RICHLAND, Wash. –Washington State University Tri-Cities education faculty are part of a new, $2.85 million National Science Foundation grant to develop curriculum and hands-on projects with local high schools that use geospatial technologies to improve STEM literacy and access to the STEM workforce. The four-year project is a collaboration between WSU, Lehigh University and Texas Christian University.

Project members will work with high school faculty and students to develop hands-on STEM projects that use geographic information systems, GPS and related technology to gather and analyze data on important societal issues, said Judy Morrison, academic director for the College of Education at ���سԹ�.

At each of the three university sites, faculty will collaborate with two high schools in their area to form what is called a “research practice partnership” to co-design, develop and implement the data-driven, socio-environmental science investigations, as part of the schools’ regular curriculum.

Leading up to this grant, Lehigh University developed a few hands-on projects with local high schools in their area that investigate topics such as the urban heat island effect, the civic impact of urban trees and the carbon cost of different transportation systems. Morrison said throughout the first year of the four-year grant, WSU faculty will work with six high school teachers in the Tri-Cities to plan the project. They will use the original Lehigh University projects as models to assess how to implement similar projects into their local curriculum.

In the last few years of the grant, the team will work with a larger group of 10 teachers to get the curriculum developed for use in the classroom. They will then collect data on the outcomes of the projects and how they affected students’ STEM abilities and attitudes towards a career in STEM fields. Student projects will be tied to issues specific to the local region. One project, for example, could be studying water quality at or surrounding the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, Morrison said.

“The learning activities provide opportunities for students to collaborate, seek evidence, problem-solve, master technology, develop geospatial thinking and reasoning skills and practice communication skills,” she said. “Each are essential for careers in the STEM fields that require students to not only use logical thinking processes, but also develop creative solutions for complex issues.”

Each university partnering on the grant is working with high schools of different sizes and types in their local area. ���سԹ� is specifically working with Chiawana High School, a large traditional high school based in Pasco, as well as River’s Edge High School, a small project-based high school in Richland.

“Each university on the grant has a large comprehensive high school, as well as a smaller high school they are working with,” Morrison said. “We will be looking at different schools and how this model can be used effectively at each.”

Throughout the four-year grant, the three universities will compare results on their projects and discuss the best way to implement them, not only at other high schools across their particular state, but also across the country. Morrison said they will rely heavily on high school teachers to develop and implement projects that make the most sense for their students and region.

“We want it to be ground-up with the teachers,” Morrison said. “We, at ���سԹ�, are going to provide the resources and organization to help get the program up and running, and the teachers will be crucial in designing the curriculum for their own students.”

Morrison is an associate professor of science education At ���سԹ�, she will work with ���سԹ� colleagues Jonah Firestone, assistant professor of science education, and Sarah Newcomer, associate professor of literacy education for the project.

Firestone has a background in working with technology to expand learning opportunities in an effort to supplement learning. Newcomer has a background in working with diverse school populations and relating learning back to the students’ own culture.

“While the use of the technology on this project is important, it is not at the forefront,” Morrison said. “We want the students to see the technology as tools in how they can investigate and answer questions surrounding these local issues. These are vital skills in STEM careers. It is not the technology that is the most important, but how you use the technology for creative investigations and solutions through science, technology, engineering and mathematics.”

Media contacts:

Judy Morrison, ���سԹ� academic director for the College of Education, 509-372-7176, jamorrison@wsu.edu

Maegan Murray, ���سԹ� public relations/communication coordinator, 619-403-3617 (cell), maegan_murray@wsu.edu

By C. Brandon Chapman, College of Education

As the novel coronavirus has required a heavy reliance on technology and access to online learning, educators at Washington State University Tri-Cities are encouraging K-12 students and their families to head the other direction, with a new series of low-tech teaching tips.

Each tip is printed on a flyer that also bears the message: “The little moments that make a big impact.” The flyers are designed as a quick resource for families in their role as educators to their homebound children.

Even the delivery mechanism is low-tech: school lunches. The flyers are given to local schools that then have the option of handing them out with the school lunch program.

These teaching tips include things like how to ask better questions of your child to elicit more meaningful conversation.

“The big idea of ‘ask, don’t tell’ reminds me, every day, to ask questions about my son’s thinking,” said John Mancinelli, executive director of Educational Outreach and Partnerships at ���سԹ�. “During our talks, it was clear that my son was less eager to hear what I thought as much as he wanted to share his thoughts.”

