QUEST

QUEST and CONNECT-ED:

an inquiry-based summer institute in science and mathematics

for grade K-12 teachers

QUEST Summer Institute 2012 will be held July 9-20, 2012.

View 2012 QUEST & CONNECT-ED brochure (PDF).

View 2012 QUEST & CONNECT-ED application.

The Program in Teacher Preparation is pleased to offer our TEACHERS AS SCHOLARS membership districts a new summer professional development program for novice science and math teachers in grades 6-12. View the QUEST Scholars Program information flyer.

QUEST is an institute taught by Princeton University faculty and staff and scientists from neighboring institutions, and this summer we are also partnering with Earthwatch. CONNECT-ED is offered to K-12 teachers and is taught by teachers, administrators and content experts. Both are designed to enhance teachers' knowledge of science and mathematics through hands-on laboratory experiments and field experiences and to acquaint them with specific ideas and activities to use in their classrooms. Participants perform experiments, as well as discuss pedagogy and the underlying content with colleagues and the faculty. Educators develop skills for teaching inquiry-based science and math. They work in small, informal groups.

Teachers may attend one or both weeks.

For two weeks: Your district pays $1300, which includes your stipend of $800, and a $500 program fee.

For one week: Your district pays $650, which includes your stipend of $400, and a $250 program fee.

Application deadline is April 2, 2012.

View 2012 QUEST & CONNECT-ED application.

Teachers who attend the summer institute are expected to also attend the Lemonick Symposium the following spring to share lessons with their colleagues.

Contact Anne Catena, acatena@princeton.edu, for more information.

Summer 2012 - Session Descriptions

Held during the week of July 9-13, 2012:

CONNECT-ED A Journey Through Time and Space - For grade K-12 Teachers

Join us on a journey through space and time and discover how scientists construct models of the Universe. We will analyze a variety of astronomical data from our Solar System and beyond. We will use math as a tool to construct, test, and evaluate models of the Universe and explore their connections. Lesson are aligned with the revised New Jersey Science and the National Framework for Science Education. With lead scientist Dr. Wil van der Veen, Raritan Valley Community College.

CONNECT-ED participants may qualify for graduate credits through Rider University. Contact Dr. Kathy Browne browne@rider.edu for more information.

Held during the week of July 16-20, 2012:

Earthwatch - Tagging the Terrapins - For grade K-12 Teachers

In this field based program teachers will help capture, tag, and track terrapins in their rich estuary environment. By drawing upon theory and first principles, teachers will design and carry out a study that assesses how terrapins balance risk of predation on eggs with physical factors that enhance their development when choosing nesting habitats. Tradeoffs pose a universal challenge to animals, and teachers will come away from this field course with an awareness of how biologists frame questions and design experiments to unravel the ways animals solve such problems. The program will include data collection, data analysis and group discussions, supported by the Earthwatch lead scientist Dr. Hal Avery (Drexel University) and his research team.

Participants must reside on the Earthwatch campus in Waretown, New Jersey from Monday to Thursday, July 16-19, 2012 and will return home on Thursday afternoon. The final day of the program, Friday, July 20th, 2012 will be held on the Princeton University campus.

Weather and Climate - For grade 3-8 Teachers

Explore the fundamentals of weather and climate through hands-on activities and demonstrations. Topics will include air pressure, temperature, seasons, the greenhouse effect, humidity, clouds, wind, the Coriolis effect, storms, and colors in the sky. Specific topics and activities will depend upon participants' backgrounds and interests. At Princeton University with Dr. Steve Carson, John Witherspoon MS, Princeton, NJ and formerly with the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory.

View 2012 QUEST & CONNECT-ED application.

Lemonick Science & Mathematics Teaching Award

Professor Emeritus Aaron Lemonick was the director of QUEST and a life long supporter of teachers. In an effort to commemorate his devotion to QUEST, the advisory council agreed that Aaron would want the teachers to be recognized as well.

Thus, in 2004 we named the spring symposium in honor of Aaron and created the Lemonick Science & Mathematics Teaching Award, to help teachers implement inquiry-based science in their classroom. The Program in Teacher Preparation and Ilene Levine, an integral part of the QUEST team and a special friend of Lemonick, support the teaching awards which are presented at the symposium.

The Lemonick Symposium for QUEST and the Science & Mathematics Teaching Awards are a proper tribute to a wonderful mentor, teacher and scientist. This annual event reminds us of the many contributions Aaron Lemonick made to the Program for Teacher Preparation at Princeton University.

The Lemonick Science & Mathematics Teaching award recipients are as follows:

Spring 2012 Michelle McKenney and Jeff King

Michelle McKenney, Hillsborough Middle School in Hillsborough received a $300 award to support her lesson entitled, Is Air Matter?. She will purchase a variety of scales that detect the small numerical value of air. In this three day lesson her 7th grade student will use inquiry to create their own experiments to explore and prove that air is matter.

Jonathan Grom, Mott Elementary School in Trenton received a $200 award for his lesson entitled What's New Jersey Made of?. He will use his award for the purchase of New Jersey rock and sediment kits and mineral test kits. These kits explore the 17 different rocks and sediments that make up the geology of our state. The kits will be utilized for a 4th and 5th grade cross curricular activity which combines science and social studies in the study of the history of New Jersey.

Jeffrey King, Camden Technical Schools-Pennsauken Campus, received a $100 award. For his lesson entitled Pumpkin Show he will purchase lab materials, pumpkin seeds and carpentry materials for a chemistry lesson on the emission of gasses in collaboration with students in Floriculture and Carpentry classes. Jeff is Program in Teacher Preparation Alumnae.

