Montana Governor and First Lady's Math and Science Initiative
McLaughlin Institute - Grant for Schools
Article published Jul 10, 2007
McLaughlin Institute lands $529,000 grant for schools
By KARL PUCKETT
Tribune Staff Writer
McLaughlin Research Institute of Great Falls has received a $529,308 grant designed to spur interest in science by bringing local teachers and students into the laboratory.
"It's a big deal," Josy McLean, a science teacher at C.M. Russell High School, said of the rare opportunity to step out of the classroom and into the real research world at McLaughlin.
The grant will allow teachers to work at McLaughlin developing science curriculum for use in Great Falls public schools.
The grant, from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, will pay for stipends and internships for several teachers and students who will work the next five summers alongside scientists.
Internships will begin next summer but the grant was announced Monday at a news conference at the institute, 1520 23rd St. S.
"It's something we could not have come up with on our own," McLaughlin Director George Carlson said.
McLaughlin, where scientists research the genetic control of normal development and disease susceptibility, was one of 31 biomedical research organizations nationwide awarded $22.5 million in grants from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
The Hughes institute is the largest contributor of medical research and education in the country. The aim of the $22.5-million initiative is to close the gap between research institutions and local communities.
"It increases the opportunities for more students and also more teachers," McLean said.
McLaughlin's Carlson said the grant will help the institute expand its educational mission. That role is particularly critical in northcentral Montana, he said, because McLaughlin is the only research facility for hundreds of miles.
"We're the only game in town," he said.
McLaughlin has provided hands-on research training for teachers and students for 50 years but the new project stands out in two ways, officials said.
For one, teachers won't be solely learning — they will be leading the way in developing "inquiry-based" science curriculum. The lessons they develop will be incorporated into science curriculum in classrooms in Great Falls.
"It brings the teachers in as more active participants," Carlson said.
Second, for the first time, high school students with an interest in becoming science teachers will join them in the research.
"It increases the opportunities for more students and also more teachers," McLean said.
Between 10 and 15 teachers from CMR and Great Falls High School will work on developing the curriculum. Each summer, three students will be picked.
Courtesy of Great Falls Tribune
