The Research Internship in Science Education course is designed to introduce interns in the Rutgers Graduate School of Education to the pedagogy of a high school biological lecture and laboratory course. The course is taught in conjunction with the Waksman Student Scholars Program (WSSP), an outreach program that brings high school teachers and two of their students to an intensive one month Summer Institute in which they learn the background and begin performing the experiments for a year long research project. The course is divided into several parts. The first section of the course is a one week lecture/lab session in which GSE Interns will learn the background and methods to work with the high school students in the WSSP Summer Institute labs. This includes lecture/discussion sessions and labarotory periods where the GSE Interns will purfiy and characterize plasmid DNA and use bioinformatics to analyze the DNA sequences. GSE Interns will have the opportunity of publishing their findings on the international DNA sequence databases. In a second part of the course GSE Interns will work with high school students in a lab for several periods, helping them with their experiments and bioinformatics analysis. In the third part of the course, the GSE Interns will work in pairs to develop a presentation/activity for the high school students on various aspects of the research project. Interns will practice the presentation with other interns, WSSP staff and in-service teachers before presenting their activity to the students.
Summer 2009 Syllabus
Before Monday, June 15, 2009 (Homework)
For a general review of molecular biology students should log onto the Internet textbook and read and take the quizes at the end of Chapters 1-9.
Monday, June 15, 2009 through Friday, June 19, 2009 (9:00 AM - 4:30 PM)
An intensive laboratory course in molecular biology and bioinformatics that engages students in an authentic research investigation. A notebook with the laboratory protocols will be provided on the first day of class. Lecture notes and slides, and a copy of the the labs can be found here. Students will be expected to read and complete the quizes of Chapters 10-15 of the Internet Textbook during this week.
Friday, June 19, 2009 through Monday, July 6, 2009 (Homework)
Complete the DNA sequence analysis of the PC and new clones. Prepare for class presentations.
Monday, July 6, 2009 (9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon)
Introductions, Goals for the Summer Institute
Tuesday, July 7 2009 - Friday, July 10, 2009 (10:00 AM - 12:00 Noon)
Two groups will be formed. Each group will work with the high school students in the laboratory for two days. The other two days will be devoted to using the resources at the Waksman Institute to prepare for your presentations and talks with the students.
Monday, July 13, 2009; Wednesday, July 15, 2009; Friday, July 17, 2009 (10:00 AM - 12:00 Noon)
Each group gives a practice talk of their presentation for the students. These will be critiqued by colleagues, project faculty and staff.
Friday, July 17, 2009; Monday, July 20, 2009; Wednesday, July 22, 2009; Friday, July 24, 2009;
Monday, July 27; Wednesday, July 29, 2009 (12:00 Noon - 2:30 PM)
On each of those days, each group will use their presentations and work with the high school students in a classroom setting.
Friday, July 31, 2009 (1:00 PM - 3:30 PM)
2009 WSSP Summer Institute Student Poster Session (concluding event of the summer)