Science Education and Outreach through the Division of Engineering at Brown University
Brown University is a recognized leader in teaching and research, located in an urban setting with a stressed public school system. The Providence Public School (PPS) system has faced major cutbacks in the past decade, necessitating the elimination of science and computer specialist positions from the elementary schools. In addition and despite the fact that most schools in the PPS system lie within a few miles of Brown University, a large number of Providence Public School children have never stepped on a college or university campus and most will not go on to college. Fewer still will consider careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
Undoubtedly, the knowledge and dedication of Brown University’s STEM faculty and students, coupled with the many resources that we are fortunate to take advantage of at Brown, can help implement long-term change in the community. These commitments have been most recently highlighted at the university level through large scale efforts like the establishment of a formal partnership between the university and the Providence Public Schools (most notably through the hiring of Lamont Gordon, Brown's Director of Education Outreach), the response to the Slavery and Justice report (including the multimillion-dollar commitment on 2/4/07 by President Ruth J. Simmons aimed at improving public education in the Providence area), and Brown’s Plan for Academic Enrichment. Here it was appropriately stated that, “It is impossible for Brown to move forward without interacting with our neighbors on the east side and in the city and state, and our ability to take advantage of possible synergies and work out conflicts in a cooperative and forward-thinking way will have a significant impact on our success with these initiatives.” (http://www.brown.edu/web/pae/community.html)
In addition, several unique programs within the Division have marked past, current, and future successes with science education and outreach initiatives. The following examples provide evidence of Engineering’s commitment to such efforts.
National Science Foundation Sponsored Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education
Brown University recently received a five-year, $3m Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education grant from the National Science Foundation (“GK-12: Physical Processes in the Environment”) to support nine Brown graduate fellows per year to collaborate directly with the Providence Public School System, and a series of training and enrichment programs for teachers and students. This program is a collaborative effort between the Division of Engineering (co-PIs Gregory Crawford and Karen Haberstroh), the Geological Sciences Department (PI Timothy Herbert), the Physics Department (co-PIs Ian Dell’Antonio and Gregory Tucker), and the Dean of the College’s Office (co-PI David Targan).
This exciting program was based on successful pilot initiatives involving Brown graduate students, which taught the GK-12 team that Providence Public School students and their teachers can be caught up in the excitement of science. These efforts have included graduate student delivery of hands-on, application-based teaching “modules” in the K-12 classroom – an approach in line with research suggesting that hands-on learning tools, teachers meeting parents, and mentoring by peers and faculty are critical to increasing the interest and retention of students in the sciences. In each case, the graduate students and their developed modules have been very well received by K-12 teachers and students. At the same time we have witnessed an increase in the morale and motivation of the graduate students who participated in public school outreach.
The recently funded NSF GK-12 award allows for an expanded graduate fellow program that builds on prior strengths and activities. Specifically, “GK-12: Physical Processes in the Environment” will provide pedagogical training for K-12 teachers and graduate fellows (provided by the East Bay Education Collaborative in Warren, RI); paid summer research experiences for K-12 teachers and high school students; academic year design and implementation of hands-on science teaching modules in elementary and high schools; professional development for K-12 teachers, graduate fellows and faculty (in the form of an academic year seminar series designed and delivered by Dr. Larry Wakeford of the Science Education Department at Brown); and “Science Days” at Brown University. Critical to the success of this program will be Brown faculty and graduate student understanding of the state and district science standards and benchmarks, as well as the upcoming science testing, so that any modules developed and implemented are in line with the science curriculum.
“Science Days” at Brown
The Division of Engineering, in coordination with the Center for Advanced Materials Research (CAMR) and Brown’s MRSEC, has organized day-long visits to the Brown campus to allow K-12 students, teachers, and parents to take advantage of science facilities at the University and to help bridge the gap between K-12 students and the college experience. Such activities have included visits to a virtual-reality Mars tour in Brown's "CAVE" (center for advanced scientific computation and visualization) and the Ladd astronomical observatory, among others.
Brown engineering students, faculty, and staff of MRSEC/CAMR hosted one hundred girls and their parents during a one-day conference titled "Empowering your Future“, aimed at engaging girls in a range of hands-on science and engineering activities. Graduate and undergraduate engineering students led workshops showcasing real-life applications of scientific principles. The girls worked in teams to tackle an engineering problem or explore a scientific principle while their parents learned ways to encourage curiosity, foster strong study skills, and help their daughters complete college applications.
Finally, Brown engineers representing the Society for Women in Engineering (SWE) and the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) have formed a close connection with RiSE (Rhode Islanders Sponsoring Education, http://www.riseonline.org/ ). This worthy non-profit organization aims to provide educational opportunities and mentoring to children of incarcerated parents in order to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty, violence, and addiction that often threatens them. As part of National Engineer’s Week (Feb 18-24, 2007), Brown students and RiSE visitors worked in small teams, designing and building creative and functional objects out of recycled materials.
National Science Foundation Sponsored Research Experiences for Teachers
The Brown MRSEC RET program (administered by CAMR) provides a six-week, summer training opportunity for K-12 teachers. During their summer at Brown, participants develop original curriculum projects in various fields of engineering. In addition, weekly RET meetings provide participants with the opportunity to improve their communication skills, assess their summer progress, make effective podium and workshop presentations, etc. RET participants also attend weekly tours of campus laboratories (for example, Brown's Orthopedics Lab). During the final week of the program, RET participants present their curriculum development project through a formal mini-conference workshop. Upon completion of the summer program, teachers are encouraged to implement the modules within the participants’ own classroom, often with the aide of Brown faculty. In many cases modules will be further delivered at national meetings.
National Science Foundation Sponsored BrownOut
Undergraduate engineering students have worked with Brown’s MRSEC (and CAMR administration) to develop modules, which they then take into area science/math classrooms. The modules are designed to introduce students to math, science, and engineering concepts using a fun and hands-on approach. Past modules topics have included “Optics and the Mind”, “Geometric Optics”, “Blacklights and the World of Ultraviolet”, “The Water Purification Process”, “Engineering Excitement: Roller Coasters”, “Astronomy - What's in space?”, “Prime Number Cryptography” and “Simple Machines”. Over 4,000 students have been exposed to these presentations since 2000.
We expect many long-lasting impacts of these programs on the Providence Public schools, its teachers, and its students. It is also our hope that such initiatives (and others like it on campus) will effect lasting change within Brown students, individual faculty members, science departments, and the larger university culture. The gap in science between universities and public schools is well-recognized. We believe that faculty will grow to further embrace continuing K-12 outreach as they see an improvement in their students’ morale and purpose, with tangible benefits to student retention, long-term productivity, etc. Faculty and departments will see that outreach and K-12 educational involvement will be a plus in recruiting new engineering students, as these efforts become part of the distinctive “signature” of their programs. Finally, faculty contact with the Providence Public Schools will inevitably bring them closer to a very diverse student and teacher population, and therefore enhance their appreciation for teaching to an increasingly diverse student body.
