Progress 09/15/04 to 10/31/06
Outputs
This project grew from a very small scope of one project in one school to many projects in multiple schools. USDA funded our MRLS project, but the project grew into a concept we now call community-based science. The following numbers illustrate how the program has grown. 2004-05 120 students per month participated; $34,000 in funding from USDA, Winburn Middle: Susan Powers - MRLS, Tates Creek High School: Daniel Minke - MRLS, West Jessamine High School: Peggy Welch - MRLS 2005-06 180 students per month participated; funding from USDA still in place; Winburn Middle: Susan Powers - MRLS, Woodford County High School: Mary Beth Rouse - MRLS and Lady Beetles, West Jessamine High School: Christie Hall and Stephen Stockhousen - MRLS, June Buchanon High School: David Huff, Lady Beetles 2006-07; 950 students per month participating; $71,000 in funding from KDE; Tates Creek Middle School: Lindsey Culp and Katherine White - MRLS, Edythe J. Hayes Middle School: Gene Snyder and
Charles Buntyn - Lady Beetles, Winburn Middle School: Susan Powers - MRLS, Woodford Middle School: Laura Wright and Leslie Curtis - MRLS and Water Quality Studies, Woodford High School: Mary Beth Rouse and Sandra Adams - MRLS and Lady Beetles, West Jessamine High School: Pamela Long - Pasture Evaluation, Second Street School: Christy: Dickey and Vickie Tidwell - Water Quality Studies, Jackson Independent Schools: Lucy Lovely - Invasive Species: Asian clams, Wolfe County High School: Cynthia Gullett - Invasive Species: Asian clams, Beaumont Middle School: Margaret Golden - Lady Beetles, Leslie County High School: Billie Bowling - Invasive Species: Hemlock Wooly Adelgid and Kudzu During the 2007-08 school year, we will be funded by the Kentucky Department of Education and the Council on Postsecondary Education and we have applied for another SPEC grant. We will add projects that are of interest to students and teachers and drop those that are no longer of community interest. The design
team measured content, nature of science, and science careers and motivation to do science as components of the evaluation. We found a statistically significant difference for all classes on content knowledge. For the nature of science, we did not find a statistically significant difference. We tried to address this by adding a module specifically on the nature of science, but that still didn't prove to be sufficient and we are developing an entire unit on the subject for future projects. The results for science careers and motivation to do science were almost split 50/50. We found a statistically significant difference for approximately 50% of the students, mostly males and not a statistically significant difference for the rest, mostly females. We did not anticipate this result because the girls were so vocal with their praise of the program. Unfortunately, not all students were given each piece of the evaluation the first year. We think if we would have administered all instruments
to all students, we would have had different results. Students and teachers presented at the Kentucky Science Teachers Association Conference, the NSTA Conference, and a mini-conference held at UK.
PRODUCTS: The design team has created a notebook of activities for each project and a web site for each project at www.kentuckyawake.org.
OUTCOMES: Teachers and students have formed close relationships with researchers at UK. Students have become more aware of natural resource and agricultural issues within their communities. Faculty at UK have become familiar with the learning objectives at local schools and how hard they are to meet. Lab technicians have found that they enjoy working with kids and they are good at it.
DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: Students and teachers presented at the Kentucky Science Teachers Association Conference, the NSTA Conference, and a mini-conference held at UK. The design team has created a web site for each project at www.kentuckyawake.org. the Agricultural Communications Service at UK has created a video of the miniconference and has done an Extension Today program of the project. KDE has written an article in Kentucky Teacher. There have been three local news articles written about community-based science.
FUTURE INITIATIVES: We continue to solicit funding from state and federal sources including KDE, NOAA, NSF, and USDA. We continually add projects to hold student and teacher interest. We debrief with teachers to imporve the program. We are expanding the lenght of our summer workshop. We are adding more community experts to the cadre we already have.
Impacts
The design team measured content, nature of science, and science careers and motivation to do science as components of the evaluation. We found a statistically significant difference for all classes on content knowledge. For the nature of science, we did not find a statistically significant difference. We tried to address this by adding a module specifically on the nature of science, but that still didn't prove to be sufficient and we are developing an entire unit on the subject for future projects. The results for science careers and motivation to do science were almost split 50/50. We found a statistically significant difference for approximately 50% of the students, mostly males and not a statistically significant difference for the rest, mostly females. We did not anticipate this result because the girls were so vocal with their praise of the program. Unfortunately, not all students were given each piece of the evaluation the first year. We think if we would have
administered all instruments to all students, we would have had different results. Students and teachers presented at the Kentucky Science Teachers Association Conference, the NSTA Conference, and a mini-conference held at UK.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 10/01/04 to 09/30/05
Outputs
So far, this has been a very successful project. We have met with the two schools originally signed up for the project on a monthly basis according to the following schedule. AUGUST 2004 Module: MRLS and the Horse Industry in KY Presenter: Bruce Webb and others Date: Aug 25 (KY Horse Park) SEPTEMBER 2004 Module: Science Communication Presenter: Carol Hanley Dates: Sept 14 Winburn, Sept 15 Tates Creek Also: Cherry Trees must be identified in Sept for January 2005 module OCTOBER 2004 Module: Tent Caterpillar Life Cycle Presenter: Web Barney Dates: Oct 12 Winburn, Oct 13 Tates Creek NOVEMBER 2004 Module: MRLS and Other Kentucky Industries Presenter: Carol Hanley Dates: Nov 15 Winburn, Nov 16 Tates Creek Presented At KSTA JANUARY 2005 Module: Tent Caterpillar Egg Mass Counts Presenter: Blake Newton Dates: Jan 18 Winburn, Jan 19 Tates Creek FEBRUARY 2005 Module: Natural Controls of ETC Presenter: Web Barney Dates: Feb 15 Winburn, Feb 16 Tates Creek, Feb 21 WJHS MARCH 2005
Module: Population Modeling Presenter: Esther Fleming Date: Mar 16 & 23 Winburn, Mar 17 & 25 Tates Creek, March 21 & 28, WJHS March/April 2005 Module: Web development Presenter: Blake Newton Date: APRIL 2005 Module: Tent Counts Presenter: Blake Newton Date: April 12, Apr 14 Tates Creek, April 13 WJHS MAY 2005 Module: ETC Moth Trapping Presenter: Web Barney Date: May 16 (Tates Creek) May 12: Mini- Conference at UK FALL 2005 KSTA November and NSTA conference Dec 1-3
PRODUCTS: There are ten modules that were created on Eastern Tent Caterpillars and used at the schools.
OUTCOMES: Students have been motivated to learn about entomololgy. Females have become more interested in science careers. Students have increased knowledge in entomology concepts. Particpation in Kentucky Science Teachers Association Conference Participation in National Science Teachers Association Conference Participation in the UK miniconference
DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: We have created news articles and a video tape that was aired on our local PBS station called "Extention Today". There also was an article in the Lexington Herald Leader.
FUTURE INITIATIVES: We are applying for additional funding to support other community-based science projects.
Impacts
Mainly the idea that students are more intersted in science and science related careers, especially the females.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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