Published in Education Today, Spring 2008:
How is this for a dream field trip?
The grade 6 class goes to Sudbury for “an overnight science adventure.” Students visit the Dynamic Earth science centre for interactive learning opportunities focusing on earthquakes, volcanoes, rocks and the history of mining.
Then they go to Science North for a special buffet dinner. When Science North closes, the students stay in! They take part in the Sunset to Sunrise Camp-in program, in which they have exclusive access to the hands-on science demonstrations, including watching the live butterflies in a special gallery.
Next, they see a “3D Bush Plane flight film” and the IMAX film Forces of Nature, while enjoying pop and popcorn. They even sleep on site with their own sleeping bags and pillows. They’re served breakfast in the morning and then visit the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory laboratory (SNOLAB) for a personal tour conducted by its director, Dr. David Sinclair.
By the way, the cost of this trip, which is usually $180 per student, is entirely paid for by the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation (MRI). Even bus transportation to Sudbury is covered.
How is this possible? The grade 6 teacher, Susan Dubois, of Ottawa’s First Avenue Public School, had been part of the Teachers’ Science and Technology Outreach Program (TSTOP). An end result of this program is for participating teachers to give unique scientific opportunities to their students.
TSTOP was launched in 2006 by MRI to “provide teachers with opportunities to work on cutting-edge research and to disseminate new knowledge and skills to their students – the scientists and engineers of the future,” notes Diane DeMelo, senior policy advisor with MRI. “The objective of TSTOP is to advance teachers’ scientific knowledge and understanding of research underway in Ontario, share the excitement of research with their students, and develop an ongoing relationship between the classroom and researchers. Giving students this unique exposure and connection to research can lead them into new career choices.”
Susan Dubois applied to TSTOP and was selected to spend nine days in Aug. 2006 at SNOLAB with Dr. Sinclair.
“I am now my school’s resident expert on neutrino research,” she declares. “I was able to work with the leading physicist in a very specialized area of astro-physics and bring it to my classroom in a way that could inspire and motivate my grade 6 students to pursue courses and careers in physics and chemistry.”
Kathy Boone is another teacher who took part in TSTOP in 2006. A grade 11 and 12 biology teacher with 20 years of experience at Dryden High School, she says she “was looking for an opportunity to update and improve my knowledge of cytology and molecular biology and current scientific research. It has been more than 20 years since I graduated from university, and the field of biology, especially at the molecular level, has grown enormously.” She also had other goals for taking part in the program.
“As the connection between science, technology and society is becoming more important in the lives of my students, I feel that it is imperative for me to not only know about current research initiatives but also understand them,” she adds. “Working collaboratively with a diverse research team improved my knowledge of scientific careers that may be available to my students in the future. I also was looking forward to learning to use more advanced laboratory and analysis techniques. Living and teaching in a rather remote area has limited my opportunities to become familiar with many modern research technologies.”
Boone seems to have had a fabulous time. Her enthusiasm is apparent as she details her experience.
“I spent the first three weeks of July 2006 at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre – Regional Cancer Centre. I worked with Dr. Patrick Rapley and his colleagues, and had an opportunity to contribute to his research into the use of MRI to detect cell death. I spent the first week observing and learning about the use of radiation to treat cancer, from planning by medical physicists to delivery of radiation treatment by radiation therapists. The next two weeks involved spending time at the hospital’s MRI helping to collect and analyze research data. I also had the good fortune to spend time with the biochemists and practise techniques such as DNA extraction and PCR, lab techniques that were not available to university graduates 20-plus years ago. The hospital also arranged for me to visit a variety of biotech facilities in Thunder Bay, a very enlightening experience.”
In summing up the gains she received from the TSTOP experience, Boone calls it “extremely inspiring.” She continues, “It has helped to renew my passion for science, and given me a much greater understanding of concepts that were only in their infancy when I was a university student. It has also provided me with connections to the scientific community in Thunder Bay, expert scientists who are willing and interested in coming to Dryden or hosting my students when we travel to Thunder Bay.”
Jim Horbow, a science teacher with Sir Winston Churchill Collegiate Institute in Thunder Bay, took part in TSTOP in Aug. 2007.
“My placement was at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine in Thunder Bay on the campus of Lakehead University,” he explains. “Using state-of-the-art medical technology equipment, I studied the effects of oxidative stress on human lung epithelial cells to see the response of different integrins to this stress. The placement presented me with the opportunity to work on a small team for four consecutive weeks with a different focus and investigative leader each week.” Horbow found this a valuable experience for his teaching.
“I learned how to present scientific knowledge to young teens and teach my students an awareness of possible futures in health science careers,” he adds. “My hope is that the field trip we have planned to the research facility will open doors for these students in their future career choices.”
Elementary and high school science and technology teachers who are interested in taking part in TSTOP should get applications and instructions from the MRI Web site, www.ontario.ca/innovation. It is up to the universities, hospitals and research institutions to offer placements to the teachers. MRI emphasizes that TSTOP is a voluntary program for both the institutions and teachers.
Yet MRI “will provide each TSTOP institution with funds to support teacher research experience expenses such as daily commuting costs, and student outreach experience costs such as travel costs to visit the host institution during the school year,” explains DeMelo.
She adds “One of the ministry’s goals is to inspire the next generation of Ontario innovators and I believe that TSTOP is one program that can help achieve this goal.”
By Gloria Hildebrandt