Many science teachers will be rushing back to class this summer to learn more about bugs and genetics through a variety of workshops sponsored by the Hughes Initiative Program at CU-Â鶹¹ÙÍø.
The Hughes Initiative at CU is holding its annual summer science workshops for teachers during June and July, said campus Hughes program director Julie Graf. The workshops are part of a nationwide effort by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute of Chevy Chase, Md., to increase the number of students interested in careers in the biological or medical sciences, strengthen biology education and encourage minority and women students entering the sciences.
The CU-Â鶹¹ÙÍø Hughes Initiative has been funded by two grants totaling $3.8 million from the institute since 1989 to enrich science education for campus undergraduates and thousands of Colorado K-12 students.
The four workshops at CU-Â鶹¹ÙÍø will offer hands-on experience to teachers covering a variety of laboratory activities appropriate for the classroom. Given their investigative nature, these activities help teachers implement the National Science Education Standards in their classrooms.
The workshops include:
o "Lots of Learning Buzzing Around," a one-day workshop on Tuesday, June 30 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Hughes Science Center located in the MCD Biology building. It will explore the fascinating world of social insects through engaging, interactive activities that can be conducted in the elementary classroom.
The workshop will equip teachers with their own set of mounted insects, enabling them to teach students about how a social insect colony is organized and how insects are able to communicate with one another.
o "Infectious Disease: A Really Sick Workshop," a two-day workshop on Friday, July 10 and Saturday, July 11 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Hughes Science Center. It will explore disease-causing agents, the human body's immune response and the ecology of disease outbreaks.
High school teachers will learn simple tests and stains that can be performed on bacteria to observe and identify them. They also will have the opportunity to participate in a simple activity demonstrating the transmission of a virus through a population, and role-play as epidemiologists investigating a plague outbreak.
o "Green Genes: Transforming Your Classroom with Molecular Genetics," a three-day workshop from Tuesday, July 14 through Thursday, July 16 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day in the Hughes Science Center.
The workshop is designed for high school teachers, especially in advanced areas of biology. It will explore the many ways in which green fluorescent protein, also known as GFP and that is relatively new on the molecular biology scene, is used by contemporary research teams. Teachers will learn how to clone GFP and use it as a marker in living cells.
o "Communicating Science With Social Insects," a one-day workshop on July 18 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Hughes Science Center. It will explore questions based on social insects, their genetics and physical traits belonging to these social organisms.
The workshop is designed for middle and high school teachers and will begin by exploring the structure of a social insect colony. Teachers will leave with their own mounted collection of insects to share with their students.
The workshop will also examine the intricate communication systems that exist in these societies. It will conclude with a hands-on look at the unique genetic systems that distinguish social insects from all other animals.
Members of the media who would like to attend any of the workshops should contact Graf at 492-8230.