University of Washington
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Undergraduate Biological Sciences Education Programs
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News/Awards
"Facilitating Long-Term Changes in Student Approaches to Learning Science"
HHMI EXROP Awardee: Elischa Sanders
Levinson Emerging Scholar: Marvin Nayan
President's Achievement Awardee: Denise Della
Bank of America Scholar: Jose Mario Pineda
Wells Fargo Vice President’s Achievement Awardee: Erica Chavez Santos
McNair Scholar: Elizabeth Emau, Chinonso Opara, Martha Zepeda Rivera
Mary Gates Scholar: Justin De Leon, Denise Della, Mauna Edrozo, Brittany Harding, Shereen Khorami, Megan Lacy, Helen Lai, Nathan Ma, Kevin Magnaye, Chantal Murthy, Alex Nelson, Kien-Thiet Nguyen, Jose Pineda, Claire Powers, Neela Ramanujam, Keiko Weir, Yue Xiang, Simon Zhou, Jessie Zou
S.M.A.R.T. Challenge Winning Team: Alexis Brendible, Veronica Rodriguez, Yesenia Rosales, and Erica Chavez Santos
Emerging Researchers National Meeting Presentation Awardees: Klondy Canales and Thien-Y Le
Emerging Researchers National (ERN) Conference in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Presenters: Nadya Ali, Jennifer Cross, Rebecca de Frates, and Cynthia Wainaina
Biologists at the University of Washington have provided intensive institutes and workshops for teachers since 1987. From 1989 through 2012, our in-service teacher training programs were supported by a grant from the HHMI and introduced hundreds of teachers to hands-on exploration and experiences with life science as a process of inquiry and problem solving. In the past decade alone, over 450 K-12 teachers who had little or no background in science and who may have avoided teaching science in the past have been through our programs; 3 have gone on to win Science Teacher of the Year Awards! These teachers were selected primarily from urban schools with high minority enrollment and from disadvantaged rural environments, and they have reached an estimated 164,000 students from across the state of Washington.
For a brief overview of programs, please download the brochure.
This resource for teachers emphasizes the use of scientific inquiry for teaching health in the middle school classroom. It was developed through an HHMI-funded collaboration between teachers and science education professionals in Western Washington.
Summer Institute In Life Science (SILS)
"Hands on Science!!!" is the SILS approach to science teaching. This popular program enrolled 20 teachers, primarily Grade 4-8 teachers, each year in a 4-week, intensive hands-on summer institute that was free for teachers. SILS introduced teachers to science investigations that used readily available materials developed for the middle-school classroom. Teachers engaged in open-ended inquiries with living organisms, designed experimental investigations, prepared a research poster as a teaching tool, and developed an inquiry curriculum unit. The focus was on practical ideas and tools for teaching life science.
Participants received 7 credits of Biol 491 upon successful completion of SILS and submission of curriculum project. SILS program faculty did follow-up visits to teachers at their schools to further support their applications of hands-on science in their classrooms.
To learn more about SILS:
Read a review of SILS from the newsletter Perspectives.
All activities are "hands-on" investigations, which provide teachers with a thorough understanding of the life science topics identified in the National Science Education Standards (NRC) for upper elementary and middle school grades.
Field trips allow teachers to learn about different ecological environments in Washington State, and to use the schoolyards and local environments to study nature. Classroom investigations focus on using inexpensive and readily available materials for teaching life science.
Research projects are a part of SILS. We believe that "you can't be a basketball coach unless you've played the game". Simple, interesting scientific investigations can be done in the upper elementary and middle school classroom but unless teachers understand how scientists ask and answer questions, they are at a disadvantage in guiding student investigations. Teachers design their own experiments to answer simple questions about organisms.
Alumni:
Over 450 teachers in Washington have participated in SILS since its early beginnings in 1987. These teachers have come from as far away as Pullman, Port Angeles, Bellingham and Vancouver. It is estimated that SILS alumni have brought hands-on inquiry science to over 85,000 students. Word-of-mouth is responsible for the popularity of this institute.
We have learned a great deal from our alumni about SILS impact and want to learn more. To this end, we maintain an e-sils network to stay connected with teachers and to promote peer interactions.
In 2012, we also held a special meeting called "SILS Retrospective: Learning From Our Teachers" to bring SILS alumni and other experts together to assess urgent needs for teaching science and explore solutions to address those needs. A summary of the meeting and lessons learned will be posted on this site soon.
What participants say about SILS:
Before this class I thought science needed to be taught out of books. Now I know that science needs to be hands-on with children exploring the different aspects of science.
Every day for 4 weeks I woke up excited about what we were going to learn that day. This is the best science course I have ever taken.
The resources were fabulous - the Resource Center, the opportunity to use the Internet, meet guest speakers, field trips.... everything!
This was the best way I could spend 4 weeks of the summer. I hope to share with my school staff the enthusiasm I now have for teaching life science.
