News :: Vanderbilt Center for Science Outreach

Is DNA the secret to the mysteries of life? Is your water safe to drink? Does your brain have potential? 

These are a few of the questions that freshman students at the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt tackle weekly. Every Monday, 25 students are immersed in the rich and dynamic scientific research environment of Vanderbilt University. From the study of neurons using glow worms in Dr. David Miller’s laboratory, to the study of speciation in beetles in Dr. Daniel Funk's laboratory, to research tools like rapid speed DNA sequencing; the School opens the door to real world science for these  bright young high school students. On a recent Monday, students extracted DNA from fruit and watched it separate through gel electrophoresis. On October 1, the class will venture to Nashville's Warner Parks where they will wade through the Little Harpeth River while performing a stream survey to study water quality, species diversity, and to ponder the question, are there too many roads?

Each class day, instructors Dr. Angela Eeds, Dr. Kimberlie McCue and Dr.Chris Vanags present students with a question. The students are encouraged to ask more questions and dialogue with each other and their instructors to dig deeper into the mysteries of science and the natural world.

The eight members of the senior class are preparing to enter their independent research projects into the Siemens Westinghouse, Intel and Middle Tennessee Science and Technology science competitions.

As fall approaches, the School is bustling with excitement and activity.

(The School for Science and Math launched 8/20/07)

The CSO partner Center for Teaching offers a "teaching certificate" program designed to help graduate, professional students, and postdocs develop and refine their teaching skills. We invite you to attend their information session on October 3, 2007 as well as a variety of relevant workshops and discussions held throughout the semester.

Keep an eye on our website for teaching opportunities in the Scientist-in-the-Classroom Partnership (SCP) Program and School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt .

The CSO's director, Virginia Shepherd, Ph.D., was awarded the Thomas Jefferson Award for Distinguished Service at the Fall Faculty Assembly on August 30, 2007. The award recognizes Dr. Shepherd "for her diplomatic and efficient leadership of the Faculty Senate; for her creation and direction of the Vanderbilt Center for Science Outreach; for her leadership of the National Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics and her role on the NCAA Task Force for Recruiting Student Athletes; and for her directorship of the Learning Sciences Institute."

See the full article of faculty achievement awards in the Vanderbilt Register.

The Learning Sciences Institute (LSI) is a Vanderbilt University-wide center dedicated to stimulating and supporting interdisciplinary research and development in the learning sciences. Through that work, the LSI seeks to improve education while developing a new generation of tomorrow's leaders.

With over $80 million in external support, the LSI's 100+ investigators are currently exploring a wide variety of topics such as conceptual and cultural change, the achievement gap, education leadership assessment, embodied mathematical cognition, teacher professional development, the role of culture in learning, and more.

The summer 2007 edition of the LSI's newsletter, "Eye on the LSI," featured an article introducing the School for Science and Math to the LSI investigators and to other community members. Read the article online or download a PDF copy of the whole newsletter.