No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

It is increasingly difficult for teaching to keep pace with rapid advances in technology, especially at the interface of several disciplines. We describe here the development and implementation of an interdisciplinary bioinformatics course focused on preparing the future scientific workforce. Central to the course is a project-centric teaching paradigm to engage students in applying the concepts of cyberinfrastructure through the integration of the disciplines of biology, computer science, mathematics, and statistics in the field of bioinformatics. In this project, Bluefield State College (BSC) professors and their students were introduced to the concepts of cyberinfrastructure (CI) through the application of genomics software tools and data. The cornerstone of the project-centric approach was the development and implementation of educational modules centered on applying a transdisciplinary approach to specific and typical challenges that are faced by current scientists in the area of pathosystems biology (hostpathogen-environment interactions). The course modules were further modified by BSC to fit their students and training objectives. We report here the first implementation of the CI course and a summary of our initial observations to aid others in implementing similar courses. Specifically, we discuss materials developed at Bluefield and implementation of the Center for Applied Research and Technology (CART) Course Management Service (CMS) at BSC in the delivery of the course as well as the assessment.

Purpose Middle school participants in the USA attending an on-campus university informal science program indicate an increase in interest toward careers and disciplines in STEM or STEAM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics and the arts). Parents or guardians confirm the change. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach Participants attended “inquiry-based” lectures by scientists and “hands-on” activities conducted by volunteers on campus at a public university over four months, four Saturdays. Participants completed surveys before each lecture and guardians completed surveys afterwards. Findings Interest increased significantly according to paired samples t-tests for each STEM discipline for students who reported low interest on the initial pre-lecture survey. There was a significant linear improvement in interests in engineering using a repeated measures general linear model. Guardians or parents reported that they observed a higher interest in STEM disciplines resulting in more technical-related interaction among peers and within the family. Social implications Findings support STEM with arts “out-of-school” programs sponsored by museums, corporations, government, higher education and others. Inclusion of the “hands-on” activities, some with arts content, to the science and technical learning appears to spark enthusiasm. Originality/value The value is multidisciplinary. The theory of reasoned action from social psychology, sociology, along with related research in science education and the arts are synthesized. Informal extracurricular experiences sustained and improved interests in the disciplines and careers on which the formal educational career pipeline can build.