One flyer, meant for grades K-3, is called “wonderings” and encourages kids and families to just take a walk around the neighborhood or local park, having the child choose 4-5 small items from the natural world, such as rocks, plants, flowers, etc. After the walk, the child can look at each item carefully and come up with things that they “wonder about” with each. They then try to come up with answers.

“Through this activity, the child and family are modeling true science: asking questions and finding answers,” said Judy Morrison, associate professor of science education.

Another flyer for grades 3-5, focuses on the moon and its path, having kids draw the moon and other objects, such as a roof or light post. The child does this every night at the same time, and after 3-4 nights of the activity, they use the following night to draw where they predict the moon will be, based on past observations. Then they see how closely they were able to predict. Once again, science modeling.

“There’s a lot more to education right now than simply logging in, seeing what online assignments are required, then doing them,” Morrison said.

It’s also a matter of equity, since currently, there is often an assumption that all students have access to the internet and the technology used to watch video lessons. ���سԹ� faculty said they hope to remind people that learning isn’t limited to technology.

As an example, Morrison said that many of the helpful tips and tricks for learning are based on materials and activities commonly found at home.  It can also be as simple as parents finding a quiet place in the house to study or do homework.

“We know that not every child has that option; not every learning environment is the same” she said. “But we need to recognize that we often unintentionally assume that all children have those same benefits.”

Even when households have all the benefits of technology, Mancinelli said it’s not always realistic to expect that things will work smoothly. There can easily be technical and logistical issues.

“Some families have four or more people online at one time, making access to technology and the internet difficult,” he said. “Then, when you consider families that don’t have the technology or the internet, the problem is compounded. These teaching tips are meant to address the problems of the new learning environment.”

At this point, Mancinelli said there’s no way of knowing how many flyers have been distributed. It’s just too early to know. But he said that all contacts thus far have been supportive, which isn’t surprising based on current relationships.

“Our faculty are always highly engaged with the regional school districts, teachers, and the general public,” he said. “Many serve on district and parent committees and offer their professional services regularly.”

Each teaching tip flyer has photos and names of all faculty members in ���سԹ�’ College of Education. And for good cause.

“Our pictures remind folks that we are here and a resource,” Mancinelli said, “and since we have our names on Teaching Tips, they can connect names and faces.”

In addition to school lunches, all the tips .

By Maegan Murray, WSU Tri‑Cities

RICHLAND, Wash. – In light of the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order by Gov. Jay Inslee, as well as K-12 schools not returning to in-person learning throughout the state, Washington State University Tri-Cities launched a new website dedicated to educational children’s activities and a new reading program where kids virtually read along with ���سԹ� faculty and can earn WSU prizes.

�ճ����website features a variety of do-it-at-home activities ranging from those that pertain to WSU and Coug spirit, such as creating your own Butch T. Cougar mask, to science experiments and other fun activities using supplies that most families likely already have and use in their home.

Additionally, through the new “Super Coug Readers” program in partnership with The Children’s Reading Foundation of the Mid-Columbia, children can watch videos of ���سԹ� faculty reading their favorite books. Children can also earn prizes for completing a Super Coug Readers reading calendar and/or completing a “Super Coug Readers Bingo” challenge.

The project is being led by the ���سԹ� community engagement team in partnership with the ���سԹ� College of Education and The Children’s Reading Foundation of the Mid-Columbia.

“As a public university, we saw an opportunity to provide children and their families with fun and educational activities that are safe and readily available to complete in their own homes, especially during this unusual time,” said Jaime Heppler, ���سԹ� executive director of advancement and community engagement. “Many parents, such as myself, are looking for engaging activities for their kids. This new website and reading program provide activities that foster learning and curiosity. We are excited to offer this as a resource for our regional families.”

Benefits of reading aloud with your kids

Elizabeth Barnes, executive director of The Children’s Reading Foundation of the Mid-Columbia, said children who read for at least 20 minutes per day score in the 90^th percentile in standardized tests, are successful in school, are more likely to graduate from college and become successful in life.

“The skills and knowledge you gain from reading or being read to from birth are astronomical,” she said. “This is a very natural partnership for The Children’s Reading Foundation of the Mid-Columbia and ���سԹ�, as both organizations are trying to better the community through education.”

