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Administrative Manual - 600 Outreach Programs

601 Science Education

  1. GENERAL
    1. Mission

      Precollege science and math education is part of JLab's mission as a DOE laboratory. Programs and outreach activities leveraging JLab's unique technical and human resources are made available to motivate precollege students, enhance teachers, and involve parents, administrators, and business partners.

    2. Goals

      JLab conducts excellent, customer-focused educational programs by focusing on the following goals:

      1. Incorporate known effective elements for precollege programs
      2. Expose participants to diverse scientific and technical role model volunteers
      3. Impact a large and diverse population
      4. Enroll "underrepresented populations" in intensive programs in higher percentages than typical of local school district demographics
      5. Safely engage participants
      6. Evaluate to assure quality and measure impact
      7. Disseminate information on successful programs; promote replication
    3. Approach

      JLab's educational programs emphasize participatory, hands-on exploration and discovery, as this teaching approach is most effective at conveying the excitement, methods, and knowledge of science in a manner that is internalized by the participants. Supporting the participatory experiences are observational experiences, including tours, displays, and exhibits. These approaches are augmented when appropriate by talks, lectures, videotapes, and photos.

      Safety and effectiveness are priority goals of JLab's K-12 educational activities. Thus, the program planning and conduct:

      1. Assures the safety of visitors (program participants), staff and equipment;
      2. Meets the "audience" at its level and connects with its knowledge, experience, and interest; conveys enthusiasm and excitement;
      3. Simplifies and models (conceptually or physically) without distorting to the point of being wrong (invalid);
      4. Emphasizes thought processes, critical thinking, problem solving, reasoning approaches, and concepts over "facts";
      5. Makes the audience work and participate significantly (at least mentally) in the activity; and
      6. Strives for excellence.
  2. ORGANIZATION AND RESPONSIBILITIES
    1. Education Group Staff

      The following is an organizational chart of the Education Group:

    2. Duties and Responsibilities
      1. Associate Director

        Provides leadership and oversight for precollege education programs, ensuring focus on achieving goals, meeting objectives, maintaining strong, symbiotic collaboration with JLab's scientific and technical programs, best practice, and national, state, and local systemic needs.

      2. BEAMS/Teacher Program Manager

        Plans, develops, coordinates, and implements the BEAMS program, involving classes of precollege students from grades 5 - 9 and educational programs serving precollege teachers. Conducts needs assessments to guide BEAMS student programs and teacher oriented programs, in consultation with state and local educational authorities, teachers, and university educators. Develops, tests, and finalizes hands-on science activities for use in the BEAMS student program and the teacher programs.

      3. Partnership Coordinator

        Coordinates and implements precollege educational partnerships involving JLab with school districts, business organizations, government entities, colleges and universities. Organizes and coordinates educational volunteerism at JLab.

      4. Education Program Evaluator

        Conducts formative and summative evaluations of precollege science education programs, maintains databases and analyzes results, and implements and tracks metrics characterizing the conduct and outcomes of precollege education efforts.

      5. Education Technicians

        Provide coordination, logistical, and technical support for precollege education activities on site and off site.

    3. JLab Staff Volunteers

      Knowledgeable and enthusiastic members and users are JLab's major educational asset. Associate Directors encourage staff in their divisions to participate in the educational programs on a volunteer basis, as their talents, knowledge, experience, and interests dictate. Staff contributions to JLab's K-12 educational programs are acknowledged in their performance appraisal process. The Education Group coordinates, assists, and develops activities of 30 to 90 minutes duration that are used by these "volunteers". JLab staff also serve as monitors for high school students, teachers, and teams of teachers. For these people, educational outreach might be 1% to 2% of their activities, but it cannot delay or compromise their main programmatic or administrative responsibilities. Supervisors are kept aware of their staff's educational activities and commitments are managed to prevent adverse impact on the primary activities. The Education Group maintains an up-to-date database of interested education volunteers. To be placed in the database call 249-7560 or e-mail tyler@jlab.org.

    4. Quality Assurance

      To ensure that JLab's educational programs are responsible and strive for excellence, several quality assurance measures have been implemented. These measures include clear communication to establish expectations prior to the activity, trials and dry runs of student hands-on activities, and formal and informal evaluation, including written participant and performer evaluation of each activity (form/questionnaire). Quality assurance measures are documented in detail in the Pre-college Education Group, Quality Assurance Plan, which is available in the Associate Director's office.

  3. PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES
    1. JLab Precollege Education Programs
      1. Becoming Enthusiastic About Math and Science Program (BEAMS)

        The BEAMS -- Becoming Enthusiastic About Math and Science -- Program, a partnership between JLab and four local school districts, Newport News, Hampton, Williamsburg/James City County, and York County, is a coherent, integrated science and math education program for students and teachers in grades K-12. It leverages the scientific, technological, and human resources available at JLab to motivate students -- especially those underrepresented in math and science -- enhance teachers, and involve business partners. BEAMS is expanding from the established week-long site visit for 5th/6th grade classes to incorporate annual reinforcement efforts for the participating students through at least 9th grade. Evaluation efforts have been growing in parallel with the program, to improve program content and delivery, obtain participant feedback, and measure outcomes.

      2. JLab-Summer Institute For Teacher Enhancement (JLab-SITE)

        The JLab Summer Institute For Teacher Enhancement (JLab-SITE) is a four-week program for physics, physical science, and engineering/technology middle and high school teachers. Organized by a partnership including three school districts, five universities, two education consortia, and CEBAF, the Institute's theme is "Teach Science By Doing Science." During the Institute, teachers spend half of their time working in teams on research projects at JLab. The other half of each day, teachers learn science content, computer networking skills, and hands-on pedagogy through workshops and field trips conducted by faculty from partner universities. Graduate credit is available. Plans are developing to offer a two-week institute for K-6 teachers in the summer of 1996, if funding allows. The theme for this institute would be "Mobilizing Resources for Hands-on-Science".

