Biotechnology Alliance for Suncoast Biology Educators

State College Of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota, Bradenton FL

Investigators

Abstract

The Biotechnology Alliance for Suncoast Biology Educators (BASBE) project is facilitating professional development for secondary school teachers leading to the design and implementation of new biotechnology laboratory activities in regional high school biology classrooms. The college, in collaboration with the State College of Florida and the two school districts in the service area of the college, are committed to increasing the number of students entering Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields by (1) encouraging high school students to consider careers in science or in teaching science and (2) improving the overall quality of science education in local secondary schools to increase the preparedness of high school graduates to succeed in college science courses. Intellectual Merit: The BASBE project is based upon several science teacher training programs that have successfully integrated the use of biotechnology tools into high school biology laboratory activities. College faculty are working collaboratively with curriculum specialists from the two school districts, faculty and technicians from a Florida university, and representatives from regional biotechnology companies to develop educational modules that focus on DNA science and the use of biotechnology tools. BASBE is encouraging and supporting high school biology teachers with hands-on training programs that cover basic and advanced molecular techniques, elements that are essential for all biologists as well as science technicians and science educators. Instruments and supplies are being made available to participating teachers via an inter-district loan program to provide students first-hand experiences with the tools and techniques of molecular biology. BASBE is also providing teachers with classroom support, including presentations by area science professionals on careers in the industry and the materials needed for a two-week unit on biotechnology. Broader Impacts: The project makes a significant contribution to the science-learning infrastructure of two school districts and the only open-access college in the region. Recent revisions to the Florida science standards (Sunshine State Standards) reflect the trend to align college science curricula with more comprehensive real-world applications tied to an industrial or research laboratory setting. BASBE is developing an inquiry-driven approach to help make the molecular world relevant to students, including those whose interests and career goals may lie outside of the sciences. This partnership is enabling the college and its regional K12 districts to better align their curricula, creating continuity without duplication for students as they transition from high school to college science courses. This approach is novel in the way it forms partnerships between secondary and postsecondary science educators. Teachers are collaborating with scientists and college professors, forming lasting partnerships and sharing the physical and human resources needed to empower K12 teachers to incorporate a unit of technologically current investigative science into their curricula.