ASU's GK12 program beefs up science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs in northeast Arkansas schools

July 28, 2009 -- ASU-Jonesboro’s 5-year GK12 program, funded by the National Science Foundation, will help enrich science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education in rural public schools throughout northeast Arkansas. The program will place 8 graduate fellows as “resident scientists” in sixth-grade to eighth-grade classrooms in 8 area schools. The fellows represent Environmental Sciences, Molecular Biosciences and Biology Graduate programs. Each graduate fellow will work with two mentor teachers. ASU’s GK12 program is in its second year.

“It’s a win-win for the graduate students, the teachers they assist, and the younger students they will help to instruct,” said Dr. Jennifer Bouldin, director of the Ecotoxicology Research Facility and assistant professor of Environmental Biology. Dr. Bouldin is also principal investigator for ASU’s GK12 program. “These eight fellows will get to work with 16 mentor teachers, so they will bring cutting-edge science into the school curriculum, they will learn to better communicate science to the students, and the students will see the range of possibilities for studying STEM courses in high school and in college.”

By basing their lesson plans on their graduate research, the GK12 program goals include the improvement of the fellows’ skills in communicating science to a broad audience while gaining a deeper understanding of their own research; the improving or enhancing the knowledge and experience of the classroom mentor teachers; the piquing of student interest in STEM courses and careers while exposing students to an enriched STEM environment; and the strengthening of partnerships between ASU-Jonesboro and the public schools of northeast Arkansas, with the ultimate goal of making higher education more visible and accessible to underserved populations.

Dr. Tillman Kennon, assistant professor of science education, is a co-principal investigator along with Dr. Anne Grippo, associate professor of biology, Dr. Cynthia Miller, NEA Delta Partnership for Math and Science, and Dr. Karen Yanowitz, associate professor of psychology. Dr. Mike Hall, associate professor of mathematics, is an associated faculty member.

Participating school districts are Armorel, Cross County, Forrest City, Harrisburg, Nettleton, and Wynne. The graduate fellows are, respectively, Sarah Thompson, Armorel; Annabelle McKie and Kevin Keen, Cross County; Mauricio Solis, Forrest City; Scott Chiavacci, Harrisburg; Bryan Reiley, Nettleton; and Seth Schirmer and Katie Lisko; Wynne.  Mentor-teachers in those schools are Alayna Duren and Kelly Hopper, Armorel; Heidi Brewington, Jacob Maxwell, Jennifer McFarland, and Melissa Moore, Cross County; Alysa Love and Charity McKeen, Forrest City; Denise Doyle and Teresa Sanders, Harrisburg; Heather Page and Matthew Novak, Nettleton; and Gayberia Smith, Cindy Barrett, Marc Griffin, and Meredith Schweighart, Wynne.



For more information on ASU-Jonesboro’s GK12 program, contact Dr. Jennifer Bouldin (jbouldin@astate.edu), (870) 972-2570.
 

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Photos courtesy of Dr. Jennifer Bouldin.
Photos from top: From left to right, this year's GK12 fellows are Bryan Reiley, Seth Schirmer, Annabelle McKie, Scott Chiavacci, Katie Lisko, Sarah Thompson, Kevin Keen, and Mauricio Solis. GK12 mentors--first row (kneeling, left to right): Teresa Sanders, Jacob Maxwell, Alisa Love, Kelly Hopper; second row, left to right: Jennifer McFarland, Heather Page, Gayberia Smith, Alayna Duren, Charity McKeen, Heidi Brewington; third row, left to right: Matthew Novak, Cindy Barnett, Marc Griffin, Melissa Moore, Meredith Schweighart, Teresa Sanders. The fellows and mentors of Arkansas State University's GK12 program pose outside Cooper Alumni Center after a day of team-building exercise.