The Louisiana Outreach Project
Two Regional Collaboratives Funded Through the Shell-TRC Partnership
LSU/Southern University Regional Collaborative
The Louisiana State University/Southern University Regional Collaborative continues to expand its reach under the direction of the TRC. The Colleges of Science, Engineering and Education at both universities are integral to the outreach and professional development programs. Leveraging resources by partnering with Shell, National Science Foundation, Louisiana Department of Education, and U.S. Department of Education, among other education entities and initiatives, has increased teacher-leader participation. Fourteen parishes/districts were impacted throughout south and central Louisiana this past fiscal year.
This past year, the Collaborative provided mathematics and science leadership/professional development services to 223 K-12 veteran and pre-service teachers and Collaborative Fellows across the service area; 165 of the Collaborative teachers received a minimum of 90 hours of intense mathematics professional development impacting a total of 8,925 students. Fifty-eight science teachers in various programs received 1,992 hours in science professional development impacting 5,220 students. Professional development opportunities included building content knowledge and pedagogical skills through the Math Science Partnership programs, NASA Education Outreach, and workshops designed to assist teachers in implementing Common Core State Standards in mathematics and Next Generation Science Standards in science.
Education outreach opportunities for teachers and students continued to grow. Participating teachers were provided assistance to help prepare for the state You Be The Chemist and Future City Competitions. Science and Math Night presentations to teachers, parents, and students have resulted in more information sharing of the excitement and importance of these two subjects. Registration and substitute teacher costs were provided to 42 teachers to attend the Louisiana Science Teachers Association Annual Conference and the Louisiana Association of Teachers of Mathematics Conference. The Livingston LIGO research facility and Copenhagen Fossil research provided our teachers with additional opportunities to see science and mathematics in action!
Contact
Louisiana State University
- Brenda Nixon, Ph.D.
- 225-205-2680
- [email protected]
Louisiana Tech University/Grambling State University Regional Collaborative
The Louisiana Tech University/Grambling State University Regional Collaborative program has had a significant impact on teachers in north Louisiana. Over 600 teachers participated in professional development programs offered through this Collaborative. The program has partnered with other related programs, such as the GK-12, NSF-funded HBCU UP and, most recently, the RET program that was part of the Louisiana Alliance for Simulation Guided Materials Applications contract with NSF (LA-SiGMA). The partnership between our Collaborative and LA-SiGMA allowed us to offer a 240 hours summer RET program to 12 of our teachers. Past activities include the nanoScience day, the nanoSCIENCE summer research workshops, and the nanoSCIENCE Investigative Sciences program. In addition, the F.U.E.L. for thought program, a one-week workshop designed to expose teachers to alternative energy research, was offered as part of the summer programs for teachers.
“Our Collaborative is designed to advance discovery and fundamental understanding while promoting teaching, training, and professional development of school teachers, ultimately reaching underrepresented, disadvantaged K-12 and prospective students from small rural and city schools around Louisiana Tech’s region” said Dr. Daniela Mainardi, Thomas C. & Nelda M. Jeffery Professor and chair of chemical engineering at Louisiana Tech. Mainardi also serves as Louisiana Tech’s campus lead for the North Louisiana Regional Collaborative. Dr. Pedro Derosa, Larson Associate Professor of Physics and joint faculty member between Louisiana Tech and Grambling State, is the project director of the North Louisiana Regional Collaborative and the campus lead for Grambling State University. “This is an opportunity for us to give back what we received from our teachers, but it is also a contribution to help in the education of K-12 students” said Derosa. “Here, at Louisiana Tech, we receive the products of K-12 education, and it is in our best interest to help in the training of those students by providing opportunities to their teachers.”
Our LRC Collaborative is currently offering a graduate course for teachers in partnership with SciTech at Louisiana Tech, all tuition paid. The course gives the teachers 3 graduate credits that count toward the credit needed to teach dual enrollment courses.
The Louisiana Tech University/Grambling State University Regional Collaborative and some of its 26 teacher members. Dr. Daniela Mainardi (first row, left) and Dr. Pedro Derosa (center) are the leaders of the Collaborative.
Contact
Louisiana Tech University / Grambling State University
- Pedro A. Derosa, Ph.D.
- 318-257-5139
- [email protected]
Louisiana Tech University
- Daniela S. Mainardi
- 318-257-5126
- [email protected]
To learn more about the Shell partnership with the TRC, please visit the Shell Partnership page.
