Duke Mag-We Bring You Science-Jul/Aug 2002-Gazette

We Bring You Science

With a $988,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, Duke graduate students and undergraduates will head to local elementary, middle, and high-school classrooms this fall to share their enthusiasm for science and mathematics. Duke is one of twenty-two institutions receiving grants from the NSF's Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12) program.

The primary investigator at Duke for the project is Celia Bonaventura, professor at the Duke Marine Laboratory in the Nicholas School. The NSF project will provide $21 million to fund about 300 talented students in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology as teaching fellows in eighteen states.

Under GK-12, institutions are responsible for recruiting fellows from their campuses. Graduate students in the program receive annual stipends of $21,500, plus a cost-of-education allowance. Undergraduate students will receive as much as $5,000 per academic year, plus up to an additional $5,000 for service during the summer.

The program is intended to encourage graduate students to increase their communication skills by sharing science and mathematics expertise. By working with teachers, they will bring inquiry-based projects into the classroom and add perspectives on the importance of science, mathematics, engineering, and technology.

The projects vary greatly depending on the interests of teachers, their students, and the fellows. They are often linked to curricular standards, helping students prepare for state achievement tests.