www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/314/5803/1246/DC1

Supporting Online Material for

Volunteers Bring Passion to Science Outreach

Moriah R. Beck,* Elizabeth A. Morgan, Stephanie S. Strand, Thomas A. Woolsey

*To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mrwillia@artsci.wustl.edu

Published 24 November, Science 314, 1246 (2006)

DOI: 10.1126/science.1131917

This PDF file includes:

SOM Text Figs. S1 to S7 Tables S1 to S4 References

YSP Components TEACHING TEAMS Target Group: St. Louis City public middle and high school students Program Description: Teaching Teams are comprised of YSP volunteers who visit local classrooms and after-school programs to lead hands-on, inquiry-based scientific activities (Fig. S1). The Teams were developed to encourage science interest on a large scale by bringing fun, interactive, grade-level-appropriate experiments and demonstrations to the St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS). Each Team has a focus (anatomy, chemistry, forensic science, genetics & genomics, microbiology, neuroscience, evolution, and physics), and a curriculum can be tailored to a single session or multiple sessions over a series of consecutive days. Teachers learn about YSP through in-service meetings, mailings, word-of-mouth and YSP coordinator visits to their schools. At any time during the school year, teachers can contact YSP’s administrative coordinator with requests for subject and time preferences. The coordinator then contacts the appropriate Teaching Team leader, who chooses the curriculum and arranges for a group of volunteers (typically 1 volunteer per 3-7 students) to staff the outing. The leader attends each outing as well. The curricula taught by Teaching Teams have been devised by YSP volunteers in consultation with public school teachers, as SLPS emphasize standards-based education. Teaching Team activities are carefully designed to complement Missouri learning objectives. In addition to core curriculum components, Teaching Team leaders and other volunteers have also developed activities that fill gaps specified by the teachers; often these gaps relate to recent scientific advances (e.g. genomics), in which the volunteers are active players. Immediately following a trial run of a new Teaching Team curriculum, YSP volunteers and teachers work together to refine the activities and subject matter. This continual process incorporates student, teacher and volunteer feedback so as to provide the most dynamic and comprehensive experiences for students. Many of the public school science classrooms are under-equipped for laboratory teaching and a visiting Teaching Team brings all the necessary materials to complete the activities to the school. These materials include microscopes, chemical reagents, anatomical specimens, and live model organisms (e.g. D. melanogaster and C. elegans). While the students are engaged, the teachers also receive hands-on training in the lessons in the school and are invited to workshops at Washington University. Teachers are then free to borrow the necessary equipment should they choose to use the Teaching Team curricula in future classes without YSP volunteers present. Teaching Team modules are freely available at www.medicine.wustl.edu/~ysp. A process map of the Teaching Teams program is shown in Fig. S2a. SUMMER FOCUS

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Target Group: St. Louis City and County high school juniors Program Description: Summer Focus provides an opportunity for high school juniors to conduct scientific research in a laboratory at Washington University for an eight-week summer program. The program is advertised through YSP recruiting visits to schools, Teaching Team visits, and word-of-mouth from previous participants and teachers. Applications are made available through high school science teachers and online. Students are selected to become Summer Focus Scholars on the basis of a demonstrated interest in science, outstanding letters of recommendation, and enthusiasm for science and new experiences as conveyed in a personal interview. Behavior-based interviewing techniques, first implemented in 2001 with the assistance of Washington University’s human resource staff (Reference S1), are part of the selection process. Before this protocol was implemented, half the Scholars reported having a neutral to problematic experience in their lab; however, during each of the past five years, less than one student/year have had any difficulties. Refinement of the selection process is a primary contributor to this improvement. Laboratory skills and previous lab experience are assessed as part of this process to guide initial training of Scholars, and a short laboratory techniques course is provided at the beginning of the program. Scholars are paired with several support people during the Summer Focus program; these relationships often continue beyond the duration of the formal program and play an important role in the Scholar’s transition from high school to college. The primary supporter is the research mentor, generally a graduate student or a postdoctoral fellow, with whom they develop a research project and conduct experiments. The Scholar’s project is designed to address real scientific unknowns and is an extension of the larger program of the laboratory. Students understand that they play an important role in the laboratory, and they present at lab meetings and attend departmental seminars, thus becoming part of the laboratory community. Projects have included work in neuroscience, infectious disease, immunology, and molecular biology. Titles of recent research projects are listed in Table S1. Another important group of supporters are the YSP volunteer tutors. Each Scholar is paired with a volunteer who helps to prepare the student for their research experience through informal meetings. Meetings between Scholar and tutor begin approximately six weeks prior to the start of the program, and weekly meetings continue throughout the summer. Meeting sessions focus on familiarizing the student with scientific concepts relevant to the research project, and foster a supportive relationship between rising students and young scientists. Scholars are well served by YSP organized contacts with minority scientists. YSP pairs Scholars with college-age students who are participating in Washington University’s summer research internship (Biomedical Research Apprenticeship Program, or BioMedRAP) for informal mentoring outside of the laboratory. The Diversity Steering Committee, a component of Washington University’s Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences (DBBS), developed BioMedRAP. Students participating in BioMedRAP are generally underrepresented minorities from colleges all over the United States. The pairing of Scholars with BioMedRAP interns provides exceptional exposure to tangible role models.

