CNU establishes new Institute for Science Education

News Release - Dec. 13, 2006

Public's contact for publication:
Dr. Randall Caton
Institute for Science Education Director
(757) 594-7188
rcaton@cnu.edu

Media contact:
Karen L. Gill
Office of Communications and Public Relations
(757) 594-8428

(NEWPORT NEWS, Va.) — Christopher Newport University’s new Institute for Science Education will open in January.

The institute is a community of faculty scholars and educators dedicated to fostering excellence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.

“The goals are to promote STEM learning in every aspect from preschool to adult learning,” said Randall Caton, director of the Institute and a professor in CNU’s Department of Physics, Computer Science and Engineering.

The Institute is submitting proposals and funding requests for a variety of projects and is open to many opportunities, Caton said, especially those that serve the community.

One current proposal is a Math Science Partnership to work toward improving the success of students in elementary schools that did not pass the Standards of Learning tests in science. Plans call for providing courses and workshops to help teachers at schools in Newport News, Hampton and Portsmouth primarily improve their knowledge of science content and use technology to improve their teaching, explore how students think about science and learn different approaches to teaching science.

At least 50 percent of participants would be teachers from schools that didn’t pass the SOLs in science, and the Institute is working to recruit teachers from those schools, Caton said.

CNU’s Department of Physics, Computer Science and Engineering has been involved in science education since the 1980s, Caton said, but the institute allows for a more formal approach and for departments to coordinate their efforts.

For more information about the Institute for Science Education at CNU, please contact Dr. Randall Caton at (757) 594-7188 or rcaton@cnu.edu.