Connecting Research and Education

Session Selection Tool

This page provides you with all resources and session materials

This summer we will be offering 4 sessions for teachers, of which teachers will be able to choose and attend 2 sessions. Each session will run for 4 days as four 90 min sessions (please see PD schedule tab).

Below you will find a diagram that shows the relationship between science and engineering, NGSS standards, community problems and the session titles. Please take a moment to touch (or hover your cursor) over the standard, problem or session title that most interests you. It will help you see the connection.

Each session’s description is below the diagram. Once you have decided which sessions most interest you, please complete the “Register & Select” link.

We will be “matching” teachers with the sessions that they are most interested in based on your responses submitted via the link. Once we have “matched” all teachers, we will email you with the sessions you will be attending and any resources you may need.

Note: All sessions will be recorded and posted on this website under the “Resources” tab. If you are interested in sessions that you were unable to attend, you will be able to view those sessions at another time.

Please visit this page on a desktop to use the Sankey matchmaking functionality!

Session Descriptions

What’s for Dinner? The Human Climate

This module will explore how climate change affects the cost of living focusing on our food and (to a lesser extent) fresh water supply. While a multi-faceted problem, we will focus on how pollinators of our crops (specifically corn) are affected by climate change. We will also discuss what makes a climate “habitable” and how various natural mechanisms on Earth keep our planet “in balance”. We will then investigate man-made causes of climate change and present some ideas residents in an urban environment can take to help mitigate the effects of our changing climate.

Standards: ESS 1: Earth's Place in the Universe, ESS 2: Earth's Systems, ESS 3: Earth and Human Activity, LS 2: Ecosystems, LS 4: Biodiversity and Humans, PS 3: Energy

Proteins & Illicit Drugs

This module will explore drug addiction at a molecular level. Pharmaceutical products and illegal drugs bind to and alter protein receptors. We will discuss the structure of neurotransmitters, and how to receptor and transporter proteins. We will address how these processes are inhibited by drug binding.

Standards: PS 2: Motion and Stability, PS 1: Matter and Its Interactions, LS 1: Information Processing, ETS 1: Engineering Design

Density - not just for Boats and Rocks!

This module will introduce density as a concept beyond typical ‘wood vs steel vs lead’. We will explore density in relation to community health, energy, prosperity and to science/tech issues facing society.

Standards: PS 1: Matter and Its Interactions, ESS 3: Earth and Human Activity, LS 1: From Molecules to Organisms, ETS 1: Engineering Design

Earthquake Hazard Mitigation

This module will explore earthquakes, their effects on the community, and mitigation measures. Though not a frequent occurrence in the State of Illinois, it is plausible that this area experiences earthquakes (mainly due to the existence of the New Madrid fault in Missouri). This session will highlight earthquakes as an example of how engineers help keep the community safe during natural disasters.

Standards: ETS 1: Engineering Design, ESS 3: Earth and Human Activity, PS 1: Matter and Its Interactions, PS 2: Motion and Stability, PS 3: Energy