Pre-service teacher workshop

Known as the Wisconsin Inquiry-based Scientist-Teacher Education Partnership (WInSTEP) Program, which is part of the NIH Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) Program, the focus of this effort is to help pre-service and middle and high school science teachers get more students involved in doing classroom-based research with an environmental health focus. Using inquiry-based modules developed by Dr. David Petering, Dr. Craig Berg and their team, teachers and students study the effects of various environmental agents on the development and behavior of organisms such as fathead minnows, zebrafish, and earthworms – and then communicate their research via the scientific process of writing papers and creating scientific posters. The year-long program culminates with an annual spring Student Research Conference that highlights the innovative research done by the students.

UWM Brings Science (and Zebrafish) to Wisconsin High Schools – This video provides an overview of the UWM WInSTEP SEPA program and the impact it has on science teachers and students throughout Wisconsin.

This project is made possible by Grant Number R25GM142031 awarded to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee from the Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) Program, which is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH’s SEPA Program is designed to improve STEM teaching and learning throughout the nation through the funding of innovative educational programs. SEPA-supported projects create partnerships among biomedical and clinical researchers and K-12 teachers and schools, museums and science centers, media experts, and other educational organizations. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.