Northern Kentucky University

The mission of CINSAM is to enhance the teaching, learning, and applying of Science and Mathematics at NKU and in the schools of the Northern Kentucky region through interdisciplinary collaboration.

Established by the Council on Post-Secondary Education in 1999 as the Program of Distinction at NKU.

Goals:

1) Prepare teachers for science and mathematics

Preservice

Integrative Science courses

Opportunities for collaborations among Education, Science, and Mathematics faculty and their students

Inservice

Workshops, courses, etc. offered by the Science, Mathematics and Education faculty.

Active involvement with Science and Mathematics Alliances

Provide opportunities for teachers to bring their students on-campus to work collaboratively with Science faculty

2) Prepare students who are capable of handling complex interdisciplinary problems

Attract students with CINSAM Scholarships

Foster an integrative environment for teaching and learning

Offer a broad range of Integrative Science courses

Arrange for externship opportunities for students in industry and business.

Support enhanced research opportunities for undergrads

3) Equip the general citizenry to understand Science and Mathematics

Offer a Symposium series with outstanding speakers of general interest

Present opportunities for school students to participate in programs on campus

4) Characterized by Multidimensional Integration

Across disciplines - Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geology, Mathematics, Computer Science, Education

Among groups - K-12, University (freshman - graduate studies), Business/Industry

Around activities - Teaching, Learning, Creating/Applying

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1. Develop outstanding teachers of science and mathematics at secondary, middle school, and elementary levels.

a. Develop appropriate courses for undergraduate and graduate students who will be teaching science and mathematics in schools

i. Continue the development of existing Integrative Science courses.

ii. Facilitate interactions among science, mathematics, and science/math education faculties for the purpose of designing and offering courses for science and math teachers.

b. Develop in-service programs to meet the needs of teachers of science and mathematics.

i. Work with mathematics and science alliances and related organizations to identify specific needs.

ii. Facilitate the offering of short programs and workshops that are offered collaboratively by mathematics or sciences faculty and their education faculty colleagues. The emphases of these offerings should be to bring knowledge from the disciplines as well as to improve teaching.

c. Provide opportunities for teachers to bring their students to campus to help motivate them in the sciences and mathematics

i. Arrange for use of labs and special equipment; other specially focused after-school activities

ii. Develop and help to mentor competitions - American Mathematics Competition, Science Fair, Science Day, etc

iii. Develop and offer summer and weekend programs originating from NKU for middle grades or high school students in the sciences and/or mathematics.

2. Prepare students for the workforce where they will be required to solve complex problems in science and technology from an interdisciplinary perspective.

a. Recruit the best local science and mathematics students to NKU

i. CINSAM Scholarships

ii. Faculty visits to high school math and science classes

iii. Science Day; competitions, etc. (see 1.c.ii. above)

iv. Honors program (see 2.d. below)

b. Recruitment and retention of under-represented groups in mathematics and the sciences, e.g. women in the physical and mathematical sciences, African-Americans in all of mathematics and the sciences.

i. Recruitment through mentorship programs for minority high school students, e.g. Science Fair, mathematics competitions, summer program.

ii. Cooperation with Enrollment Management office to offer peer mentorship program for mathematics and science from under-represented groups.

iii. Development of a program for Women in Mathematics and Sciences.

c. Provide integrative course opportunities for all majors - at introductory, advanced, and graduate levels.

i. Exposure to real-world problems and hands-on solutions.

ii. Encouragement of group work and teamwork.

iii. Emphasis on development of communication skills as well as computational and analytical abilities.

d. Develop Honors science and mathematics courses.

i. Organize sections of existing courses with interdisciplinary enrichment activities.

ii. Develop new interdisciplinary courses.

iii. Work to assure that the Honors program is attractive to science and mathematics students

e. Develop faculty strengths in teaching in an interdisciplinary environment

i. Integrative Teaching Seminar

ii. Training sessions for prospective teachers of Integrative Science courses.

iii. Visiting Scholars or Post-doctoral faculty.

f. Foster research projects involving students with an emphasis on work that integrates the sciences and mathematics. Primary support will be given to projects involving faculty at NKU, although research with faculty from other universities or with scientists at other sites will be considered.

g. Provide problem-based opportunities for student work (Applied Learning)

i. Externships with industry

1. Focused internship requiring planned activities with educational objectives.

2. Team projects, e.g. semester/year-long solutions to industrial problems.

ii. Cooperative projects with campus units

1. ERMC

2. METS

iii. Educational experience beyond student teaching

1. Work with students who are under-represented in science and mathematics

2. Mentoring young students in projects for Science Fair, Science Olympiad, etc.

3. Assist in teaching Integrative Science courses.

h. Capstone experience wherein students present results of their integrative experience; receive graduation designation as “CINSAM Scholars”

3. Educate a citizenry with a refined sense on inquiry and analysis that embodies integration of knowledge.

a. Offer an annual symposium.

b. Produce news releases on science/math activities.

c. Address issues in science and mathematics through local media - including the roles science and mathematics play in society as well as providing assistance to the public in evaluating scientific claims related to public policy or consumer issues.

d. Develop electronic media such as the World Wide Web for the promotion of science and mathematics.

e. Develop an Annual Undergraduate Research Conference

f. Offer summer programs for high school students

g. Other outreach efforts for P-12 students; e.g. competitions, science fair, invention camp, etc.

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