Several months ago, NIH Director Elias Zerhouni, M.D., candidly addressed the necessity and correlating challenges of enhancing science education among American students in a correlating memo. The NIH Office of Science Education (OSE) is proactively tackling the issue. The OSE engages students and teachers in its mission to foster K-12 education with the ultimate goal of attracting young people to biomedical and behavioral science careers.
OSE Director, Bruce Fuchs, Ph.D., recognizes the importance of establishing a solid science and math background early in the life of a student. “By enhancing education awareness among middle and high school students, we condition them to select the higher path of learning,” said Dr. Fuchs. “If we can persuade students to actively seek challenging courses today, they will have great potential for becoming successful researchers tomorrow.” Fuchs acknowledges that even if students do not choose careers as scientists, the critical thinking and problem-solving skills obtained and refined through higher-level courses, will prepare them for success in a multitude of other careers.
A sixth grader may not be conscious or convinced of the importance of taking a more advanced- level science or math class. “Teachers are a primary conduit for positively influencing students and also for arming them with the necessary tools to help make them successful,” said Dr. Fuchs. It is with this ideology that the OSE has developed and disseminated the NIH Curriculum Supplement Series for teachers to integrate into their lesson plans. The OSE coordinates efforts with specific NIH institutes or centers, utilizes advisory teams to select content and works with curriculum developers to bring plans to fruition. The Supplement Series are 16, interactive teaching units that combine cutting-edge science research discoveries from the NIH, with state-of-the art instructional tools. The Supplement Series is free to science teachers and school administrators and suitable for grades K-12. OSE is aligning every supplement with each state’s standards to assist teachers in integrating the material into their daily curriculum.
While the curriculum supplements are the OSE’s primary product addressing the needs of high-level science education, it also offers Lifeworks — a career exploration tool which provides information on more than 100 careers related to the science and medical fields.
“Whether students are exploring potential career paths or engaging in advanced science and math education, we are confident that the OSE resources will allow them to gain a deeper understanding of the importance of basic research to advances in medicine and personal health,” said Dr. Fuchs. The OSE continues to move forward in its efforts of promoting science education and offering tangible products to students and educators.
To learn more about OSE initiatives, visit http://science.education.nih.gov/.
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