Hooke College of Applied Sciences Partners with Aurora University for STEM Workshop
Westmont, IL (June 13, 2013) – The Hooke College of Applied Sciences (HCAS) is participating in Aurora University’s Workshop Institute Program 5 (WIP5) on June 13-14.
The two-year STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Workshop, “Developing Models and Carrying Out Investigations in STEM,” is funded by the State of Illinois Math and Science Partnership Grant and is aimed at middle and high school science teachers. Participants will learn how to implement science and engineering practices of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) into science classrooms, while earning credit hours towards a Masters degree at Aurora University.
During the workshop, 19 teachers from several area school districts will visit four partner sites for hands-on sessions: microscopy at HCAS, epidemiology at the Robert Crown Center, climate change at the DuPage Children’s Museum, and alternative energies at Waste Management, Inc.
The goal of the HCAS site visit is to instill confidence and inspire teachers to integrate the use of microscopes more readily into their curriculum throughout the school year. During the visit, science teachers will develop microscopy skills and learn new microscopy methods and experiments that can be applied to a wide variety of science lessons. Each participant will receive a Motic® compound microscope with a built-in digital camera and archiving software. They will also get a book of microscope-related experiments written by John Gustav Delly, Scientific Advisor at HCAS.
HCAS instructors, as well as Phil Sumida and Tom Schaefer, high school teachers who use the microscope extensively in their own classrooms, will lead the microscopy program. Since 2008, HCAS has instructed teachers across the US on how to use microscopes in the classroom to engage their science students.
“Hooke College is committed to microscopy and microanalysis education, especially helping teachers who are on the front lines of educating tomorrow’s scientists and engineers,” said Charles Zona, vice president and dean of HCAS. “We hope this program will equip teachers with the know-how and confidence to implement the microscope as a tool of scientific investigation into their classrooms.”
Participants in this professional development program will continue their education with university faculty, follow-up days during the academic school year and a second three-week immersion class in summer 2014.
About Aurora University
Aurora University is an inclusive community dedicated to the transformative power of learning, annually educating more than 4,800 degree-seeking students at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels. In addition to its main campus in Aurora, Ill., AU offers programs online, at its George Williams College campus in Williams Bay, Wis., and the Woodstock Center in downtown Woodstock, Ill. Learn more at aurora.edu.
About Hooke College of Applied Sciences
Hooke College of Applied Sciences provides microscopy education and training to government and industry scientists and technicians worldwide, offering a wide variety of specialized short-courses in materials analysis. Topics covered include light and electron microscopy, sample preparation and microspectroscopy. The 40,000 square foot learning center at Hooke College of Applied Sciences contains classrooms and laboratories with state-of-the-art analytical instrumentation.