BSCS announces two recently funded projects, Geniverse and Carbon Connections. Use the links below to read more!
Collaborative NSF-Funded Project to Develop Science Virtual Laboratory
Multimedia Climate Change Modules Project Funded by NASA
Collaborative NSF-Funded Project to Develop Science Virtual Laboratory
BSCS is excited to announce its participation in a $3.7 Million, NSF-funded project led by the Concord Consortium. The five-year project, called Geniverse, is a collaboration between the Concord Consortium, Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance, the Jackson Laboratory, BSCS, and TERC. The Concord Consortium will develop a cyber-learning environment that will engage students with the same processes used by scientists. High school students will participate in a virtual laboratory environment and learn firsthand how science knowledge develops in the rapidly changing biology fields of bioinformatics and DNA science.
With a research budget of approximately $600,000, BSCS will study the impact of a cyber-learning model on various student outcomes, including students' learning about biology concepts, their integration of biology knowledge, their skill at scientific argumentation, and their knowledge of the process of science. BSCS will also study factors that mediate the effects of the Geniverse materials, including professional development, teacher content knowledge, and fidelity of implementation.
The Geniverse project builds upon previous work by the Concord Consortium, and will contribute important research findings about how to apply transformative cyberlearning models to core biology learning and how these new models can be effectively implemented in the classroom. Geniverse will enhance student learning about the process of science while creating and testing structures for researching this learning.
For more information, contact BSCS.
Project to Develop Multimedia Climate Change Modules Funded by NASA
BSCS recently received notification of funding for a $650,000, two-year project to help high school students better understand the role of carbon in global climate change. The project, funded by NASA, is a collaboration between BSCS and Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB), known for its award-winning, multi-media productions. Carbon Connections will be a collection of three free, internet-based modules. The modules will bring to life abstract concepts in carbon cycling and climate change and guide students as they investigate global data sets from NASA and other science teams in an interactive environment.
The modules will follow carbon records in past, present, and future contexts. The interactive modules will use innovations in multimedia design to engage learners, allowing them to manipulate data in a controlled web environment to enhance their understanding of the science of global climate change. The project’s anticipated outcomes include better student and teacher understanding of climate change, increased student interest in science and careers in STEM fields, better student understanding of the vital role of NASA in monitoring Earth systems, and the improved ability of student-citizens to make complex decisions about climate change.
Carbon Connections modules will feature a conceptual framework for understanding interactions in complex systems, a research-based design for teaching and learning with scientific inquiry, and a format that integrates key data sets and models from NASA scientists and missions. BSCS will use both internal and external evaluation protocols to compile student and teacher data. The project team plans a much reduced carbon footprint by disseminating the modules to teachers and many thousands of students from the BSCS website and by using a focused set of regions for field-testing including Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, the Front Range of Colorado, and Central Florida.
For more information, contact BSCS.
BSCS (Biological Sciences Curriculum Study) is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that endeavors to improve all students' understanding of science and technology by developing exemplary curricular materials, supporting their widespread and effective use, providing professional development, and conducting research and evaluation studies. Founded in 1958 as a curriculum study, BSCS is committed to an evidence-based approach to science education, supporting teachers and learners in their quest to better understand the world around them through research-based science education. Visit our website at www.bscs.org.
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