BIORETS: Biological pathways to adaptability interactions among the genome,epigenome and environment

A fundamental concept in biology is that life on Earth changes over time. The Iowa State University Research Experience for Teachers (ISU BIORETS) program aims to help teachers and their students better understand how organisms adapt or fail to adapt to a changing environment by promoting scientific literacy and curiosity, which impacts attitudes towards public policy and its implementation.

Teachers play a crucial role in fostering scientific literacy, yet studies show that many lack confidence when teaching about how organisms adapt and the research processes related to this field. The ISU BIORETS program addresses these issues by providing teachers hands-on summer training in university research laboratories. Helping the educators develop their content knowledge and curriculum development skills will build their teaching proficiencies.

In turn, their students will wrangle over real scientists' questions in the classroom to convey the cumulative nature of science - that new data adds to a more complete understanding. In addition to summer training for teachers, the program will build innovative, on-going relationships among university researchers, teachers, and their students throughout the school year, offering teachers and students opportunities to make valuable scientific contributions towards solving real-world problems.

The project addresses an important issue in biology: how do organisms respond to a changing environment? This will be addressed through research that integrates multiple levels of biological organization from genotype to phenotype, and their interactions with the environment. Teachers will collaborate with faculty to address questions about adaptability in field and lab based projects, focusing on the theme of stability and change, a cross-cutting concept in the Next Generation Science Standards.

Weekly meetings will develop and reinforce conceptual integration across different biological systems. Relationships among teachers, research mentors, and program leaders will be year-long through classroom visits, opportunities for student visits to campus, and biweekly coaching for teachers to translate research experiences into authentic and relevant learning so that students inquire more deeply and work like scientists.

Where possible, deliverables will include both in-person and virtual activities, providing the flexibility needed for modern classrooms. The broad goals of this continuing BIORETS program at Iowa State University include: 1) help teachers and their students understand the process of scientific research; 2) learn how organisms adapt or fail to adapt to environmental change; 3) promote scientific literacy of both teacher and student; and 4) build opportunities for promoting student scientific curiosity.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.