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Program Director:
Dr. Mary Koroly
Research Associate Professor and Director
University of Florida College of Medicine
Center for Precollegiate Education and Training
PO Box 112010, Room 334 Yon Hall
Gainesville, FL 32611
3523927685
korolymj@ufl.edu
The links below describe the outcomes and challenges this grantee experienced and what resources they are willing to share.
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The Interdisciplinary Center for Ongoing Research/Education (ICORE) Partnerships proposes innovative and outcome-oriented professional development for high school teachers through new and extended collaborations with researchers across Florida. Research partners are science, social science and education faculty and students at the University of Florida (UF), UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Research and Education Centers, and Florida Atlantic University. School district partners of the fully developed program are 136 teachers from limited-resource rural and urban schools in counties in which the research institutions are located.
ICORE objectives are to (1) equip teachers with knowledge, resources, and experiences to improve science education and increase awareness of scientific processes, technologies, and careers exemplified by the theme, Emerging Pathogens; (2) empower teachers to integrate pedagogical and critical thinking skills into standards-aligned classroom and inservice instruction; (3) provide ongoing opportunities and incentives for learning in bench, field and applied laboratory settings and research conferences; and (4) prepare interdisciplinary graduate students in teaching, mentoring and outreach.
The learning activities and outcomes of the ICORE Partnerships are organized around Emerging Pathogens, a new initiative at UF and a topic of major importance to the health and economy of Florida and the nation. The project addresses HHMI and UF goals to strengthen science education across the K-20 continuum; builds on measurably successful precollege laboratory and career exploration programs; and establishes a new paradigm for collaboration among bench, translational, and social scientists through interdisciplinary courses and integrated opportunities for teachers, graduate students, and faculty.
The ICORE program begins with a two week Institute with multidisciplinary concepts, skills and activities integrated into experiments illustrating the molecular basis of host-pathogen interactions and the development and production of controls/treatments. By the end of the Institute, teachers produce Action Proposals to incorporate knowledge, skills, applications and career information into classroom and inservice instruction. During the school year, teachers receive funds, equipment and personnel resources to facilitate implementation of their action research. Online message boards, reunions at professional meetings, and visits to and from scientists nourish the partnerships; assessment informs each component. Teachers return to a UF Symposium to present classroom results to ICORE faculty, students, and evaluators. Graduate credits awarded for successful completion can be applied towards a degree program or a Certificate in Biotechnology Education.
ICORE alumni mentor newer teachers and are prepared to enter advanced laboratory workshops, receive further credit, and be agents of change. They also become candidates for summer research in laboratories statewide.
Professional development for graduate students is enhanced through formal coursework, orientation seminars, mentoring opportunities, and the expertise of K-20 educators.
The structural components of this model program are designed to be transportable, and mechanisms to share best practices in initiating and sustaining effective precollege outreach programs are integral to this project.
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