Apprentice Program

Abstract

The University of Tennessee Memphis – The Health Science Center proposes the University of Tennessee Apprentice Program (UTAP) in response to: The lack of K-12 preparation students need to advance to higher education and to careers in biomedical/behavioral sciences and other scientific fields The need to maintain teacher preparedness to teach the changing science in a way that increases their knowledge and inspires students with their own enthusiasm for science The proposed UTAP will be guided by the following long-term objectives: To stimulate student interest in biomedical/behavioral research and health sciences to the point they are encouraged to take the science and mathematics courses which are prerequisites for training in these disciplines To broaden and enrich secondary teachers’ science knowledge and skills which will contribute to the enrichment of science education and to their own skills teaching students The specific aims of the UTAP are to: Engage eight high school students in a summer eight-week participatory research experience with a variety of science professionals that will broaden their career awareness and bring focus to their future education plans Engage three secondary teachers in a summer four-week hands-on guided experimentation and instruction workshop in molecular biology and in the preparation of science demonstration kits for actual use and demonstration in their own classrooms and with their science colleagues Both UTAP research components will involve mentors: members of the Sigma Xi Chapter at UT Memphis (for the students) and Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology faculty (for the teachers). In addition to their laboratory experience the students will also participate in a one-week orientation course (prior to their UTAP lab experience) take a chemistry and biology class during the summer and participate in a final forum during which an oral presentation summarizing their research projects will be made to the UTAP mentors students parents science teachers and other interested university guests. Follow-up to the UTAP summer research components during the academic year will take the form of special enrichment/professional development activities for the students (a Saturday colloquium with career and health issues orientation) and the teachers (a colloquium series where the UTAP teachers will share classroom successes and problems related to integrating the new science content and instructional approaches into the existing curriculum and will expand their insight into the status of current research in science at UT Memphis).