OEP Partners with Local Institutions to Advance Science Education

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Clint Harris, a chemistry teacher in BNL's program, leads the GEAR UP and Dowling College Summer Science Institute students.

Brookhaven Lab's Office of Educational Programs (OEP) serves as a liaison between the scientific community and the local academic community with the intent of connecting the two for mutual benefit. Collaborative partnerships bring students, teachers and faculty to the Lab where they can advance the DOE mission, and they also enable scientists to assist in professional development for teachers of the next generation of scientists. Partnerships that focus specifically on reaching out to local universities include St. Joseph's College education students' visits to the Lab and Pre-Service Teacher (PST) internships; Dowling College's Center for Minority Teacher Development and Training Summer Science Institute and Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP); the New York State Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) and the College STEP (CSTEP), among others.

Outreach to St. Joseph's University

During the school year, BNL's Science Learning Center hosts teachers-in-training from St. Joseph's College. During their visits, these future teachers learn about the inquiry method of teaching-a hands-on approach. They also are invited to come back for more teaching observations or PST internships. Jennifer Elsmore, a PST student who interned with the Science Learning Center this summer, had an opportunity to learn and teach science education programs, develop and test lessons, and conduct programmatic evaluation - all skills important to becoming a successful science teacher.

"My experience here has been great," Elsmore said. "I spoke to an assistant superintendent from a local school, and he said that science is the subject in which teachers are least educated when they go into the teaching field. My experience has made me more comfortable teaching science."

Dowling College Summer Science Institute

The Dowling College Center for Minority Teacher Development and Training's Summer Science Institute targets minority students who are studying education at Dowling College. This program is dedicated exclusively to encouraging minority students from disadvantaged circumstances to become teachers in under-served local school districts. The six-week summer program at BNL is designed to offer a hands-on science practicum experience for the teachers-in-training. During this internship, the participants become familiar with BNL's science, assist and teach at the Science Learning Center, and create hands-on learning modules and lesson plans for students based on lab research. This U.S. Department of Education-funded collaboration supports about six students a year.

Dowling College's Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP)

The GEAR UP Program is designed to help students remain in school, and graduate from Wyandanch Memorial High School better equipped to enter college in terms of academic, social and fiscal preparation.

A discretionary grant program funded by the U.S. Department of Education, GEAR UP is a partnership between Dowling College, the Urban League of Long Island, the Mentoring Partnership of Long Island, and the Wyandanch Union Free School District. Students who entered the program in seventh grade are now beginning tenth grade. For the past two summers, approximately 15 students have come to BNL to experience hands-on learning in science, math, and technology through the Science Learning Center's labs and field activities.

Frank Pomata, GEAR UP's assistant director, notes the importance of bringing the students to BNL. "We really like to expose the students to hands-on science," he said. "Many careers in the future will involve technical and scientific work. Coming to a great facility like BNL is a very valuable experience for these students."

New York State Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) and the Collegiate STEP (CSTEP)

Brookhaven also partners with the New York State Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) and the Collegiate STEP (CSTEP). These New York State Department of Education- funded programs bring cutting edge science to economically disadvantaged or underrepresented (in science) students. This four-year-old relationship has introduced more than 300 junior high and high school students and more than 75 college students to BNL research. Local partner schools include Hofstra University, SUNY Farmingdale, Stony Brook University, Suffolk County Community College, SUNY Old Westbury as well as the CUNY network of schools. Other schools from upstate New York also participate.

Sisters Rachael Millings, now at Stony Brook University, and Elizabeth Millings first joined the BNL community as CSTEP students in summer 2007 as part of DOE's Community College Institute (CCI) through Suffolk County Community College. They returned again this summer as Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship participants.

"Coming to BNL has been a wonderful experience," Rachael Millings said. "Doing statistical analysis here has helped me discover what I like about math and what I want to do with it in the future."

-- Kirsten Dorans

2008-826  |  Media & Communications Office

One of ten national laboratories overseen and primarily funded by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Brookhaven National Laboratory conducts research in the physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences, as well as in energy technologies and national security. Brookhaven Lab also builds and operates major scientific facilities available to university, industry and government researchers. Brookhaven is operated and managed for DOE’s Office of Science by Brookhaven Science Associates, a limited-liability company founded by Stony Brook University, the largest academic user of Laboratory facilities, and Battelle, a nonprofit, applied science and technology organization.

Privacy and Security Notice  | Contact Web Services for help