Chemistry and Physics
100 Campus Drive
Weatherford, OK 73096
(580) 774-3266
Fax: (580) 774-3115
chemistry@swosu.edu
physics@swosu.edu
Science Education
General Information
Grants from the following sources greatly help the Science Education Division;
- the State Board of Regents
- Southwestern Oklahoma State University
- National Science Foundation's (NSF) reform effort
- Collaborative for Excellence in Teacher Preparation (CETP)
Summer Science and Mathematics Academy
This program is designed to give high ability high
school juniors and seniors the opportunity to experience
the close interrelationship between science and
mathematics and its application
to technology in industry and society. To accomplish
this goal, a partnership will be formed between
the academic science community
of Southwestern Oklahoma State University and Imation,
a local high-technology science related industry.
During the first three weeks of the Academy,
the participants study four
academic units relating science,
mathematics, and computer science to technological
applications. The
four units are offered by the Departments of Chemistry,
Physics, Mathematics, and Computer Science by
professors at Southwestern Oklahoma State University.
Each unit includes hands on laboratory and computer
skills to enhance the students problem solving
ability. An
interdisciplinary Academy Web site exists and
all participants are trained in e-mail
and home page coding. During the 4th week of the
Academy, the students, divided into small groups,
participate in a one-week interdisciplinary problem-solving
unit dealing with specific industrial and technological
problems directed by the Imation staff and University
scientists. The
students participate in an oral and visual computer
generated presentation of their findings. Objectives
of the Academy are designed to meet Priority
Academic Student Skills (PASS) curriculum as
well as national standards in science and mathematics.
Additional enrichment activities include a physical
fitness and recreational
unit designed to entertain and enhance the participants
overall self-esteem and interpersonal
communication skills. Other activities include science
related industrial field trips, weekly science
and technology seminars, and a variety of social
activities. Counseling designed to acquaint participants
of the career opportunities in science and technology
is an integral part of the program.
Success in Science and Math Professional Development Institute
funded by the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation,
annually provides 240 Oklahoma teachers (grades K-10)
with the knowledge, skills, and materials needed
to ensure that Oklahoma students receive
the finest science and math instruction available.
Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma
State University, and Tulsa University
collaborate on the K-8 science component of this
project, with each site being responsible for
approximately one-third of the 130 K-8 teachers.
Teachers are trained in the use of hands-on,
inquiry-based science curriculum modules. Following the training,
the participants take the modules to their schools
and use them with their students. When they
are finished, the teachers return the modules to
SWOSU to be refurbished and made available for future
use.
The Oklahoma Teacher Education Collaborative (O-TEC)
is a consortium of nine higher education institutions
dedicated to producing teachers better equipped for
teaching science and mathematics to the students
who will be the Oklahoma citizens of
the next century. O-TEC activities focus on (1) recruitment
of potential teachers, (2) preparation of pre-service
teachers, and (3) retention of qualified teachers.
Funding for O-TEC comes through a National Science
Foundation grant of
$5,000,000 over five
years (1996-2001) administered through the University
of Tulsa. O-TEC
is one of seventeen NSF Collaboratives for Excellence
in Teacher Preparation across the nation.