Research Centers and Programs

Science Education Partnership Award Program

Group photo of studentsSEPA Logo
About the Program

We are fortunate to receive funding from a Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) provided by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences. The goal of the SEPA program is to invest in educational activities that complement or enhance the training of a workforce to meet the nation’s biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs. This is accomplished through interactive partnerships between researchers and educators, providing opportunities for students from underserved communities, and helping students, teachers, and the public have a better understanding of life sciences through providing educational resources.

In August 2018, the Science Education Team launched our new NIH-funded research project entitled Mobile Lab Experiences and TRIPs (Teacher-Research Institute Partnerships) to Inspire Middle School Students.

This project creates innovative science curriculum for middle school students focused on epidemiology and infectious diseases. There are several formats of the Investigations in Infectious Disease curriculum available with varying lengths to provide flexibility for teaching the content. Each version of the curriculum includes teacher and student manuals, videos, and readings as appropriate. See below to learn more about the curriculum and request a copy.  

Projects

To date, our department has received two five-year SEPA grants:

Engaging Families to Enhance Science Learning and Interest in STEM Careers

The project was implemented at ten Title I-eligible elementary schools in Washington state. The project was designed to improve knowledge of key scientific topics and to encourage student interest in learning science and in pursuing a career in STEM.

Participating in the project in grade four resulted in statistically significant gains in knowledge of the topics that persisted into grade seven. Participating in the project also resulted in significant gains in interest and engagement in learning science and in pursuing a career in STEM that were maintained into grades five and six. These data demonstrate that the project had a significant positive impact that persisted for two to three years after participating in the project.

Read the Summary Report.

The Engaging Families to Enhance Science Learning and Interest in STEM Careers project concluded in 2017. The project’s aims, details, and findings were peer-reviewed and published in the Journal of STEM Outreach in January 2019.

To learn more about our SEPA projects, please email Dr. Amanda Jones.

Mobile Lab Experiences and TRIPs (Teacher–Research Institute Partnerships) to Inspire Middle School Students

In August 2018, we launched our new NIH-funded research project entitled Mobile Lab Experiences and TRIPs (Teacher-Research Institute Partnerships) to Inspire Middle School Students. This project creates innovative science curriculum for middle school students in grades 7-8.

There are several versions of each curriculum available with varying lengths to provide flexibility for teaching the content. Each version of the curriculum includes teacher and student manuals, videos, and readings as appropriate, and is available at no cost. You can check out previews of each version of the curriculum below.

The TRIPs project is funded by a Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) from National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R25 GM129798.

Investigations in Infectious Disease

Students will learn about the fields of epidemiology and infectious diseases, the steps in an epidemiological investigation, and how scientists can use DNA to identify the source of an infection. Select which version works best for your classroom:

1. Science Adventure Lab (Mobile Lab) Version (5 lessons including 1-hour mobile lab visit)

Teachers requesting the Mobile Lab Version must be located in Western Washington. This version is intended for 3-5 classes, with a maximum of 30 students per class. There are four classroom lessons and one lesson onboard the mobile Science Adventure Lab during a visit to your school.

For the classroom activities, students follow the steps in an epidemiological investigation, review case reports of patients infected with a foodborne bacterial illness and plot an epidemic curve. During the lesson on the mobile lab, students use gel electrophoresis to generate DNA fingerprints in order to identify the source of the outbreak. Students complete a Claim, Evidence, Reasoning framework to summarize their findings.

2. Science Discovery Lab (Field Trip) Version (5 lessons including 2.5-hour field trip)

Teachers requesting the Mobile Lab Version must be located in the Puget Sound region. This version is intended for 1 class with a maximum of 32 students. There are four classroom lessons and one field trip to the Science Discovery Lab in downtown Seattle. Transportation assistance is available upon request.

For the classroom activities, students follow the steps in an epidemiological investigation, review case reports of patients infected with a foodborne bacterial illness and plot an epidemic curve. During the field trip to the Science Discovery Lab, students use gel electrophoresis to generate DNA fingerprints in order to identify the source of the outbreak. Students will also learn from scientists at Seattle Children’s about careers pathways in biomedical science. Students complete a Claim, Evidence, Reasoning framework to summarize their findings.

3. Classroom Version (4 lessons)

Students complete the same classroom activities as in the versions listed above. A video demonstration replaces the hands-on DNA fingerprinting laboratory experiment. Students complete a Claim, Evidence, Reasoning framework to summarize their findings.

4. Investigations in Infectious Disease Using the Claim, Evidence, Reasoning Framework (2 lessons)

Students complete a reading that introduces the steps in an epidemiological investigation and the associated laboratory techniques. Students watch a video demonstration of the DNA fingerprinting laboratory experiment. Students complete a Claim, Evidence, Reasoning framework to summarize their findings.

5. Introduction to the Epidemiology of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Featuring Infectious Disease Researchers (1 lesson)

Students complete a reading that discusses the epidemiology of the COVID-19 pandemic. Students watch a video featuring infectious disease researchers from Seattle Children’s that supplements the reading. The video features Dr. Rhea Coler and Dr. Whitney Harrington discussing key aspects of the epidemiology of the COVID-19 pandemic.

6. Epidemiological Investigation of the COVID-19 Pandemic Student Reading (20 minutes)

Students complete a reading that discusses the epidemiology of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Colorimetric Assays

Students will learn how scientists use assays to detect and quantify substances. Specifically, they will learn about a type of assay called a colorimetric assay where the results are seen as color change that occurs due to a chemical reaction. To interpret the colorimetric assay, students will learn how to create a color scale. Select which version works best for your classroom:

1. Science Adventure Lab (Mobile Lab) Version (3 lessons including 1-hour mobile lab visit)

Teachers requesting the Mobile Lab Version must be located in Western Washington. This version is intended for 3-5 classes, with a maximum of 30 students per class. There are two classroom lessons and one lesson onboard the mobile Science Adventure Lab during a visit to your school.

For the classroom activities, students follow the steps of completing an assay. Students will obtain results to determine the relationship between color and concentration and find the concentration of Vitamin C in the unknowns. Students complete a Claim, Evidence, Reasoning framework to summarize their findings.

    2. Science Discovery Lab (Field Trip) Version (3 lessons including 2.5-hour field trip)

    Teachers requesting the Field Trip Version must be located in the Puget Sound region. This version is intended for 1 class with a maximum of 32 students. There are two classroom lessons and one field trip to the Science Discovery Lab in downtown Seattle. Transportation assistance is available upon request.

    For the classroom activities, students follow the steps of completing an assay. Students will obtain results to determine the relationship between color and concentration and find the concentration of Vitamin C in the unknowns. Students complete a Claim, Evidence, Reasoning framework to summarize their findings.

    3. Classroom Version (2 lessons)

    Students complete the same classroom activities as in the versions listed above. A video demonstration replaces the hands-on colorimetric assay laboratory experiment. Students complete a Claim, Evidence, Reasoning framework to summarize their findings.

    • A preview of the curriculum and Request Form for the Classroom Version are coming soon.