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Students experience real-life science with "Great Discoveries"

News contact: Laura Hancock
(541) 962-3585 | lhancock@eou.edu

LA GRANDE, Ore. — A new program developed by two Eastern Oregon University faculty members will enable elementary and middle school-age children to participate in attention-grabbing scientific study.

It's the type of research most students will find fascinating - and sometimes gross. From the biochemistry of digestion and the invention of artificial limbs, to bacterial cultures in milk and spontaneous generation of molds, each lesson plan aims to help students discover the significant principles of both life science and physical science.

Oregon Health and Science University and the statewide Area Health Education Center system are partnering with EOU to deliver this cutting-edge curriculum to teachers in Oregon.

The program is called "Great Discoveries" and is based on a concept so unique it caught the attention of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The institute's multibillion-dollar foundation invited OHSU to submit a joint proposal for a grant to fund implementation of "Great Discoveries," as well as a follow-up program.

Lisa Dodson, deputy director of the Oregon AHEC and an assistant professor at OHSU, was the principal grant writer. Out of 127 proposals reviewed, 31 were chosen to receive grants. The award received by OHSU/EOU is for $738,995 for five years.

The curriculum for "Great Discoveries" was developed by Michael Jaeger, provost and vice president for academic affairs at EOU, and Carol Lauritzen, interim associate dean of EOU's College of Education. It is designed to give teachers the tools to present basic science concepts that are appealing and engaging to their students. The target audience is students in grades four through eight - the age range researchers believe is the most critical to keep youngsters "plugged in" to science.

 "We want to acquaint students with the nature of science inquiry and the correlation to social awareness and action," Jaeger said.  "Too much of traditional curriculum is based on learning about science, rather than doing science."

During the first year of the grant, workshops are being offered in Bend and Coos Bay.  Workshops will be offered at additional locations during the second year and the grant is expected to serve a total of 100 teachers with priority given to those at higher need schools. Five units of study for each grade level have been developed and will be presented in the workshops: The Human Machine; The Human Camera; The Human Receiver; The Human Refinery; and the Human Zoo.

"Physical science and life science are combined in each unit and the exploration is embedded in stories that will engage learners," Lauritzen said.

Each lesson includes vignettes of discoveries made by real scientists and inventors. The story of Dr. William Beaumont and his experiments with digestion are a good example. Trained as an army surgeon in the early 1800s, Beaumont treated a man named Alexis St. Martin who had suffered a musket shot to the stomach. The wound refused to completely heal, leaving a hole on the outside of his abdomen reaching all the way into the stomach cavity. Beaumont began conducting a series of experiments in which he would dangle bits of food attached to string through the opening.

Beaumont's experiments were ground breaking, enabling observation for the first time of gastric juices hard at work in the stomach. Jaeger and Lauritzen are counting on stories like this to grab the attention of students.  

"We're offering students a different window on science, to connect science learning with themselves and the world. We want students to be able to say, 'I know something I can do for my own nutrition,' and, 'I know what I can do to help other people to get glasses so they can see,'" Jaeger said.

The AHEC system is responsible for recruiting teachers from across Oregon to participate in the workshops and will also provide information for careers in the health sciences. Sandy Ryman, executive director of the Northeast Oregon AHEC in La Grande, said that it is the collaboration between organizations that will make "Great Discoveries" a success and provide a link for teachers in their communities.

Because the science and healthcare fields are so diverse, so is each unit in the curriculum. Scientists and clinical faculty from OHSU will be involved for the third and fourth years of the grant. Ideally, professionals in the different careers covered in each unit, such as a speech or audio therapist, or someone who designs prosthetic devices, would visit schools and talk about their experiences. 

"We hope that 'Great Discoveries' will motivate teachers and students to be competent in science and that it will lead students to consider health related careers," Jaeger said.