The science is clear: girls think boys are better at science. That’s wrong, of course. Still, subtle and not-so-subtle messages from parents, teachers and the media lead girls to doubt their abilities. The result: enormous gender gaps in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. “By the time they reach middle school, many girls […]
Category: Community
Human evolution still at work, Darwin Day speaker says
Lactose tolerance is a sign that human evolution is still at work, says Briana Pobiner, a paleoanthropologist with the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History. She was the keynote speaker at Darwin Day, hosted February 11, by Washington University’s Institute for School Partnership. Nearly 50 St. Louis area educators attended the event.Pobiner, an educator […]
Mentoring the next generation of scientists
Last weekend, Washington University hosted the 7th annual St. Louis Area Brain Bee (SLABB) in Rebstock Hall on the Danforth Campus. The Brain Bee is an international neuroscience competition for students in grades 9-12. This year, 55 students from 44 high schools around the St. Louis region participated in the SLABB. The event featured hands-on […]
Getting teachers ready for the total solar eclipse
With great care, Paul Markovits unravels a child-sized t-shirt and dangles it before a packed room of teachers. It reads “ECLIPSE ’79,” and was worn by his 4-year-old daughter when Markovits’ young family witnessed the last total solar eclipse visible in the continental United States. That was nearly 40 years ago on February 26, 1979, and […]
Connecting K-12 students to WUSTL; Opportunities for educators & schools
Being part of the Washington University in St. Louis community means giving back. WUSTL’s Institute for School Partnership (ISP) and its campus partners offer a variety of educational opportunities and community resources for St. Louis area educators and schools. Below is a list of enrichment opportunities. K-12 Connections Programhttps://gephardtinstitute.wustl.edu/k-12-connections/K-12 Connections connects the Washington University community with volunteer opportunities […]
Connecting K-12 students with the arts
For Joanna Das, sharing her love of the arts with high school students and encouraging their creativity has always been important. As a graduate student, she went against her professor’s advice and decided to teach a Saturday dance class to high school students at the Museum of the City of New York. Her professor thought […]
ISP receives Boeing grant for STEM education initiative
The Boeing Company has long understood the importance of improving STEM education in the St. Louis region with its continued support of the Institute for School Partnership at Washington University in St. Louis. The Boeing Company recently awarded the ISP a grant for STEMpact, a unique collaboration of the St. Louis area’s top STEM companies, […]
Encouraging University City High School students to think deep
“I think there’s more diversity now,” said one student. “Oh, I don’t think so at all,” another quickly countered. It’s mid-morning on November 17, and these ninth-graders from University City High School are at Washington University having a robust discussion on the book “Between the World and Me,” by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Written as a letter […]
Monsanto Fund awards $200,000 grant to Institute for School Partnership
The best way to develop STEM-capable students is to develop STEM-capable teachers. Instilling awareness of science, technology, engineering and math education needs to happen in elementary school – when it matters most. The Monsanto Fund has awarded the Institute for School Partnership (ISP) at Washington University a $200,000 grant to support the STEM Teacher Quality […]
Closing the STEM skills gap in St. Louis
If the St. Louis region is to close the gap between what its workers know, and what its businesses need, it must play the long game. That’s why St. Louis’ leading employers, school districts and Washington University in St. Louis united to form STEMpact, an organization dedicated to improving science, technology, engineering and math education […]