UW Grad Students Push for Science Makeover With Speaker Series |
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Oct. 31, 2006 -- A group of student scientists and engineers at the University of Wyoming is working to change the way people in the state think about science.
Beginning with a Thursday, Nov. 2 discussion, UW science and technology graduate students will offer a "Here's to Your Health" speaker series at the Albany County Public Library in Laramie. The brownbag luncheon talks begin at noon and will run each Thursday through Dec. 7, except for Thanksgiving Day.
Brittney Hahn, family and consumer science graduate student from Jackson, will launch the series with an informative presentation "Methamphetamine: Taming the Great Destroyer." Those attending will learn about the dangers and science of methamphetamine use and the toll it takes.
"Science is often thought of as boring and too analytical, but this speaker series program lets people know that science can be exciting and rewarding," says Travis Anderson, an electrical engineering graduate student from Casper.
Anderson is a member of an interdisciplinary team that was established as part of a three-year, $729,000 National Institutes of Health grant. UW's program "Enhancing Biomedical Science Awareness and Understanding in Wyoming" is in its second year. The grant combines funds with the UW Graduate School to offer assistantships to graduate students in a variety of biomedical fields that range from chemistry and molecular biology to engineering and consumer science.
Grant participants work to improve the image of science on several fronts -- in middle school classrooms, at community presentations and on the Internet. Teaming up with public school science teachers in Laramie, participants have developed inquiry-based lesson plans that grow out of their fields of expertise, Anderson says. These learning modules, which cover topics such as "Disease Detectives," "War of the Bugs" and "CSI, Cloning and Frankenfoods," will be taught in the participating teachers' classrooms this fall.
A major goal of the grant program is to find ways to make these presentations and learning modules available to libraries and civic groups in Wyoming. Those interested in scheduling presentations in their community should call the UW Science and Technology Grant Coordinator Jesse Anderson at (307) 766-6310 or e-mail JesseSA@uwyo.edu. Posted on Tuesday, October 31, 2006
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