L&S Honors Program hands out first distinguished faculty awards

L&S Distinguished Honors Faculty awardees (left to right): Janet Batzli, Cyrena Pondrom, Richard Begam, Robert Booth Fowler and Jenny Saffran.

The L&S Honors Program recently held a reception to honor several faculty members as Distinguished Honors Faculty nominated by students and staff for their contribution to teaching Honors courses and supervising honors students in research and scholarship.

This is the first time the program has offered such awards and they hope to continue in the future.

Congratulations to the following faculty for being named Distinguished Honors Faculty in 2010:

• Janet Batzli, Associate Faculty Associate, Biocore Program
• Cyrena Pondrom, Professor of English
• Richard Begam, Professor of English
• Robert Booth Fowler, Professor Emeritus of Political Science
• Jenny Saffran, Professor of Psychology
• Kenneth West, Professor of Economics

Category: College Updates
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Undergrads team up for 'Family Fun Science Night' in Mazomanie

Students dig into science at the 'Family Fun Science Night' in Mazomanie, WI.

On October 23, 2009, Biocore Outreach Ambassador (BOA) undergraduates teamed up with the Baldwin-funded Mazomanie Science Outreach Outpost (MOO) to sponsor a 'Family Fun Science Night' at Mazomanie Elementary School in Mazomanie, WI. 

Nearly 300 people from 91 families participated in various hands-on activities in the gym, fill out their "BINGO" card and visit the MOO on the second floor. 

Inside the MOO, participants netted critters who live in creeks, looked at them under a microscope and found out what a zebra fish embryo looks like. 

A young scientists holds a critter during 'Family Fun Science Night.'

There were about 90 undergraduate and graduate students from the UW-Madison who volunteered their time to run the activities. 

About half of students were Biocore Outreach Ambassadors who have been partnering with Wisconsin Heights teachers and administrators since 2004 to bring UW-Madison science resources into classrooms. 

You can read more about the ambassadors' science nights at their website.  

Category: Biological & Physical Sciences
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BioCore completes a successful Annual Summer Science Camp

Biocore Assoc. Dir. Janet Batzli in the Rettenmund prairie with Insect Ambassador Mike Hillstrom (back to camera), Biocore Ambassador Lauren Brooks (far right), students and 3 teachers taking the inquiry-based teaching course in June.

Instructors from the Biocore Program, Biocore Outreach Ambassadors (BOA), and the Mazomanie Science Outreach Outpost (MOO) teamed up to offer the 3rd annual Summer Science Camp at Wisconsin Heights Middle School the week of June 15-19th, 2009. 

The camp was attended by 58 4th-12th grade students who worked in small teams to investigate their own questions about stream ecology, molecular biology, prairie ecology, human biology, forest ecology, or human biology. 

A 6th grade student studying stream ecology at the camp.

Concurrently, 16 K-12 teachers observed campers and instructors while taking an inquiry-based teaching course taught by Dr. Kevin Niemi from the Center for Biology Education (CBE).

The camp was also featured in the Wisconsin State Journal. 

Category: Biological & Physical Sciences
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BioCore Outreach Ambassador Program finishes up a big year

The Biocore Outreach Ambassador Program (BOA) completed a very successful year of science outreach. As an extension of the Biocore Program, the BOA’s mission is to work side-by-side with rural classroom teachers to improve science education by promoting an authentic, inquiry-based approach to learning science.[Read More]

Category: Biological & Physical Sciences
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Two-year assessment underway in BioCore

Biology Core Curriculum (Biocore) recently began a two year assessment project focused on genetics education funded by a University Assessment Grant. The project goal is to evaluate student preparedness in fundamental principles of biology.
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Category: Biological & Physical Sciences
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