NIH Press Release

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
 Office of Science Education (OSE)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, October 18, 1999


Contact: Dr. Bruce Fuchs, Director, OSE, NIH
301-402-5225
bruce_fuchs@nih.gov
The NIH Is Releasing New Curriculum Supplements
with Findings on Infectious Diseases, Cancer, and Genetics

BETHESDA, MD, OCT. 18, 1999--The National Institutes of Health is launching a major new Curriculum Supplement Series for grades kindergarten through 12 at the National Convention of the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT), Biology: A Century of Discovery, to be held Oct. 27-30 in Ft. Worth, Texas. The series will be distributed to teachers around the country free-of-charge by the NIH to improve science literacy and to foster students' interest in science. The curricula will contain new information about medical discoveries being made at the NIH and their effects on public health.

The first three supplements (listed below) are designed for use in senior high school classrooms. Each comes with an interactive CD-ROM.

Teacher-Training workshops on the three new curriculum supplement sets will be held between 10:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Wed., Oct. 27 at the Tarrant County Convention Center, Room E106. Three renowned NIH scientists (Dr. Dinah D. Singer of NCI, Dr. Karyl Sue Barron of NIAID, and Dr. Alan G. Guttmacher of NHGRI) will discuss recent discoveries related to the supplement topics at a seminar to be held 12:30 p.m.-2:15 p.m., Thur., Oct. 28 in the Radisson Hotel Grand Crystal Ballroom A. Advanced page proofs of the three sets will be available at the NABT National Convention. Press interested in attending the NABT Convention may register at the press disk on-site at the Tarrant County Convention Center. (For convention information, visit http://www.NABT.org/convention.html or call NABT at 703-471-1134.)

The new curricula are among the first educational resources aligned with the National Science Education Standards released by the National Academy of Sciences. The first three sets were developed by the NIH Office of Science Education in cooperation with the NIH institutes mentioned above and curriculum developers from Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) of Colorado Springs, CO, and Videodiscovery, Inc. of Seattle, WA. Teachers and students across the country participated in focus groups and field tests during the development process.

According to BSCS Executive Director Rodger Bybee, "The new materials address topics of fundamental importance. Their publication symbolizes a major step toward the provision of superb science education for all."

Three additional supplements with accompanying CD-ROMs or Web-based activities are planned per year which will target grades kindergarten through 12. For more information, visit http://science-education.nih.gov/supplements.

The National Institutes of Health--the largest U.S. Federal sponsor of medical research in the world--is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

For more information or review copies, contact:
Dr. Bruce Fuchs, Director, OSE, NIH
6100 Executive Blvd., Room 5H01, Bethesda, MD 20892
TEL: 301-402-5225, E-MAIL: bruce_fuchs@nih.gov