Project Grant 2150702

This Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's STEM Education program, formerly known as Education and Human Resources, provides $361,296 to Baylor College of Medicine over three years to develop the capacity of future STEM teachers through authentic research experiences involving data analytics. Specifically, the award aims to immerse six prospective secondary STEM teachers per year in mentored summer research experiences related to biological applications of data science at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. An accompanying professional development program is also funded to expand on these research experiences and equip the 18 total participants over the grant period with the skills and understanding to incorporate research and inquiry-based learning into their own future classrooms. Evaluation of the project's impact on participants' growth and preparation as teachers will also be supported through the completion of curricula, reflective journal entries, and continued engagement with partner researchers and institutions. Outcomes will then be disseminated to other interested parties through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and web-based strategies to improve STEM pre-service teacher preparation more broadly.