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Susan Flowers (top). In the bottom photo, St. Louis area high school students make observations of aquatic macro-invertebrates as part of an all-day aquatic ecosystems investigation in the Shaw Institute for Field Training (SIFT) program.
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ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
Institution: Washington University, St. Louis, MO
Instructor: Susan Flowers
Instruction: High school research internships
Incorporating the How Science Works flowchart
As a life sciences educator who works primarily outside the formal classroom environment, I have found the resources at UnderstandingScience.org to be incredibly helpful. The "how science works" flowchart has become a permanent part of my teaching toolkit! I regularly use it to help middle and high school students get a better grasp of how science permeates their everyday lives, and what different types of activities can make up a career in the sciences. And in our Tyson Environmental Research Fellowships program (NSF ISE 06-520 DRL-0739874), I have found the flowchart especially useful for helping the high school participants understand where their summer work activities fit into the larger research project picture. A student and a research mentor can basically put a "you are here" red dot on the flowchart, allowing the student to see where their field work fits. In short, I have found it to be an excellent framework for communication of the real scientific research process! |
