My colleague and I are developing a Research Course that would be a CSU/UC approved laboratory elective taken after successful completion of two core high school science courses (likely Biology and either Chemistry of Physics). The goal of the course is to engage students in the process of doing science, including literature analysis, experimental design, data analysis and representation, reporting on findings, ethics, and more. We feel this area is lacking in the current curricular offerings within our district.
As students progress in the course they will be expected to develop at least one of their own research projects, which should pose a novel question or strive to answer a question in a novel way. At this point I am looking for local scientists that would be willing to serve as mentors for one or two students for the duration of approximately 6 months during the 2012-2013 school year. While much of the mentoring can be done by email (or perhaps Skyping?), any interest in developing student internships or allowing students to perform research pertaining to your current area of work would also be greatly appreciated. I look forward to working together to teach the next generation of scientists.
Lastly, in developing this program we will need to expand our base of equipment and materials needed for research projects.
Thank you!