K-12 Education

“Can I be a Researcher?”
Over a hundred middle and high school students from three local middle schools come to WashU to participate in lectures and discussions related to bioplastics. This program focuses on “big picture” science ideas and hands-on lab exercises that help students envision their future selves in college and pursuing research.

“Hot Topics” Workshop for Teachers
This is a one-day professional development workshop through the ISP’s “Hot Topics” workshop series for middle and high school science teachers. These events focus on bringing emerging areas of research and emphasizing methods that foster STEM-related creativity and critical thinking into the classroom. We lead at least 1-2 Hot Topics workshops/year.

Research Experience for Teachers
This is a paid opportunity. For one month, we have teachers read current research papers, participate in research meetings, meet with professors and trainees to learn more about the latest developments in synthetic biology and current technology. The goal is to develop a curriculum by which teachers can use to teach synthetic biology concepts to their students.

Two teachers were selected in summer 2023. They were David Ganey and Robert Busby, both of Maplewood Richmond Heights Middle School.