TU Aims to be the “BEST” in STEM Teaching

January 4, 2012

Kelsey

Towson University has long been known as the “teachers college”. Though it is now a comprehensive metropolitan public university, TU still maintains its strong roots in teacher education. The pedagogies and curriculum have evolved over the years as the field and needs of our community and students have changed, today a large focus for TU and educators across Maryland is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education.

The Baltimore Excellence in STEM Teaching (BEST) project, which is funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), realizes this and aims to improve STEM education at high schools and middle schools throughout the Baltimore region. The BEST project is a part of Towson University’s Center for STEM Excellence and offers training and mentoring to in-service STEM teachers and educational outreach to their students. Mentors come from many area higher education institutions, including TU. Participating teachers go through a 6-week summer research experience, which is followed by professional development workshops. Teachers then take what they have learned from the BEST Program and apply it in their classroom.

I was recently able to speak with Julie Damico, the Director of the BEST program. She began her position in July of 2010 and though the program is young, it is growing in popularity. Ms. Damico informed me that for the 2012-2013 school year, there were 52 applicants for about 20 spots. She also provided me with some thoughts from previous years’ participants and they had some great things to say.

  • While many of the participants spoke of gaining more skills in their field, I was surprised to see how many talked about the confidence boost they received from the program.
  • A lot of the teachers had not done research in a long time and this program was a chance to do just that.
  • Many of the participants noted that this research experience helped to confirm that they had chosen the right career path.

This new knowledge and confidence invigorated the teachers and got them excited to take it all back to their students to improve STEM education in their classrooms.

BEST is a great program and it is making strides in the improvement of STEM education in and around Baltimore. I encourage everyone, and especially any middle and high school teachers, to check out the BEST program and see what it has to offer.

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Posted by Kelsey Beckett

Cyber Security, STEM Education Partnerships, Great Networking, and more!

March 28, 2011

Bobbie

With just over three weeks to go before the 4th annual Solutions Showcase on April 13th I wanted to share a couple of the event’s highlights with our readers.

First, our Exhibitors! This year we are so excited to have 15 exhibitors representing Towson’s most exciting research and educational programs in the area of technology, STEM, and community outreach.  Here are just a few:

Adolescent and Adult Language and Literacy Clinic (ALL)

  • Provides spoken and written language assessments to adolescents and adults struggling with speaking, listening, reading, and writing.
  • Offers intervention services to individuals with spoken and written language disorders including dyslexia
  • Provides a unique professional preparation opportunity for graduate students training to become speech-language pathologists

Center for Applied IT & MAISA

  • Cyber security consulting and seminars
  • External graduate assistantship program for business
  • Research partnerships in information assurance and applied IT

Bioscience Education and Outreach Program

  • Field-trip destination, providing hands-on, inquiry based bioscience lab activities to Maryland’s secondary science students
  • Providing a variety of professional development opportunities to teachers throughout Maryland
  • Equipment loan program to assist Maryland educator’s in delivering high quality, hands-on bioscience laboratory activities in their own classroom

Showcase 2010 Exhibitors

Second, our Speakers! This year the Showcase will feature two fantastic keynote speakers.  Ms. Kathleen Oliver, Assistant State Superintendent for Maryland, responsible for Career Technology and College Readiness, will highlight educational and outreach programs that are focused on regional workforce needs and provide opportunities for business, government, and education to work together to meet those needs. Mr. Dickie George, Senior Technical Director for Information Assurance with the NSA, will discuss the changes in Information Assurance in the last forty years, what the challenge is, how the cyber cold war compares to the cold war of the 1960’s, what skills are sought after in new hires, and opportunities at the Agency.

This free event is the best opportunity for business, education, and government partners interested in working with Towson University faculty, researchers, and professional outreach centers to meet the right people and identify opportunities for collaboration!

