Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Shodor Education Foundation receives $177,000 science education grant from Burroughs Wellcome Fund

The Shodor Education Foundation, Inc., a Durham-based non-profit education and research organization, was selected by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund to receive a three-year, $176, 930 grant to support Project SUCCEED, a supplemental science education program for local middle- and high school-aged students. SUCCEED stands for "Stimulating Understanding of Computational science through Collaboration, Exploration, Experiment, and Discovery."

"We have been working for two years to find a way to leverage and extend our on-going research projects in science and mathematics," said Dr. Robert Panoff, president and executive director of Shodor. "With these funds from the Student Science Enrichment Program of Burroughs Wellcome, we will be able to offer many local students the opportunity to learn and work with us as we explore new ways to bring computing and communications technologies into the classroom." The word "shodor" comes from the process of making gold-leaf, in which a hammer is used to pound out a small amount of gold so as to cover as large an area as possible. The Foundation works to "pound out" the extra value in its research and development activities to extend valuable educational opportunities to as many students and teachers as possible.

Project SUCCEED consists of three complementary outreach activities, each of which has been piloted during the last year. These are:

• Internet Science Club, designed to teach basic science research skills through network-based activities, primarily for middle-school aged students;
• Computational Science Classes and Workshops that allow both middle school and high school students to build and use computer models to simulate real world events;
• Research Apprenticeships that partner high school students with Shodor scientists and staff in on-going research or independent study activities, enabling them to work side-by-side with outstanding researchers and educators in a professional setting.

"These activities form a natural progression, supporting how students learn and how technology can help that learning," commented Dr. Panoff. "All students will be getting authentic, hands-on experiences while they work as junior scientists; they will be exploring, discovering, and interacting with others, and not just hearing about science or reading about it in some book"

For the Internet Science Club and the introductory workshops, little prior experience will be assumed or expected. Some of the more advanced classes in SUCCEED will cover the latest scientific tools and computational methods. For instance, one of Shodor's staff members, Bob Gotwals, has been working with NCSSM chemistry students for several years on the use of state-of-the-art, research-level computational chemistry tools.

"Our experiences with high school students have convinced us," says Gotwals, "that the technologies, techniques, and tools being used by computational chemists can and should be the same ones used by secondary students and their teachers. The level of understanding that comes from manipulation of molecules computationally is a 'quantum leap' beyond what is available from a textbook or chemistry lecture." The grant will allow Shodor to offer such classes in computational chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics and engineering, with the goal of exciting many students to pursue life-long learning in these areas.

While Project SUCCEED is open to all qualifying North Carolina high school and middle school-aged students, particular efforts will be made to bring together a diverse group of students from the Durham Public schools, home school organizations across the triangle area, and students from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM). "In particular," says Panoff, "this will be a unique opportunity to do something right in our own backyard of Walltown, where so many kids have such great potential."

The support of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund will allow the Shodor Foundation to significantly extend its current endeavors to bring scientific technology to students in meaningful ways. The Foundation was recently honored for its commitment to these efforts by the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce when it was selected as a finalist for the 1996 Education: Top Priority Award. Shodor also was named in 1996 as a Foundation Partner of the National Science Foundation, recognizing its efforts to revitalize undergraduate education. Since its founding in Durham in 1994, the Shodor Foundation has been instrumental in training university faculty in emerging computational science methods so they can, in turn, teach their students about how science is done in the real world.

Clearly identifying the Burroughs Wellcome Fund support as a great start, Panoff commented, "We will be looking to the business community to partner with us in identifying additional resources that can ensure the long-term viability of Project SUCCEED activities." This help can take the form of contributed time, where an individual will help mentor a student project, or donated computer equipment or services, or financial contributions to maintain a state-of-the-art, Internet-based training facility.

Most of the SUCCEED activities will take place on site at new training facilities at the Shodor offices, located at 923 Broad Street in Durham, a few blocks from both Duke University and NCSSM. The Foundation anticipates expanding some of the SUCCEED activities in April, with a full schedule of camps and exploratory classes to be devised in time for the summer months. For more information about SUCCEED and to find out how you can either participate or help, please contact the Shodor Foundation at (919) 286 -1911, or visit the Project SUCCEED site at http://www.shodor.org on the World Wide Web.


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