For Teachers

Teacher and Researcher Partnership Program

Apply Now! Download the Teacher and Researcher Application for teachers and for research partners. The deadline for teachers is January 9, 2008. The deadline for research partners is January 31, 2008.

Promotes the teaching of science in new and effective ways by providing teachers in the St. Louis public schools with the opportunity to work with fellow teachers and in collaboration with a Washington University research partner to translate laboratory research into active learning for students.

The Teacher and Researcher Partnership program has been redesigned to better integrate basic science research with innovative curriculum development, providing participating teachers with new ideas to energize classroom science teaching in the coming academic year. Participating teachers will receive a $4000.00 stipend for participation in the eight-week program. Additionally, each teacher will be provided with a generous supply allowance to be used toward the purchase of any necessary laboratory equipment/supplies needed to implement newly developed lesson activities. Applications are encouraged from teachers with no previous research experience as well as those who have had laboratory experience.

High school and middle school science teachers from the St. Louis City & County public schools system will be selected for this exciting program. Participating teachers will spend eight weeks during the summer in a basic science research laboratory. Working closely with a research partner, the teachers will conduct cutting edge research in a laboratory on the Washington University Main or Medical campus. Additionally these teacher-researcher pairs will co-develop a new lesson activity as an extension of their research that will be implemented in the classroom by the pair during the following school year. In addition to the experiences gained through laboratory research, participating teachers will have many other opportunities for enrichment. A weekly seminar series on topics from cancer biology to infectious diseases will expose the teachers to new areas in scientific research. A bi-weekly journal club will challenge the teachers to consider some of the most controversial topics in science, such as cloning and genetically modified foods. A celebratory banquet and awards ceremony will close the summer.

Teaching Teams

Teaching Teams promotes science literacy and encourages students to pursue scientific careers by bringing interactive scientific demonstrations into classrooms.

The Teaching Teams program promotes science literacy among high school students and encourages the pursuit of careers in science by introducing them to areas of scientific study through interesting and interactive demonstrations brought into the classroom. Teams of graduate and medical students present the curricula of individual units and work with high school students in small groups, fostering an atmosphere where the students can feel comfortable asking and discussing questions concerning the specific area of scientific study.

Each team makes an effort to develop hands-on demonstrations, thus requiring students to pose their own questions, and to find answers through investigation and inquiry. The Anatomy Team, for instance, uses autopsy specimens of the human heart and vessels, requiring students to think about circulatory functioning and how pathological states such as the build-up of cholesterol can lead to heart attacks. Teams visit each class multiple times, thereby establishing close ties with the students. Each year Teaching Teams reaches hundreds of students in the Saint Louis City Public Schools. Current student teams include:

  • Anatomy: The anatomy team makes use of human anatomical specimens in a series of hands-on sessions designed to introduce students to the anatomy and functioning of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
  • Chemistry: Fall presentations by the chemistry team include a unit on polymer synthesis and a unit on qualitative analysis of metal cations. Spring topics are centered around detective chemistry and qualitative analysis of components in foodstuffs.
  • Evolution:
  • Genetics/Genomics:
  • Microbiology: The microbiology teaching team presents an overview of prokaryotic biology. Students isolate and characterize several types of bacteria from habitats encountered in everyday living.
  • Neuroscience: The Neuroscience teaching team teaches students about the anatomy of the brain and spinal cord. Knowledge of the basic anatomy serves as a starting point for further discussions on reflex arcs, neuronal plasticity and learning.
  • Physics:

Fieldtrips

YSP organizes fieldtrips to the Washington University Medical School. Fieldtrips consist of tours of medical school facilities (Genome Sequencing Center, Neuroimaging Lab, Anesthesiology Simulator), teaching team demonstrations, and presentations on scientific careers.

Contact Us for more information or to schedule a fieldtrip.

Lab Equipment/Supply Recycling Program

Provides support and resources to the St. Louis Public Schools by donating lab materials and old, used equipment and supplies to allow teachers to do hands on science teaching in their classroom.