics, and energy and environmental technologies. The workshops consist of hands-on activities and experience using advanced scientific equipment, rather than a textbook emphasis.
"Our program provides teachers with the tools they need to excite students and generate an interest in science," Kopay said. "The workshops also have an effect of re-energizing and re-connecting teachers to the world of science and discovery."
Workshops will be held from June 20—July 20 at five locations:
| Biotechnology/Level-1 | June 20-22 June 25-27 June 25-27 June 25-29 July 9-13 June 28-July 3 | CSU Fresno Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Stockton, UOP UC Davis (emphasis on bioinformatics) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Stockton, UOP |
| Biophotonics Level-1 Biophotonics Level-1 Biophotonics Level-2 Biophotonics Level-3 | June 25-27 June 27-29 July 9-13 July 16-20 | Sacramento, CBST San Joaquin County Office of Education Sacramento, CBST Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |
| Fusion/Astrophysics Level-1 Fusion/Astrophysics Level-1 Fusion/Astrophysics Level-2 Fusion/Astrophysics Level-3 | June 25-27 June 27-29 July 9-13 July 16-20 | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory UC Davis Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |
| Energy & Environmental Technologies Level-1 | June 20-22 | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |
| Energy & Environmental Technologies Level-1 | June 25-27 | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |
| Energy & Environmental Technologies Level-1 | July 9-11 | CSU Fresno |
All workshops are offered free and registration is open to teachers only. For more information or to register online, go to: http://etec.llnl.gov . Registration is open through June 18, 2007.
In addition, participants who register for the Teacher Research Academies can now earn graduate course credit through Cal State East Bay that will count toward the master's of science in Education, Option in Curriculum. To learn more about this program, go to: http://etec.llnl.gov/masters/
Contact
Linda Lucchetti[email protected]
925-422-5815
