Published: October 29, 2011
Mr. Spuck presented at the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science National Conference in San Jose, CA. The presentation focused heavily on NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program and the Spitzer Space Telescope Research Program for Teachers and Students.
Title: Building Bridges: How Including K-12 Educators on your Research Team Benefits Everyone
ABSTRACT: K-12 educators are the gateway to the STEM pipeline. While many STEM education programs bring scientists and engineers into K12 classrooms, most provide limited interaction with teachers and students, and as a result limited opportunity for effective collaboration and lasting impacts. When teachers and students work side-by-side with scientists and engineers for extended periods of time, students and teachers come to truly understand what it means to be a practitioner of STEM, and the scientists and engineers come to understand what it means to be effective communicators of STEM. This presentation will focus on successful models for partnering the research community with K-12 educators, and will highlight the benefits to students, educators, researchers, and the entire STEM enterprise.