NSF Grant Will Partner Calvin with Schools, Businesses

October 19, 2006 == MEDIA ADVISORY

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded Calvin College a new grant
that will position some 100 area middle school students to be part of a unique
initiative to improve science education and to strengthen students' real-world
science experiences.

Calvin will receive $721,754 from NSF for TRIAGE (Team Researchers in a
GLOBE-al Environment), a program that will help middle school students develop
authentic scientific research skills and thinking as part of a comprehensive
focus on environmental sustainability.

The 100-120 students in the program (two years of participants at
approximately 60 students per year) will be part of a group of only 700 to 800
students nationwide with a similar opportunity.

Calvin will work with Forest Hills Public Schools, Grand Rapids Catholic
Schools, Grand Rapids Christian Schools, Grand Rapids Public Schools and
Wyoming Public Schools. Business partners for the project include Meijer
Botanical Gardens and Sculpture Park, Pierce Cedar Creek Institute, Timmermans
Environmental, West Michigan Environmental Action Council and the West Michigan
Sustainable Business Forum.

Rachel Sytsma Reed, an assistant professor in education at Calvin, is the
program coordinator. She is a former middle and high school school science
teacher, whose many degrees include a doctorate in educational psychology and a
master's in chemical oceanography.

TRIAGE teams will utilize the Bunker Interpretive Center and Ecosystem
Preserve at Calvin for their home base, where they will collect data for
existing projects, develop data entry and analysis skills, design and execute
their own research projects, and engage in team-building activities using
resources, games, and exhibits in the Bunker Center.

Each month will include career presentations and off-site tours utilizing
business partners and advisory board members' community connections. The entire
TRIAGE program is extra-curricular, occurring after school and during the
summer.

For the full story see
http://www.calvin.edu/news/releases/2006-07/nsf-grant.htm
Contact Rachel Reed at 616-526-6032 or rachel.reed@calvin.edu

-end-
Received on Thu Oct 19 09:23:37 2006