2006 PD Summer Workshops - Metro-school Teachers Tackle
Nanosciences > July 14 2006, Reported by Professor Weijie
Lu
Fourteen
science teachers from metro middle and high schools and six students from
the Fisk teacher certification program were intently bent over worktables
measuring laser beams and building a scanning probe microscope model in
a classroom at Fisk University from June 12-16, 2006. The National Center
for Learning and Teaching in Nanoscale Science and Engineering (NCLT),
headquartered at Northwestern University, is the first national center
for learning and teaching of nanoscale science and engineering education
in the US, and sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). This
year, Fisk University hosted the first NCLT workshop for Nashville science
teachers in cooperation with Ms. Sarah Baker, the science coordinator
of Metropolitan Nashville public Schools.
The
teachers are working on the Scanning Probe Microscopy Module
The
participating teachers
This
one-week long workshop offered science teachers opportunities to
work with nanoscience researchers, science educators, and learning
tool experts in content development and laboratory experiments from
Northwestern, Fisk, and Vanderbilt universities. The activities
included: (1) learning material and curriculum development in nanoscale
sciences, (2) introducing nanoscience in the classroom of 7-12 grades;
and (3) knowing local research and educational activities at Fisk
and Vanderbilt universities.
Nanoscale
sciences deals with objects with the sizes about one thousandths
of human hair — the science will someday lead to extraordinary
advances in electronics, medicine, and many other fields. The participating
teachers came from seven metro high schools and three middle schools.
“This workshop provides us a great opportunity to know the
excitements in the fields of nanosciences, and I am very interested
and excited to be involved in this project”, commented Lisa
Bastedo, a science teacher from Hillwood High School. “With
this workshop, we are forming an important collaboration between
the metro-schools and local universities”, said Prof. W. E.
Collins, physics professor and the program director.
Prof. W. Eugene Collins,
Associate Provost and the Director of the Division of Natural Sciences
and Mathematics of Fisk University, introduces the workshop
As the Director
of NCLT, Professor Robert Chang stated: "Fisk University has done
an outstanding job working with the NCLT and Vanderbilt University
to organize this very successful workshop. I was thrilled to see
the teachers' excitement as they worked on nanoscience experiments
and design activities, and I am certain that their enthusiasm
will help reinvigorate science education in the region. By providing
this kind of hands-on professional development, we are empowering
science teachers to help their students understand the relevance
and everyday applications of nanoscale science and engineering.
We hope to hold many more such workshops in years to come." The
workshop for Nashville Teachers will continue in the summer 2007.
For more information on the program, contact the coordinator Prof.
Weijie Lu at 329-8625 or visit www.nclt.us.
View workshop schedule:
(pdf, 19kb) View gallery:
Prof.
R. P. H. Chang, the NCLT director introduces the NCLT