      3. Teacher Research Associates (TRAC)

        TRAC is an eight-week teacher research participation program. This program provides 7-12th grade teachers hands-on science laboratory experience to increase their awareness and understanding of current science and technology. Participants can receive college credit.

      4. JLab Science Series

        The monthly JLab Science Series brings 150-500 sixth through twelfth graders from the local school districts, area private schools, as well as the public to the facility for a participatory evening seminar by scientists, engineers, and doctors. Through a partnership with the Newport News Public Schools Cable Television Channel, each seminar is videotaped. Two local public access cable channels broadcast Science Series programs daily. Videotapes of past programs are available for loan to teachers and other interested people.

      5. High School Summer Internship

        The high school summer internship program is an eight-week research participation program. This program is for high school students who are at least 16 years old and have at least a 2.5 grade point average. Students apply on a competitive basic. It is funded on a 50-50 cost share basis with the host group.

    2. Precollege Partnership Programs
      1. Cooperative Hampton Roads Organizations For Minorities In Engineering (CHROME)

        CHROME is an organization composed of business, government, and school district partners, which sponsors a network of science and engineering oriented clubs involving over 2,200 minority students and girls in middle and high schools throughout Hampton Roads. JLab is a board member of CHROME, hosts site visits for CHROME clubs, sends speakers to CHROME clubs, and uses CHROME to recruit students and teachers for educational programs.

      2. Adventures In Technology = Options In Math And Science (ATOMS)

        The Adventures in Technology = Options in Math and Science (ATOMS) program is a career exploration program bringing volunteer technical role model teams into seventh grade classrooms to work with middle achieving students and bringing eighth grade ATOMS students to visit the industry that came to their school in the seventh grade. This partnership, organized through Thomas Nelson Community College, involves five local school districts and six high-tech businesses (including JLab and NASA-Langley).

      3. Governor's School Mentorship Program

        JLab staff members act as mentors for students from the New Horizons Technical Center. These students meet with their mentors 3 - 5 hours a week. At the end of the school year the students are required to present a project about their experience during the year. These are some of the top students in their home schools.

      4. ARC/JLab Summer High School Residential Program

        The ARC/JLab Summer High School Residential Program provides an intensive, on-site, research experience for students and teachers from distressed counties within the Appalachian Region. These students and teachers spend half of each day for two weeks in team research projects with a JLab staff member. The other half of each day, the students and teachers visit local universities and museums and participate in various cultural and educational activities.

      5. Summer Institutes Operated by Partner Organizations

        JLab partners with other organizations during the summer to provide outreach activities for students to heighten their self esteem, improve their study skills, and increase their interest in math, science, and technology. These activities include field trips, role model visits, workshops, and other outreach activities.

    3. College and University Partnerships
      1. Hampton University Graduate Studies At JLab (HUGS)

        HUGS at JLab is a summer school designed for second and third year physics graduate students who have finished (or are very close to finishing) their coursework. There are many opportunities to interact with JLab's staff, allowing them to receive excellent insight into the type of physics to be performed at JLab.

      2. JLab Research Partnerships With Historically Black Colleges And Universities (HBCUs) and Other Minority Educational Institutions.

        CEBAF has partnerships with Hampton University and Norfolk State University to provide research opportunities and joint appointments for faculty, post doctoral fellows, and graduate students. An initiative has been proposed to expand this partnership to other HBCUs and Minority Educational Institutions.

      3. Undergraduate Institute In Physics (UniPhy)

        UniPhy is a summer program for minority undergraduate students, especially from HBCUs, who spend the summer taking coursework in physics at Hampton University and participating in nuclear physics research at CEBAF.

  4. FUNDING
    1. Funding Sources

      Precollege science and math education is part of JLab's mission as a DOE laboratory and therefore is included in the laboratory's program. Major special educational programs and initiatives are supported by special funds provided through DOE's Office of Science Education and Technical Information education office, and by such other grants and contracts as may be obtained for K-12 educational programs from other federal, state, and private funding agencies.

    2. Collaborative Programs

      JSA/JLab's Educational Office is not a funding agency for the educational programs of other institutions, but will review and act on any unsolicited proposals that might be received, consistent with the laboratory's procurement policies and procedures and JSA's contract with DOE. JSA/JLab's participation in collaborative educational programs (see Section C, above) normally consists of in-kind contributions and the development and provision of special opportunities for these programs and their participants that are not generally available elsewhere. Unless otherwise specified in the collaborative arrangements, JSA/JLab assumes all costs of its participation in the collaborative program (e.g., salaries of its employees, travel, supplies, and equipment involved in JSA/JLab's participation.).

    3. Internal Charging Procedure
      1. Time Reporting

        Division staff "volunteering" for education assignments at the 1% to 10% level shall charge their time against their normal account codes. Staff devoting 10% or more of their annual effort to K-12 educational activities shall be provided with education account codes. Service groups (e.g., machine shop) that recharge time to user account codes may charge education accounts for services they are requested to provide (e.g., for the construction of something). However, members of these groups who volunteer to participate in the education programs shall charge their time to the home division.

      2. Purchasing

        JSA/JLab's educational programs shall purchase equipment, supplies, services, and materials in accordance with Laboratory procurement policies and procedures.


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