CATALyST

Funding to further goals of science program for schools - dtucker

On Friday, 25 Feb. 2005, U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., presented a check for $150,000 in federal funding to Louisiana Tech's CATALyST's Project LIFE.

Project LIFE uses activities, experiments and teaching methods that are easily transferred to the classroom, said Linda Ramsey, director of Tech's Center for Applied Teaching and Learning to Yield Scientific Thinking (CATALyST). She said the newest funding will help further project goals beyond the basic value of the dollars.

"It's great because through some industry and business partnerships, we should be able to leverage these funds so we can do more," Ramsey said.

Project LIFE is a multiyear professional development program that has involved nearly 900 teachers from Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas, and partnered with Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia; Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas; and University of Alabama at Birmingham.

In a participant's first year, a summer program integrates biology, chemistry, math and language arts. An academic year follow-up consists of workshops, newsletters, online learning groups, and classroom visits from project staff.

The next year, selected graduates are invited to a summer Leadership Institute, after which they return to their school systems to serve as teacher leaders and professional developers.

Projects have previously focused on organismal/population biology and cell biology. Ramsey, also the director of Tech's professional development Center for Educational Excellence and an associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences, said the next project will focus on environmental issues.

Previous funding sources for Project LIFE, which originated at Tech in the early 1990s, have included the Louisiana Systemic Initiatives Programs (LaSIP) and the National Science Foundation, Ramsey said.