Projects
New/Current
The University of Missouri will transform instructional, institutional, and undergraduate experiences for new majority students across the natural sciences through intensive community building, deconstructing, and partnering efforts. The vision is to disrupt current practices, attitudes, and structural barriers and create a campus environment in which students truly thrive. We aim to develop a culture of inclusive excellence, meaning the practice of extending a quality education to all students, the culture of welcoming students to belong in academic communities, and the act of empowering participants in the practice of science.
Co-PIs: Terrell Morton, Charlie Nilon, Johannes Schul, Jim Spain
Funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Inclusive Excellence program, $1,000,000
This project through the University of Massachusetts, Boston focuses on vertical and horizontal K-12 science integration, professional development, and teacher leadership in central Missouri.
PI: Meera Chandrasekhar
Co-PIs: Karen King, Dorina Kostzin, Marcelle Siegel
Funded by the WiPro Foundation, $1,100,001
For over ten years, Marcelle has led The Sandra K. Abell Conversations about College Science Teaching on a volunteer basis. Conversations are monthly discussions to enhance teaching capacity of faculty, graduate students, and postdocs and support a thriving instructional community on campus. The meetings are interdisciplinary across natural and physical sciences, science and mathematics education, engineering, and professional schools at the University of Missouri. For more than 15 years, the conversations have provided college science teachers with time and space to reflect on their own teaching challenges and learn new teaching methods from their peers. The informal environment with free pizza fosters community and collaboration.
Funded by: HHMI Thrive Project, College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, College of Education, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Division of Biological Sciences Office of Undergraduate Studies, MU Science Education Center (Past Sponsor/Founder)
("Molecular Mechanism of Plant Response to Wounding: Impact of JA Catabolism")
The major goal of this project is to understand catabolism of jasmonate (JA) and its role in plant adaptation to environmental stresses. JA is a crucial signal that activates numerous defense responses and dictates developmental plasticity of plants. In addition, a science literacy program called Sci-LiFT (Science Literacy for Future Teachers) is designed for undergraduates interested in teaching science. Research on crop protection through biotechnology has many societal implications that are of interest to the general public and are potent topics for K-12 classrooms. Participating Sci-LiFT fellows will engage in real laboratory research (plant-insect interaction segment of this project) and develop a high school teaching module.
PI: Abraham Koo
Funded by the National Science Foundation, IOS, $648,000.
This project will build an infrastructure and a culture that supports efforts to transform courses, curriculum and the classroom experiences of students in STEM fields at MU. Major components include faculty learning communities, a focus on inclusive teaching practices for marginalized students, and networking for future proposals.
PIs: Johannes Schul, Sarah Bush
Co-PIs: Marcelle Siegel, Dorina Kostzin, Brenda Peculis, Alan Whittington, et al.
Funded by Association of American Universities (AAU)/Undergraduate STEM Education Initiative: AAU STEM Network Mini-Grant, $20,000 + $20,000 internal.
Past Projects
Classroom assessments are an under-utilized tool for enhancing learning. We are designing and researching reform-based assessments for college biotechnology courses. This project is producing: 1) a resource bank of assessments, 2) a model for how to conduct assessment design, and 3) publications about how to use assessments in the college classroom.
Co-PI: Shari Freyermuth
Co-PI: Bruce McClure, J. Chris Pires
GRA: Kemal Izci
GRA: Steve Witzig
Funded by the National Science Foundation, CCLI, $150,000
High school chemistry courses often lack effective classroom assessments. We are collaborating with high school chemistry teachers to explore new assessment strategies and produce a resource bank of successful assessment tools.
Co-PI: Steven Keller
Teacher Fellows: Stephanie Harman, Joseph Lauchstaedt, Emily Schmidt
GRA: Shannon Burcks, Suleyman Cite, Kemal Izci , Nilay Muslu, Steve Witzig
URA: Elizabeth Reardon
Funded by the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc., $25,000
In an effort to double the number of secondary science teachers graduating from MU’s undergraduate science teacher education program, we will: 1) recruit more highly qualified STEM undergraduates into science teaching careers; 2) prepare these individuals to teach science aligned with national standards; and 3) support science teachers in their induction years. The primary recruiting strategies include informal science internships, newly designed dual degree programs, and $11,000 annual scholarships.
Co-PI: Mark Volkmann
Co-PI: Alan Whittington
Co-PI: John Adams
GRA: Heather Worsham
Funded by the National Science Foundation, Noyce, $891,000
Co-PI, Maps in Medicine
In this project, we are designing inquiry-based curriculum and professional development for high school biology students and teachers. The project integrates geospatial and biological imaging technologies to promote understanding of public health, cell and developmental biology, and medical sciences. We will develop two instructional modules, Mapping Health and Mapping Cell Fate. Teachers: Download summer institute application.
PI: Bill Folk, Co-PIs: Anand Chandrasekhar, Susan Ailor, Miriam Golomb
Funded by Howard Hughes Medical Institute, $750,000
Co-PI, Graduate Certificate in Science Education: Step One Toward an Online Masters Degree in Science Education
We are designing four new online science education courses.
PI: Debi Hanuscin
Co-PI: Patricia Friedrichsen
Co-PI: Mark Volkmann
Co-PI: Anna Waldron
Funded by MU System, $24,500
PI, Decision Making about Biotechnology Issues, 2007-2009
Opinions on stem-cell research are influenced by interdisciplinary factors, including the media, religion, culture, ethics, and science. We are studying what types of evidence are used to make decisions and how to support students to think critically and make informed decisions.
Co-PI, Shari Freyermuth
GRA, Kristy Halverson
Funded by Interdisciplinary Planning Grants from LTC, $10,000
PI, Equitable Assessment for English Learners, 2006-2009
Assessment practices that support, foster, and monitor learning are essential to an effective classroom. We are building on previous work to investigate and improve classroom assessments for English language learners.
GRAs, Wissehr and Halverson. URAs, Krueger and Lloyd.
Funded by MUSEC
PI, National dissemination site for the Partnership for Research and Education in Plants (PREP) program, 2007-2009
High school teachers and students are partnering with scientists at MU to investigate genetically altered Arabidopsis plants. (PREP is located at the Fralin Biotechnology Center of Virginia Polytechnic Institute.)
GRA Project Coordinator, Deanna Lankford
Funded by a Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) from the National Center for Research Resources at the National Institutes of Health subcontract, $37,800
PI, Adaptive Expertise for Preparing to Teach Secondary Biology, 2007
What does it mean to be an excellent science teacher? Efforts to define excellent teaching by education researchers have resulted in a framework known as pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), or the ability to translate strong content knowledge into strong teaching. We are studying “adaptive PCK” (A-PCK)—how teachers understand students’ conceptual and intertwined language difficulties, and how they adapt instruction and assessment based on this understanding.
GRA, Cathy Wissehr
Funded by MU Research Council, $6883
PI, Investigating and Improving Science Learning and Assessment for Middle School Linguistic Minority Students , 2003-2005
Research-based development of useful assessments and tools for teachers to use them are needed in many areas. This project investigated classroom assessments for linguistic minority students in middle school life science courses in two schools. We focused on ways to improve written assessments to be more accessible and equitable for English learners. This work included a quantitative study of assessments, qualitative teacher research studies, and the development of a practical resource for teachers.
Funded by the University of California Linguistic Minority Research Institute, $25,000