Ten Montgomery County Science Teachers Participate in a Month-long (ExPERT) Extended Professional Experience in Research for Teachers Program in Baltimore

Faculty at UMBI’s Center of Marine Biotechnology Act as Mentors --
Teachers to Present Lesson’s Learned Friday, July 29 from 10:30-12:30

Baltimore, MD - For a second consecutive year, Montgomery County Middle and High School Science teachers are taking part in a four-week professional education program sponsored by the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute’s Center of Marine Biotechnology (COMB). The program, Extended Professional Experience in Research for Teachers (ExPERT), is part of the Vertically Integrated Program (VIP) for K-16 Project and is funded through the National Science Foundation’s Math and Science Partnership program sponsored by Congress. UMBI is part of a University System of Maryland award from this program and has sponsored the mentoring of ten teachers in their labs during the month of July.

Sandy Honda, UMBI’s project coordinator for the ExPERT program explains the goals of the program further by saying “We’re making a conscious effort to integrate scientific inquiry with classroom inquiry through individualized research experiences side-by-side with undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students.”

Throughout the month of July, Montgomery County science teachers participated in various activities that can be used in the classroom. All ten teachers conducted wet lab research investigations, and participated in workshops and lab meetings. Friday, July 29, 2005, from 10:30-12:30 at the Columbus center, teachers will present lessons learned during this program and apply their knowledge of work to various experiences to potential classroom learning activities.

(From left to right) Jennifer Petering- Magruder High School; Jason Gvazdauskas- Damascus High School.

Jason Gvazdauskas, Environmental Science and Forensics teacher at Damascus High School stated that his reason for coming back to the program for a second year was that, “there is a big difference between book-learned science and actually working in a lab with professional scientists and understanding how scientific inquiries play out in their everyday work. I’m very glad UMBI has this program, because it is a good opportunity for science teachers to know what is going on in cutting-edge research labs and how scientific research works beyond the textbook.”

“Being pushed out of my comfort zone forces me to learn new things” says Meghan Malanchus, a teacher at Lakelands Park Middle School and new to the ExPERT program. She describes her experience in the program by saying, “It makes me very aware of my students when I go to a new unit. Plus, I don’t have a strong biology background so I’m learning everything here through the ExPERT program.”

(From left to right) Jeneen Stewart- Paint Branch High School; Christina Baldwin- Sherwood High School.

Another newcomer Christina Baldwin, biology teacher at Sherwood High School agrees. “I think part of our jobs as teachers is to promote life-long learning, and this program to me is a way to stimulate my brain,” said Christina Balwin. The information we’re learning here at COMB is not in the textbook. This is all new stuff, it’s very in-depth.”

When the group of ten teachers, seven new to the program and three returning for a second year, were asked how the program has been of help to them, Todd MalKoff, a biology and earth science teacher at McKenney Hills Alternative Program said, “It’s a time to reflect on what it is that we’re teaching to students and how to do it better by integrating activities into the classroom.” He continued by saying, “All the people in the lab have been supportive and respectful of the teachers and they help me brainstorm different ideas and activities that can be integrated into the classroom.”

Todd Malkoff- McKenney Hills High School

Dr. Jennie Hunter-Cevera, president of UMBI notes, “This is just one of many ways UMBI seeks to enhance workforce development activities in the scientific and teaching communities. We are proud of our faculty who support this program by mentoring teachers, and of the willingness of these science teachers to commit an entire month of their time to enhance their scientific understanding through hands-on inquiry-based research. And, proud of their willingness to then incorporate what they have learned here into their classroom teaching.”

In FY 2006 federal legislative appropriations bill, the department of Education in Math and Science Partnership Program (MSPs) received $190 million; an $11.4 million increase over last year. Montgomery County School Teachers participating in the UMBI sponsored program will present on Friday July 29, 2005 from 10:30 -12:30 what they learned over the last month and how they will incorporate new inquiry-based learning into their classrooms in the coming year. For additional information on UMBI’s involvement in the ExPERT program, please contact Sandy Honda at Honda@umbi.umd.edu, or Alicia Moran at Moran@umbi.umd.edu.

2005 ExPERT Teacher Participants:
Christina Baldwin Sherwood High School
Jason Gvazdauskas Damascus High School
Nicole Holmes Seneca Valley High School
Meghan Milanchus Lakelands Park Middle School
Todd Malkoff McKenney Hills High School
David McGaffin Damascus High School
Jennifer Petering Magruder High School
Kathryn Sander Kennedy High School
Lance Scott McKenney Hills High School
Jeneen Stewart Paint Branch High School

2005 ExPERT Mentor at UMBI’s Center for Marine Biotechnology:
M. Robert Belas, Ph.D. Microbial Geneticist
Dr. Feng Chen, Ph. D.
Jim Du, Ph.D. Developmental Biologist
Russell T. Hill, Ph.D. Microbiologist
Rosemary Jasgus, Ph.D. Molecular Biologist
Frank T. Robb, Ph.D. Microbiologist
Kevin R. Sowers, Ph.D. Microbiologist
John Stubblefield
Yonathan Zohar, Ph.D. Fish Endocrinologist
Geraldo Vasta, Ph.D. Virologist

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Celebrating our 20th anniversary year, UMBI is the first and only biotechnology research institute within the University System of Maryland and was established in 1985. The University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI) consists of five major research and education centers and is dedicated to advancing the frontiers of biotechnology. UMBI’s centers of research include: CARB, the Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology located in Rockville; CBR, the Center for Biosystems Research located in College Park; and COMB, the Center of Marine Biotechnology, MBC, the Medical Biotechnology Center, and IHV, the Institute of Human Virology, all located in Baltimore. For more information, visit www.umbi.umd.edu