Six science
and mathematics teachers from rural high schools in Oklahoma engaged in a
National Science Foundation-supported summer program at the University of
Oklahoma’s Center for BioAnalysis in an effort to improve STEM teaching in
rural classrooms and increase the number of rural students who select and
successfully graduate from a higher education STEM field.
“Combining
the teaching expertise of the high school teachers with the research expertise
of the faculty creates a powerful synergism for producing innovative and
dynamic science curricula that directly impact current
issues pertinent to rural Oklahoman communities,” said Mark Nanny, director of
the Rural Educators Program and professor of environmental science in the Gallogly College of Engineering.
Oklahoma
rural educators selected for the 2016 summer program include: Arnold and
Niccole Rech, Fort Towson High School; Ashley Rodriguez, Clinton High School;
Sue Flaming, Foyil Junior/High School; Joe Albrecht, Liberty High School; and
Shawn Cusak, Northwest Technology Center.
The program includes laboratory work, seminars on real-world
applications of bioanalytical engineering, curricula development and design,
and evaluation and assessment activities.
Each
educator is paired with a faculty mentor over seven weeks doing cutting-edge
research in OU laboratories. Besides
learning research skills, the program also focuses on developing classroom
curricula and transferring research experiences into the classroom. A workshop on writing successful proposals focuses
on rural educators preparing proposals for their classroom curricula. In the final week, educators present research
activities, classroom curricula and prepare a research poster for display in
the classroom and OU laboratory.
While much
of the current research in bioanalytical engineering focuses on medical
problems, bioanalytical engineering is a powerful tool for all areas involving
biology, such as the improved production of biofuels, the impact of biofilms on
the biocorrosion of steel infrastructure in the petroleum industry and the
environmental bioremediation of groundwater.
Bioanalytical
engineering presents rural educators with a dynamic and vibrant field rooted in
fundamental concepts of molecular biology, biochemistry, cellular biology,
chemistry and physics. Combined with
engineering design methodology and application, it provides opportunities for
educators to enrich their teaching of these fundamental concepts, showing their
students how knowledge in these fields can directly impact critical issues
related to medicine, human health, energy resources and the environment.
Among the research
opportunities available to educators through this program were the design of
personal anti-cancer drugs, environmental engineering, biocorrosion
engineering, biofuel processing, fabrication of bioanalytical devices and
advancement of computational methods.
For more information about the rural educators program, contact Mark
Nanny at nanny@ou.edu.
