Science Education Partnership Award Program

About the Program

We are fortunate to receive funding from a Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) provided by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences. The goal of the SEPA program is to invest in educational activities that complement or enhance the training of a workforce to meet the nation’s biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs. This is accomplished through interactive partnerships between researchers and educators, providing opportunities for students from underserved communities, and helping students, teachers, and the public have a better understanding of life sciences through providing educational resources.

In August 2018, the Science Education Team launched our new NIH-funded research project entitled Mobile Lab Experiences and TRIPs (Teacher-Research Institute Partnerships) to Inspire Middle School Students.

This project creates innovative science curriculum for middle school students focused on epidemiology and infectious diseases. There are several formats of the Investigations in Infectious Disease curriculum available with varying lengths to provide flexibility for teaching the content. Each version of the curriculum includes teacher and student manuals, videos, and readings as appropriate. Click here to learn more about the curriculum and request a copy.

Read more information about our prior NIH-funded SEPA project. 

Projects

To date, our department has received two five-year SEPA grants:

• Engaging Families to Enhance Science Learning and Interest in STEM Careers
  • R25OD010499-01: May 15, 2012 – March 31, 2017
• Mobile Lab Experiences and TRIPs (Teacher–Research Institute Partnerships) to Inspire Middle School Students
  • R25GM129798-01: August 1, 2018 – June 30, 2023

Papers

The Engaging Families to Enhance Science Learning and Interest in STEM Careers project concluded in 2017. The project’s aims, details, and findings were peer-reviewed and published in the Journal of STEM Outreach in January 2019.

To learn more about our SEPA projects, please email Dr. Amanda Jones.