Barnes said children reading along with ���سԹ� faculty presents a great way for children to be exposed to different educational opportunities and careers that are available in the regional Tri-Cities community.

“What kind of impact could an engineering professor have on a young girl and her parents if they were to hear ‘Rosie Revere, Engineer,’ for the first time?” she said. “What kind of connections to the real world could this have on a family that may never have contemplated a life for their daughter in the sciences?”

Reading with industry experts – ���سԹ� faculty

Sara Sorensen Petersen, a ���سԹ� clinical assistant professor of education and board member with the Children’s Reading Foundation of the Mid-Columbia, said she and her fellow faculty members are excited to provide educational opportunities for regional students to learn from faculty members in a range of fields and from a range of backgrounds and cultures.

“Speaking as a mom and an educator, it is great for kids to see others than mom and dad reading, as well as see professionals in their communities and learn a bit more about what they do,” she said. “We have female science professors, for example, that could inspire young girls to think about a career in the sciences. It’s just a great tie-in and presents a great opportunity for our local families.”

A free resource for families

The new Cougar Family Fun website is available for free and accessible to the public.

Additionally, The Children’s Reading Foundation of the Mid-Columbia is supplying ���سԹ� with an assortment of children’s books that will be given out at the ���سԹ� Cougar Cupboard sponsored by Lamb Weston food pantry, in addition to food pick-up locations in Pasco and Kennewick for ���سԹ� students and their families.  on pick-up locations and how to donate can be found online.

 

Media Contacts:

Jaime Heppler, ���سԹ� executive director of advancement and community engagement, 509-372-7207, jaime.heppler@wsu.edu

Sara Sorensen Petersen, ���سԹ� clinical assistant professor of education, 509-372-7395, sarapetersen@wsu.edu

Maegan Murray, ���سԹ� public relations/communication coordinator, 509-372-7333, maegan_murray@wsu.edu

Still taking applications through the summer, extending confirmation deadline

 

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. –  In an effort to ease the minds of incoming college students, Washington State University Tri-Cities will not require SAT or ACT scores for fall admission and will continue to take applications and confirmations throughout the summer.

“We realize this is an incredibly difficult time for many high school and transfer students,” ���سԹ� Chancellor Sandra Haynes said. “Applying for college is already stressful and prospective students worry about submitting their materials on time. Now, they have the added worry caused by the unknowns of the global pandemic. We are here for our incoming students and want to help them succeed and still realize their college dreams.”

���سԹ� normally requires first-year students to submit SAT and ACT scores, which are used in combination with grade-point average to make an admissions decision. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many SAT and ACT exams have been canceled.

Jana Kay Lunstad, ���سԹ� director of enrollment, said the temporary removal of the SAT and ACT requirement will allow students to get their applications processed based on GPA and other factors normally submitted with their application.

“We know this is an uncertain time for many, and we want to do all we can to support our high school and transfer students by removing barriers so they can realize their goal of a college education,” Lunstad said. “We are here to support all prospective students and will walk them through the admissions application, answer questions on financial aid, and talk about pathways for success because we truly care about the wellbeing of both our current and incoming students.”

Lunstad said ���سԹ� and local students are also fortunate to live in a state that offers the College Bound Scholarship and the Washington College Grant, which help cover full and partial costs of tuition and living expenses for students attending college.

“We accept both of those programs and want to communicate to incoming students that although their lives have been disrupted, they have an affordable option that is close to home,” Lunstad said. “���سԹ� faculty are committed to their students and the campus provides a strong support network for students and families during these unprecedented times.”

The ���سԹ� Running Start program is also still processing applications as usual. The program allows high school juniors and seniors to complete college courses at ���سԹ� at no cost for tuition. For program requirements and more information, visit tricities.wsu.edu/running-start.

All university programs are continuing to operate virtually and most student resources remain available online.

To connect virtually with an admissions counselor, to apply and for more information about the admissions process, visit , or contact the admissions office at tricities.admissions@wsu.edu.

“���سԹ� is here to support our local students and make the college admissions process easier,” Haynes said. “We are here for our community, we are here for our students. We want to make their college experience and their lives better.”

 

Media contacts:

Jana Kay Lunstad, ���سԹ� director of enrollment, 509-372-7450, janakay.lunstad@wsu.edu

Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�, 619-403-3617 (cell), maegan_murray@wsu.edu