Grade 3-8 Teachers at USM for a Look Into an Invisible World
July 13, 2009
Sixteen teachers in grades 3 – 8 from Maine schools are spending two weeks of their summer getting a firsthand look into the usually invisible world of microbiology, virology, bacteriology, immunology, cancer biology, electron microscopy, and the physics of light with the help of USM faculty and staff, and some highly specialized microscopes.
The first step of the project is to introduce the teachers to detailed, visual images of microorganisms and cells using advanced lab equipment, including a digital transmission electron microscope. In subsequent phases, faculty and staff in USM’s Department of Applied Medical Sciences and the USM Southworth Planetarium will work with teachers to develop visual resources for elementary and middle school classroom uses throughout Maine.
The program is made possible through a five-year Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) and funded through a $1.3 million grant from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These awards bring together biomedical researchers, educators and others to create and disseminate programs that give third through eighth grade teachers, students and the general public a better understanding of life science.
COVERAGE OPPORTUNITIES:
USM professors and school teachers will be working in USM’s Virology Laboratory this Thursday, July 16.
TIME:
12 noon – 1:15 p.m., this Thursday, July 16.
PLACE:
Room 72 (Virology Laboratory), USM Science Building, Falmouth Street, Portland.
Room 72 is located in the basement of the Science Building, the building up from the Sullivan Gym on Falmouth St. Park in the lot between the Sullivan Gym and the Science Building. Call 228-8040 for directions.
Teachers from the following school systems will be there:
Brunswick, Buxton, Freeport, Lewiston, North Berwick, Old Orchard Beach, Portland, Saco, and South Portland.
CONTACT PERSON AT THE LAB:
USM Professor of Molecular Biology Monroe Duboise.
FOR HELP ARRANGING INTERVIEWS:
Call USM Public Affairs
780-4200
For more information on the Department of Applied Medical Science, Engineering and Technology (ASET), see http://www.usm.maine.edu/ams/
The University of Southern Maine (USM) offers its 10,000 plus students more than 115 areas of undergraduate and graduate study. USM’s location in southern Maine, a region cited as one of the most liveable in the country, offers a range of educational, cultural and recreational opportunities.