Thank you so much for turning me on to science...I have always avoided science like the plague... I know from now on I will teach real hands-on science to my kids and I will share my excitement about it with them.
For additional information:
Please contact Helen Buttemer, K-12 Teacher Training Programs Organizer.
Field trips provide opportunities to learn about science and nature.
Water Quality Study
Trip to an Old Growth Forest
Animal Behavior Study
Quarter Institute In Life Science (QuILS)
From 2004 to 2010, QuILS provided 2-credit evening courses for Grade 5-8 teachers and featured hands-on, investigative science for the classroom. Tuition and course materials were covered by a grant from the HHMI, so the course was free for teachers. Participants met for 10 evening lab sessions and received 2 credits of Biol 491 upon successful completion of QuILS.
Focus topics included: Introduction to Experiments with Cells, Human Genetics, Investigations with Microbes, How the Body Works - Activities and Useful Resources to Build, Activities in Nutritional Education, Activities for Sex Education, Activities in Drug Education, Neurobiology, Heart/Circulation, Bioethics Activities, Exercises for Health and Math.
QuILS sessions often included guests with special skills and expertise, including UW scientists, Puget Sound resource people, and alumni from past SILS or QuILS.
QuILS emphasizes investigative science in the classroom.
For additional information:
Please contact Katherine Glew, QuILS Instructor.
^topVisit Biology
The Visit Biology Project promoted and supported field trips of Grades 3-12 classes to the UW Greenhouse and Medicinal Herb Garden to learn about the extraordinary biology of plants. These visits continue to be supported by the Department of Biology. Trained docents, who are undergraduate and graduate students who show a strong interest in outreach and science education, lead the tours. UW-HHMI supported curricular activities that encourage student participation in the tour. Students think about how plants demonstrate such themes as Plant-Animal Interactions, Diversity in Flowers as related to Reproductive Strategies, and The Evolution of Plants. This learning experience poses intriguing problems for students to solve and new insights for students and teachers to take back to their classrooms.
To learn more about the tours, please see the UW Greenhouse web page.
For additional information:
Please contact Katherine Glew, Visit Biology Program Organizer.
^topNational Lab Day
UW-HHMI and the Department of Biology celebrated National Lab Day in May 2010, 2011, and 2012. Each year, we hosted 75-80 fifth graders from local schools for a day of science. Over a dozen different laboratories opened their doors so our young visitors could join scientists in hands-on learning experiences. We thank our visitors, their teachers and parents, and our biology colleagues and undergraduate student ambassadors for making each NLD celebration a huge success!
Read the poster about 2010 NLD.
Read the University of Washington news article about NLD.
^topTeaching Materials for K-12 Science
SILS Experimental Lab Manual contains 10 open-ended experimental investigations using living organisms appropriate for middle school. Detailed instructions for teaching about the research process is also included.
In this article, Helen Buttemer describes a classroom activity for students to learn how to design a research investigation. As an added plus, students have a great deal of fun as they learn about slugs and slime!
In this article, Helen Buttemer describes the use of inquiry boards as a creative tool for teaching investigative science.
In this article, Helen Buttemer discusses the importance of teaching experimental science. It identifies misconceptions about experiments that are commonly encountered and presents two sets of guidelines for helping students design and write about experimental investigations.
Simple student guidelines for designing, conducting and writing about experiments. Appropriate for middle and high school. Includes Part A: Designing a B.E.T.T.E.R. Experiment, and Part B: Writing a R.E.R.U.N. Lab Report
The following activity guide was developed by Katherine Glew to use in conjunction with school visits to the Botany Greenhouse. Activities can be used before visiting the greenhouse or as a follow-up for the three ecosystems. Background information is provided for each of the ecosystems viewed on the greenhouse tour. Thought-provoking questions and vocabulary are included to facilitate understanding. This document was developed with support of UW-HHMI.
This resource for teachers emphasizes strategies and resources for teaching health in the middle school science classroom. It was developed through an HHMI-funded collaboration between teachers and science education professionals in Western Washington.
For additional information:
Please contact Helen Buttemer, K-12 Teacher Training Programs Organizer.
^topFaculty
Helen Buttemer teaches Biology 104 (Biology for Elementary Teachers) for pre-service undergraduates and Biology 492 (Biology Teaching Methods) for pre-service high school teachers. She directs the Biology Programs for Teachers in the Department of Biology including the M.S. in Biology for Teachers degree program. In addition, Helen has been a certified K-12 teacher since 1976 and has taught elementary, middle school and high school.
Katherine Glew's specialty is alpine lichen ecology in Washington State. She has taught biology, ecology, and marine biology for over 25 years. Katherine was the recipient of the 1990 Biology Teacher of the Year award for Washington State. She received her Master's in Science Curriculum and Instruction at the UW, emphasizing environmental education. Following a career as a high school biology teacher, Katherine returned to the UW for her Ph.D. in botany. She has been teaching in-service classes for teachers since 1991.