Spring 2011

Lisa Kiel, Hillsborough Middle School in Hillsborough Township received a $300 award for her lesson entitled Say Cheese! A Photo Finish! She will use her award money to purchase Vernier photogates to use with her existing probeware. The photogates and probeware will provide the 600 7th grade students the opportunity to learn about Forces of Friction Kinetic Energy Potential Motion: Velocity and Acceleration Gravity Energy Transformations.

Keith Redler, Kreps Middle School in the East Windsor Regional School District received a $200 grant. His award entitled Newton in Motion (Balloon Racer) will be used to purchase materials so that 400 students can build their own balloon powered racer. The students will learn Newton’s Laws, balanced/unbalanced forces, how to measure and graph speed and compute the speed of their racer over several checkpoints.

Lisa Stamile, Millstone River School in the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, received a $100 grant. She will use her award to purchase the "Inquiry Investigations Learning About Food Chemistry and Nutrition Lab” kit. Her students will conduct inquiry investigations by analyzing the chemical and nutritional content of common foods and learn about the food pyramid through hands-on games and activities.

Spring 2010

Carmel Meyer, Hillsborough High School received a $300 grant to implement a hands on inquiry based activity leading to the understanding of the Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion Theory for determining the shape of molecules. This lesson will help students make the leap from 2 dimensional interpretations of Lewis structures to the 3 dimensional interpretations.

Donna Falk, Manalapan-Englishtown Middle School received a $200 grant for her Forensic Science unit. She will use a "CSI” theme in her classroom to solve fictional crimes. Students will use fingerprinting, blood-typing and ink chromatography techniques to learn the scientific principles behind it.

Terry Foltiny, Orchard Hill Elementary School, Skillman, received a $100 grant to improve her classroom library by purchasing nonfiction science books. The books will support the life science and organisms unit while integrating literature and reading into the first grade science curriculum.

Spring 2009

Carol Houghton, B.C. Gregory Elementary School, Trenton received a $300 grant to purchase Galileoscope kits for 15 students on her Princeton Plasma Physics Science Bowl and Fuel Cell Car Builders Teams. The 6th-8th grade students will use the telescopes to observe and report short-term and long-term changes in the positions of the constellations in the night sky.

Nicole Carmichael, Math Coach, Trenton Public Schools received a $200 grant to enhance an integrated lifecycle unit she created for her fifth grade classes using The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. She will use the money to purchase butterfly kits so that students will analyze caterpillars’ eating habits and measure their growth and development prior to metamorphosis.

Heidi Wachtin, Millstone River School, West Windsor-Plainsboro received a $100 grant to further her school recycling program by setting up a vermicomposting bin in her classroom. Her fourth grade students will contribute fruits and vegetable food scraps from their lunches to the composting bins. They will observe how worms convert organic waste into humus.

Spring 2008

Karla Peroni, Sayen Middle School, Hamilton received a $300 grant to extend her Chemical Reactions unit for 40 5th grade students. The students will design their own experiments, use graphing software to test their hypothesis and analyze the data.

Gwen Komyati, Village School, West Windsor-Plainsboro received a $200 grant to purchase maps and science resources for her integrated geology and literature unit that will be used with 50 4th grade students.

Sashi Gundala, Brooks Crossing, South Brunswick received a $100 grant to enhance her 5th grade sound unit on understanding sound waves and their application in sound, light and seismic activities.

Spring 2007

Jeff Grabell, Dutch Neck School, West Windsor-Plainsboro received a $300 grant to extend his human body unit to make connections to chemistry, rock & minerals and mathematics. Jeff plans to create this unit for his 3rd grade class and then present it as an in-service session for all 3rd grade teachers in the district to potentially reach 700 students.

Dr. Georgia Fisanick, Watchung Hills High School received a $200 grant to purchase Vernier probes for her forensic science classes that will be used by 80 students in grades 11 and 12.

Helen Chang, Millstone River School, West Windsor Plainsboro received a $100 grant to develop a chemical reactions unit for 800 students, grades 3-5.

Spring 2006

Heidi Watchin, Millstone River School, West Windsor-Plainsboro received a $300 grant to extend a unit on electric circuits for approximately 17 fourth grade classes.

Liv Bowring, Amsterdam Elementary School, Hillsborough received a $200 grant to purchase and build weather instruments with approximately 100 fourth grade students.

Kelly Kramli, Auten Road Intermediate School, Hillsborough received a $100 grant to develop a unit on ecosystems during which her fifth grade team of approximately 50 students will work with a K-2 special needs class.

Spring 2005

Laura Capriotti, Burlington City Jr. School, Burlington City received a $150 grant to implement a chemistry and environmental science unit with her seventh grade classes.

Suzanne Merrill, Lore School, Ewing received a $150 grant toward the purchase of an incubator and brooder pack to enhance her life science unit with 5th grade students who shared with other grade levels in the school.

Spring 2004

Jennifer Errickson Patriarca, Wilbur Watts Intermediate School, Burlington City received a $300 grant to create a school garden for students in grades 4, 5 and 6.

Colleen Lanigan, Robbins School, Trenton received a $200 grant to develop an inquiry-based chemistry unit for the 3 rd and 4th grade students.

Suzanne Merrill, Lore School, Ewing received a $100 grant to support a life science project for 400 fifth grade students.