NIH Awards Nearly $11.5 Million to Support Science
Education Programs
The National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a part of the
National Institutes of Health (NIH), today announced it will provide
nearly $11.5 million to fund 11 Science Education Partnership Awards
(SEPA) across the nation. The SEPA projects are designed to inform
the public about health issues, foster science literacy, and encourage
students to consider careers in the health sciences.
Through mobile laboratories, portable science kits, planetarium
films, and online activities, these SEPA projects will provide
hands-on, inquiry-based, instruction on topics such as cardiovascular
risk factors, genetic testing, and diabetes treatment and prevention.
Participants will study multiple research-related issues, learn
about the clinical trials process, and examine their own health
and lifestyle choices.
“These programs reach out to students and their families, and
target some of the most important issues in medicine today such
as ethics, evidence-based medicine, and bioinformatics,” said Barbara
M. Alving, M.D., Acting Director of NCRR. “We also want to show
students that they have the opportunity to envision careers in
medicine, clinical research, drug discovery, and the basic sciences.”
SEPA programs reach out to students in rural and underserved communities
by funding K-12 classroom activities, as well as science centers
and museum exhibits across the country. The awards support professional
development for science teachers; the development and distribution
of hands-on science curricula; traveling exhibits; and Websites
for students, teachers, and the general public.
In the initial three-year phase, partnerships are formed among
biomedical and clinical researchers, educators, community groups,
and other interested organizations to create programs that provide
a better understanding of scientific research. In a second, two-year
phase these SEPA-generated curricula are broadly disseminated.
This round of 11 grants brings the SEPA portfolio to 72 active
projects that span the country, from Maine to Florida and from
Alaska to Texas. These SEPA projects address a wide range of subject
matter from basic questions about biology to how clinical research
is conducted.
Science Education Partnership Awards:
Brown University (Providence, R.I.) Phase I
Project ARISE: Advancing Rhode Island Science Education |
$636,131 |
Columbia University (New York, N.Y.) Phase II
Health Sciences Research: Educating the Public |
$520,650 |
Foundation for Blood Research (Scarborough, Maine)
Phase I & II
BiomedWorks: How Doctors Use Evidence-based Medicine |
$1,186,953 |
Imaginarium, Inc. (Anchorage, Alaska) Phase I & II
North Star (will provide students with research mentors and
internships, a summer science institute, professional development
for teachers, and a Website to showcase projects) |
$1,346,509 |
Oklahoma City Community College (Okalahoma City, Okla.)
Phase II
Biotechnology/Bioinformatics Discovery! |
$538,213 |
University of Miami (Coral Gables, Fla.) Phase I & II
Heart Smart (will create an exhibit, curriculum, and Web
resources about
cardiovascular disease risk factors) |
$1,360,053 |
University of Rochester (Rochester, N.Y.) Phase I & II
Strengthening Connections Between Scientists and Classroom
Learning |
$1,333,052 |
University of Utah (Salt Lake City, Utah) Phase I & II
Genome Science for Health: Web-based Curricula for Biology |
$1,349,482 |
University of Washington (Seattle, Wash.) Phase II
Collaborations to Advance Understanding of Science and Ethics |
$542,000 |
West Virginia University (Morgantown, W.Va.) Phase I & II
West Virginia Health Sciences & Technology Academy Students
Design Public Health Clinical Trials |
$1,332,904 |
Wheeling Jesuit University (Wheeling, W.Va.) Phase I & II
CyberSurgeons: Live Simulation and Problem-Based Learning
Development and Dissemination |
$1,350,000 |
Full Description of Projects (http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/ncrrprog/clindir/SEPAdirectoryFY2006-2.asp)
For more information about SEPA, visit http://www.ncrrsepa.org.
Application details are available at http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/clinical/cr_sepa.asp.
NCRR provides laboratory scientists and clinical researchers
with the environments and tools they need to understand, detect,
treat, and prevent a wide range of diseases. With this support,
scientists make biomedical discoveries, translate these findings
to animal-based studies, and then apply them to patient-oriented
research. Ultimately, these advances result in cures and treatments
for both common and rare diseases. NCRR also connects researchers
with one another, and with patients and communities across the
nation. These connections bring together innovative research
teams and the power of shared resources, multiplying the opportunities
to improve human health. For more information, visit www.ncrr.nih.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's
Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and
Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting
and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research,
and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both
common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and
its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov. |