Our Projects
STEP has developed a series of outreach projects that use multimedia components and social networking tools to reach targeted audiences. STEP has been successful in developing projects that effectively reach a variety of audiences, including middle school and high school teachers, Extension agents, and emergency first responders.
The ufgenetics.com website encourages students and the public to learn more about genetics. ufgenetics.com provides genetics research-related resources, including feature videos, learning materials, and feature stories, for middle school and high school teachers.
Genetics affects every aspect of our life, from the food we eat to the medicine we take. However, many people do not understand what genetics is all about. The purpose of ufgenetics.com is to expose middle school and high school students to genetics research being conducted at the University of Florida. These projects all have some connection to genetics – in people, plants, and animals. On this website, high school and middle school teachers will find important and useful information about genetics to be used as supplemental materials in science and agriscience classrooms. Each ufgenetics.com topic focuses on a specific aspect of genetics. Learning materials on this website include brief informational videos, high-resolution photographs, news stories, and lesson plans:
Videos: Each genetics-related topic includes two to six brief videos (of three to five minutes in length) for use as supplemental materials for in-class instruction.
Lesson plans/materials, posters, bookmarks: The lesson plans/materials have been designed around the videos and news stories, and offer teachers an easy way to incorporate technology into their classrooms. Each lesson has been created to fit within national science standards. On several genetics topics, extra materials – downloadable posters and bookmarks – are provided for teachers to use in their classrooms
Photographs and news stories: Teachers can download high-resolution photographs of a particular topic, for use in handouts, presentations, or other teacher-produced learning materials. The news stories can be downloaded and printed off to allow students to learn more about a particular topic. The news stories also can be used as reading prompts for assessment tests
Experts: An e-mail link to the experts featured in a specific genetics topic is provided at the bottom of each web page. Detailed contact information (phone number and e-mail) is provided at the bottom of each news story.
2. Icore teaching:
The Interdisciplinary Center for Ongoing Research/Education (ICORE) Partnerships project introduces high school teachers to cutting-edge research methods and teaching methods at the University of Florida.
This project is funded by a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) grant and includes project leaders from STEP, UF’s Center for Precollegiate Education and Training (CPET), UF’s College of Education (COE), and UF’s Emerging Pathogens Institute (EPI).
STEP contributed lessons on critical thinking and cognitive skills (interpretation, analysis, evaluation, inference, explanation, and self-regulation) to show teachers how critical thinking and cognitive skills could be part of appropriate instructional components, including action learning and debates
Research partners are science, social science and education faculty and graduate students at the University of Florida. School district partners of the fully developed program are 136 teachers from limited-resource schools in the five counties in or near which the research institutions reside.
ICORE objectives are to (1) equip teachers with knowledge, resources, and experiences to improve science education and increase awareness of scientific processes, technologies, and careers exemplified by the Emerging Pathogens theme; (2) empower teachers to integrate pedagogical and critical thinking skills into standards-aligned, hands-on classroom and in-service instruction; (3) provide ongoing opportunities and incentives to participate in learning in bench, field and applied laboratory settings and research conferences; and (4) prepare interdisciplinary graduate students in teaching, mentoring and outreach. The learning activities and outcomes of the ICORE Partnerships are organized around emerging pathogens, a major new interdisciplinary initiative at UF and a topic of increasing importance to the health and economy of Florida and the nation. The proposal addresses HHMI and UF goals to strengthen science education across the K-20 continuum; builds on measurably successful laboratory and career exploration programs for teachers and students; and establishes a new paradigm for interdisciplinary collaboration between bench, translational, and social sciences through interdisciplinary courses and collaborative opportunities for teachers, graduate students, and faculty.
The University of Florida’s Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology’s “The Learning Garden” is a series of 10 videos and associated lesson plans geared toward middle school and high school teachers. STEP developed the materials, which focus on such topics as designing basic gardens, creating themed gardens such as butterfly and water, and building garden structures to accessorize the landscape. Videos offer step-by-step guides to developing quick-yielding and entertaining gardens.
The Learning Garden, a special video outreach series, offers an introduction to gardening including water gardens, raised bed gardens, butterfly gardens, and vertical gardens. The series is informational to any person, but it is specifically designed for middle and high school teachers for use in their classrooms.
The project consists of ten 7- to 10-minute videos and lesson plans. The videos offer step-by-step guides to developing quick yielding and entertaining gardens. Specific topics in the series include the following:
- Butterfly gardening
- Vegetable gardening
- Cooking with produce
- Shopping for local produce
- Garden design
- Garden structures
- Raised bed gardens
- Gardening with vines
- Water gardens
- Wind chimes
This project, developed for UF’s Emerging Pathogens Institute, offers first responders online training in the areas of critical thinking, problem solving, and group dynamics. This website is a resource for those individuals who respond to emergency situations involving pathogens from either man-made or natural sources. Problem solving and critical thinking skills are crucial for first responders dealing with emergency situations.
yourfoodnow.com focuses on food issues concerning Florida and the nation. The website is geared toward informing the public about the food they eat and the current information concerning the economics and research surround that food. The project also offers educational modules to help farmers and agricultural advocates better communicate about the benefits of agriculture to policymakers and the general public.
6. National Needs Fellowship:
The Developing Global Partnerships and Curricula grant focuses on strengthening partnership between universities in the United States and Honduras. Collaborative educational programs will be developed that highlight the talents and strengths of the educational institutions involved.
The USDA Food and Agricultural Science National Needs Graduate Fellowship grant focuses on developing graduate students as exceptional researchers in the field of genetics and biotechnology.
The students receive in-depth training from researchers at the University of Florida. As part of their training, the students will work with the STEP program to develop an outreach component based on their field of interest.
