Stay Connected
Teaching the Teachers
New grant supports Holy Cross partnership with local science teachers
In October 2003, Holy Cross Assistant Professor of Physics Matthew B. Koss testified before the House Science Committee on the future of human space flight. In summer 2005, Koss, who has had several experiments aboard Shuttle missions, will spend three weeks sharing his expertise with 20 Worcester public school teachers. He’ll do so as part of Holy Cross’ Summer Science Teacher Professional Development Workshop Program, which recently received a $147,000 grant from the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education. Divided evenly, the grant will fund this innovative and highly popular program for the next three years.
“Competition for the grant was extremely tight,” says Grants Director and Associate Professor of Psychology, Charles S. Weiss, who coauthored the proposal with Professor of Chemistry and Science Coordinator Richard Herrick. “It’s the first time we’ve ever received a grant from the Mass Board of Higher Education and it’s a perfect match.”
“Working with high school teachers, and helping them master the material, is particularly exciting because of the tremendous leverage they have,” says Koss. “I’m the expert in my subject matter but the teachers are the experts in education—and each one represents a hundred high school students.”
A 12-year partnership between the College and the Worcester Public School system, the Summer Science Teacher Professional Development Workshop Program offers local high school teachers the opportunity to come together with Holy Cross faculty members for three weeks each summer to learn about cutting-edge topics in science. Built on the same “discovery approach” to teaching and learning that the College’s chemistry department uses, the program encourages hands-on learning and active discussion among participants.
Koss says that he chose this year’s theme of microgravity—a condition in which the effects of gravity are greatly reduced—because of the accessibility of the physics involved and its significance in the world today. “There is such a rich history to the discussion of gravity, one that allows us to talk about Galileo, Newton, and NASA in the same course. At the same time, the topic of space is always current, which will help the teachers make the science relevant to their students.”
“Programs such as this represent an important commitment by Holy Cross to the Worcester schools,” says Weiss. “We’re using the skills we have to enrich our community.”
By Sarah O'Brien Mackey, a freelance writer from Cambridge, Mass.