NAU and TGen win grant to train Arizona teachers in biosciences

August 31, 2006

By hammersmith

The Arizona Board of Regents awarded Northern Arizona University and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) a three-year grant to train Arizona high school teachers on how best to teach students about the biosciences.

The program, “Biotechnology for Teachers: A Link Between Content and Real-World Application,” will receive $122,000 during its initial year, with additional funding for the following two years.

The project is a part of the Improving Teacher Quality program, which is a federally-funded competitive grants program for improving the teaching of mathematics, science, language arts-English, and social studies, along with other core subjects.

The grant encourages collaboration among scientists and educators to help high school biology teachers update their biology content knowledge and biotechnology laboratory skills.

For example, teachers will be able to participate in professional development opportunities in biotechnology, earn 24 graduate college credits at NAU free of charge, and explore ways to prepare students for the science portion of the AIMS test.

Teachers will also learn about the ethical, legal, and social implications of genomics and participate in grant writing workshops.

“The goal is to increase teachers’ content knowledge, awareness of rapid advances in biotechnology, current and future uses of biotechnology, hands-on laboratory skills, and pedagogical knowledge that can be transferred to students,” said Catherine Ueckert, an associate professor of biological sciences at NAU.

The program will be implemented through the Chino Valley School District, the Tuba City School District, and Mesa Public Schools. It will be developed collaboratively by NAU, TGen, and the schools involved.


For more information:

NAU and TGen awarded grant to develop high school science programs,” NAU press release, 08/16/2006