1 Comment | Community Outreach, Education, Entrepreneurship, Events, Mapping, News, TU Faculty & Staff | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Bobbie Laur

STEM Turned into STEAM

September 27, 2010

Lindsey

By the title of this blog post, you most likely have no idea what I will be talking about. This blog will not be about plants, nor will it be about something produced from a factory. Let me explain. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, and is a term used for related education. STEM becomes STEAM when you add an A for Arts into the mix. One great example of STEAM is the Methods for Teaching Dance class offered on campus.

Every semester, Towson University (TU) Dance Majors prepare and implement dance classes that are geared to teaching the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) curriculum of Baltimore City. Through a TU Service-Learning Grant obtained with help from the Office of Civic Engagement, students are able to travel to the Baltimore IT Academy (BIT) to bring STEM to life in the classroom.

TU Dance Majors get the real world experience of designing and applying education through dance and the BIT students get a unique and fun learning opportunity mixed with physical exercise and a great social experience as they connect 1:1 with TU students. To benefit families and the community, a final performance of creative projects is shared at the end of the semester. Last year the course was able to reach 25 students and 15 dance education majors by teaching the Rock Cycle of the earth through movement.

With a Service-Learning Course such as this, the school wins by adding to their academic curriculum, the community wins by having a way to tie everyone together, and TU students win the real-world experience of applying their education.

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Posted by Lindsey Meyer

TU in the Community is ‘Out of this World’

April 19, 2010

Lindsey

Lindsey

“Shoot for the moon and if you miss you will still be among the stars.” This Lee Brown quote is one of my all time favorites and was the first thing I thought of when viewing the amazing community outreach initiatives that occur each week at Towson University’s Hackerman Academy.

Each week, the Hackerman Academy provides a popular Saturday Morning Science series for the community. The series is so engaging that students want to come learn on their day off from school! Through these sessions, the Hackerman Academy meets its goals of attracting more students into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) majors while preparing teachers for area schools in these much needed discipline areas. TU students volunteer each week to help make the series possible.

What makes the Hackerman Academy such a success? One answer is by having excellent staff on board.  TU is fortunate to have its own ‘Astronaut in Residence’, Dr. Don Thomas. Following his experience as a NASA Astronaut, Don came to TU to help future students get excited and engaged in the field that he loves. Despite his remarkable background, Don is surprisingly humble and ‘down to earth’. His pure love of STEM related fields and genuine interest in helping students achieve is hard not to admire.

In addition to the Saturday Morning Science series, the Hackerman Academy often invites schools from the community in for special trips and STEM related class sessions. Dr. James Saunders, Director of the Molecular Biology, Biochemistry and Bio-Informatics Program, collaborates with Don to strengthen these school and community partnerships.

It is through outreach initiatives like the Hackerman Academy that students, teachers, schools, and communities connect and learn together. Want to have fun and learn at the same time? Check out the Hackerman Academy’s Calendar of Events.

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Posted by Lindsey Meyer

A Signature Partnership: Towson University & Building STEPS

December 9, 2009

Bobbie

Building STEPS was founded in 1995 by Matthew Weinberg, CEO of The Weinberg Group, and is structured as an internship program designed to expose minority students to workplace dynamics and encourage post high school education, with an emphasis in science and technology. The decade old non-profit is headquartered at TU and their offices are right across from where I spend most of my day typing away on my mac in the Administration Building.

The Building STEPS program has served over 252 high school Juniors and Seniors since their inception and continues to have astounding results, like:

  • 94% of their students have gone on to college
  • 11 of their students are in masters doctoral programs
  • 100% of their students receive academic scholarships for college

The exposure these students receive is first-rate and includes seminar days to Northrop Grumman, a behind the scenes tour at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, University of MD Biotechnology Institute, and a visit to Dr. Jim Saunders’ classroom in our very own Smith Hall.  This year, Dr. Saunders hosted 60 Building STEPS students in October.  Some of the hands-on activities in the past have included a:

Lab experiment with Dr. Saunders

The Division of Economic and Community Outreach has been fortunate in the past few years to have a few Building STEPS interns with us over the summer.  Recently, we interviewed them for our ongoing “Education Meets the Workforce” series.

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Posted by Bobbie Laur

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