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An unexpected source of support for Scholars comes from other peers in the program. In addition to the 8-10 St. Louis City public school students, YSP also has positions for four students from the St. Louis County school districts. Students coming from St. Louis County are less likely to be from underrepresented groups and usually are from the middle to upper socioeconomic levels in their respective communities; this is in contrast to the predominantly African-American, low socioeconomic students that come from St. Louis City public schools. Based on the experience in integrated county schools, we expected that the students might connect more intimately among racial and economic class; however, we see quite the opposite occurring as Scholars form active collaborations crossing ethnic and economic boundaries. Scholars attend a weekly seminar series, journal club and writing course. These activities, besides being excellent learning venues, give Scholars a chance to interact with their fellow colleagues in the program as well as other members of the university community. YSP also engages minority faculty members to participate in research seminars and career panels. At the end of the eight weeks, Scholars prepare a written paper and a short presentation of their summer research experience. The program concludes with a research symposium at which they present their work, and an awards ceremony and banquet to which their friends, family and laboratory members are invited. Several students have returned to their Summer Focus laboratories following the conclusion of the program to continue participating in research. Summer Focus provides each Scholar with a stipend, allowing students who may otherwise depend on a summer job to participate without having to sacrifice economic support. A detailed process map of the Summer Focus program is shown in Fig. S2b. TEACHER/RESEARCHER PARTNERSHIP (T/RP) (originally Summer Research and Curriculum Enrichment (SRCE)) Target Group: St. Louis City public junior high/high school science teachers Program Description: In 2002, YSP launched an eight-week research internship for junior high/high school science teachers from the St. Louis City public school system. This was in part based on requests from these teachers. The goal of the program was to provide public school teachers with a scientific research experience and the opportunity to develop interactive science curricula for their students. The program was recently redesigned to promote true partnerships between researchers and teachers, rather than a mentor-mentoree relationship, in the hopes that new and innovative strides in education will ensue. The newly-designed T/RP program maintains its original primary goals, namely to provide St. Louis City junior high/high school science teachers with the opportunity to experience hands-on laboratory research and to encourage teachers to implement one inquiry-based laboratory in the curriculum they teach their students in the academic year. The program is advertised to teachers through direct mailings and an online application. YSP recruits interested teachers who are interviewed by YSP with behavior-based interviewing techniques (see Summer Focus section). T/RP participants are chosen based on their enthusiasm for the goals of the program and a

