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Not only were the seminars a good review of my understanding of these topics, but I learned how biomedical research can advance human health tremendously. With increased understanding of the details, it's still crucial to see the big picture.
- SFUSD teacher
It was great practice in trying to explain what I do to a group of interested non-scientists: figuring out what background information would be needed, how to explain why I think it’s an interesting question, and how to best illustrate what we already know.
- Scientist presenter
Every time I’ve attended a seminar, I’ve brought something back to my classroom either an activity or information.
- SFUSD teacher
I learned that scientists are constantly thinking of new hypotheses and testing them out. They are learning and trying to find solutions through operant conditions (trial and error). They are very detailed in their work, always asking/answering questions.
- SFUSD student
Due to funding limitations, SEP is no longer able to offer the Current Science Seminar Series. We are actively seeking new funding sources and hope to offer a similar seminar series in the near future. In the meantime, please visit the Daly Ralston Resource Center where DVDs of past seminars are available for check-out.
Overview
Like many of SEP’s programs, CSSS was designed to provide synergistic benefits to UCSF early-career scientists as well as to the SFUSD teachers attending the series.
Through the series, speakers had the opportunity to develop a unique seminar, one that actively engaged its audience in thinking about, discussing, and in some cases "doing" science. Moreover, each speaker received feedback on their seminar from education experts, the teachers participating in the series, to help them in preparing future presentations.
Teacher participants increased their knowledge of current advancements in biomedical research, often infusing this new knowledge into their biology curriculum, and developed connections both with teachers from other school sites and with UCSF scientists.
High school teachers were encouraged to bring up to two students from their biology classes to each of the seminars. This experience built students' familiarity with the university campus and college-level learning, developed their knowledge of current topics in biomedical research and their awareness of how scientific progress is made, and exposed them to university-level research scientist role models.
Seminars were targeted at the level of a science major (non-specialist though knowledgeable audience).
Outcomes for Teachers included:
- sparking their interest in learning more about one or more of the seminar topics (86%)
- conveying the dynamic nature of scientific knowledge or understanding (100%)
- planning to read scientific or medical news/magazines/journals more than they do now (72%)
- better understanding the science concepts that underlie the curriculum they teach in their classroom (100%)
All teachers (100%) agreed that they would recommend this series to their peers.
Participating teachers also reported benefits for their students who attended the seminars:
- 100% of teachers strongly agreed/agreed that the participating students broadened their awareness of the dynamic nature of scientific knowledge and understanding.
- 72% of teachers strongly agreed/agreed that having students participate along with teachers enhanced their own learning experience.
Outcomes for Scientist Presenters included :
- having new ideas for how to translate current research to a non-research audience (100%).
- a better understanding of how to adapt their teaching strategies to diverse populations (86%).
- gaining new skills or enhancing their skills to effectively integrate inquiry with content in their teaching (86%).
DVDs of past seminars are available for check-out through the Daly Ralston Resource Center.
Past Speakers and Seminar Titles
| Presenter | Topic |
|---|---|
| Deepika Ahuja, Ph.D. | Metastasis: How cancerous cells invade other parts of the body |
Mary Kate Alexander, Ph.D. |
Malaria: Immune Invasion |
Carol Cho |
Molecular Motors Traveling the Highways of the Cell |
Nancy Dumont, Ph.D. |
Imaging Cancer Under the Microscope: Understanding the Pathology of Breast Cancer |
Sarah Elson |
Travels to the tip: RNA transport in Candida albicans filaments |
Michelle Flenniken, Ph.D. |
Nanotechnology for Drug Delivery |
Tom Goddard |
3D Virtual Reality: See, Hold and Feel Viruses |
| Nathan Gosse | Look up, Look down: Eye Development in Zebrafish |
| Sheila Jaswal, Ph.D. | Protein Folding: Life’s Origami |
| Amy Kistler, Ph.D. | Viruses, Gene Chips and Disease: Using Technology to Advance Understanding of Viral Diseases |
| Mary Matyskiela | Cell Division: Getting Mitosis Right! |
| Ramsey McIntire, Ph.D. | How do you talk to your mother? Cell communication during pregnancy |
| Sri Nagarajan, Ph.D. | Imaging the Dynamic Brain: Learning about how we learn |
| Kathleen Nestor | Breast Cancer: Forces within Cells |
| Jon Pierce-Shimomura, Ph.D. | Drunk Worms: C. elegans and Alcohol Addiction |
| Sebastian Schuck, Ph.D. | Intracellular Protein Sorting: How the cell postal service works |
| Brad Stohr, MD/Ph.D. | How can we stop the growth of cancer cells? |
| Elizabeth Szyleyko | Parasites and You: Signaling Pathways in Schistosomes |
| Timothy Warren | How Do Songbirds Learn Their Songs? |