Research Awards to Improve Science Education in Arizona High Schools
Tucson, Arizona, April 17, 2009 — Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA) announces $120,000 in grants to improve science education in Arizona. These grants were awarded to eight University of Arizona faculty, and to eight local high-school science teachers under RCSA’s Arizona Partners in Science program, which is in its first year. The program creates individual partnerships between a high-school science teacher and a university professor engaged in scientific research.
“A hands-on research experience is the best way to bring modern science topics to the classroom. We anticipate having a big impact in the way science is taught in the Tucson area,“ said RCSA Program Officer Silvia Ronco.
The $15,000 individual grants are for two years. Ultimately, these awards will help improve grades 9-12 science education and increase the number of students who choose to pursue science careers, Ronco said.
RCSA is working in conjunction with the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust on the Partners in Science Program. While RCSA is a not-for-profit with a national focus, it is supporting Partners in Science awards in Arizona where the foundation is headquartered; the Murdock Trust is supporting the program in the Pacific Northwest.
The eight professor-teacher partnerships funded at the University of Arizona this year include:
· Prof. Vicki L Chandler (Bio5 Institute) and Lynne Marie Cote, of Mountain View High School;
· Prof. Eugene Arthur Mash (Chemistry Department) and Gayle Brickert-Albrecht, of Tucson High Magnet School;
· Prof. Scott Kroken (Department of Plant Sciences) and Steven Uyeda, of Sunnyside High School;
· Prof. Nancy A Moran (Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology) and Margaret Wilch, of Tucson High Magnet School;
· Prof. Stephen G. Kukolich (Chemistry Department) and Bryan Sargus, of Catalina Foothills High School;
· Prof. Gary L. Christopherson (Dept. Geography and Regional Development) and Don Adams, of Vail High School;
· Prof. Katrina Miranda (Chemistry Department) and Phoebe Goodwin, of San Miguel Catholic High School; and,
· Prof. Emmanuelle Joelle Meuillet (Nutritional Sciences and Molecular and Cellular Biology Departments) and Maria Luisa Ruiz Luna, of City High School.
For more information visit www.rescorp.org, or contact Silvia Ronco, RCSA program officer, at sronco@rescorp.org, or 520.571.1111.
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Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA) provides catalytic and opportunistic funding for innovative scientific research and the development of early career academic scientists. Founded by inventor F.G. Cottrell in 1912, RCSA is America’s second-oldest foundation and the first not-for-profit dedicated solely to science.