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demonstrated commitment to utilizing new and innovative teaching strategies in their classrooms. Researchers are made aware of the program through school-wide email and direct mailings. The research partners are selected to participate in the program based on their interest and enthusiasm for mentoring a teacher, but also based on their interest in learning about public school educational practices and their interest in partnering with the teacher in curriculum development and implementation. Laboratory skills and previous lab experience of the participating teachers are assessed prior to the beginning of lab work, and a short laboratory techniques course is also provided. Together, the teacher and researcher conduct scientific research for eight weeks during the summer. Similar to Summer Focus Scholars, teachers are expected to actively participate in all laboratory activities. The importance of developing a project that allows the teacher to investigate an unknown/uncharacterized question is central to this partnership. YSP encourages the researcher to frame the larger goals and objectives of the research question in a way that promotes discussion of their research findings with the students in the classroom. Just as teachers emphasize the scientific method to their students, the researchers focus on the real aspects of the scientific method with the teachers. A list of recent research project titles is in Table S1. In the research setting, the teacher learns from the researcher; however, as the pair works on the curriculum development goal of the program, the teacher provides the expertise, and the researcher learns from the teacher. The complementary roles promote a partnership between equals. The curriculum development emphasis of the program is fostered in a number of ways. Prior to the beginning of the summer, researchers join the teachers in their classroom to observe how science is taught in the typical classroom. This interaction is important to the partnership because it provides the researcher with direct access to the challenges of teaching in a city public school. The teachers decide on a topic they would like to use as the basis for the inquiry activity they are required to develop as a part of successful completion of the T/RP program. The teachers and researchers attend a weekly curriculum meeting, during which YSP volunteers as well as staff of the University Teaching Center lead an informal workshop on various aspects of inquiry-based teaching practices. Homework assignments are completed in collaboration with the researcher, allowing the teacher to decide what is scientifically appropriate. The teachers are required to test their new curricula in the classroom, and the researchers participate in the first test-run. Together, the teacher/researcher pair refines the exercise, and once it is in its final form, it is made available to other teachers via the YSP website. In addition to supply money, the teacher and researcher both receive stipends and professional credits for their participation in the program. A detailed process map of the Teacher/Researcher Partnership (listed as SRCE) program is shown in Fig. S2c. LABORATORY EQUIPMENT RECYCLING Target Group: St. Louis City public middle and high school science classrooms

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Program Description: The Washington University School of Medicine has more than 350 independent scientific laboratories. As is common within technology-intensive settings, these labs frequently replace outdated equipment with newer versions, leaving out-of-date (but functional) equipment collecting dust and occupying space. Teachers in the St. Louis Public School system desperately need basic laboratory equipment and YSP makes a concerted effort to collect and deliver the retired laboratory equipment from the medical school to teachers. Each year YSP announces this initiative to the faculty and staff of the medical school, and YSP volunteers collect the donated equipment that is delivered to the appropriate teacher. Since the program was instituted, YSP has donated numerous computers, printers, water baths, incubators, glassware and PCR machines to teachers within the public school system. A detailed process map of the Laboratory Equipment Recycling program is shown in Fig. S2d. FIELD TRIPS TO WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY Target Group: St. Louis City public middle and high school students Program Description: Washington University School of Medicine has many cutting-edge research centers and patient care facilities that are recognized nationally. YSP organizes a day of scientific explorations for teachers who are interested in bringing groups of students to the medical school for field trips. Students tour the Genome Sequencing Center, the gross anatomy lab, and the neuroimaging center; participate in various Teaching Team demonstrations; and visit individual research laboratories. YSP volunteers facilitate these field trips, and the students interact directly with young scientists and medical students. OTHER COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT Target Group: School children, parents, teachers and all other interested persons Brain Awareness Week: Volunteers from the YSP neuroscience Teaching Team participate in Brain Awareness Week activities, organized by the St. Louis Science Center. They bring hands-on demonstrations of proprioception, visual distortion, and brain and spinal cord organization. AAAS Family Science Day: All YSP Teaching Teams participated in Family Science Day at the recent AAAS Annual Meeting held in St. Louis in February 2006. Members of the Teaching Teams spent the day engaging children and their families in short, inquiry-based activities from each Teaching Team in an effort to promote the excitement of scientific discovery to a broad audience. School-aged children from the Greater St. Louis area interacted directly with YSP volunteers. Greater St. Louis Science Fair Judging: The Greater St. Louis Science Fair is the largest science fair in the country. This annual juried exhibition includes the best science experiments conducted and presented by students of the St. Louis schools and school districts. YSP

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volunteers routinely serve as judges for the fair, providing another opportunity for these budding young scientists to connect with scientists not too distant in age from themselves. Health Careers Fair: Each February, Washington University’s Office of Diversity Programs organizes a health career fair. The fair is attended by those seeking information about careers in the health fields, including St. Louis City and County students. Professionals in numerous areas (pharmacy, veterinarian medicine, nursing, medicine, etc.) man tables and provide career information. Students are able to talk with professionals in the areas of interest. YSP also sets up a table to promote its various programs. Spring Brain Conference: Scientists attending the 17th Spring Brain Conference returned to Flagstaff, AZ, on March 15, 2006 for outreach during Brain Awareness Week. Groups of outreach participants, including YSP volunteers as well as neuroscientists and Society for Neuroscience (SfN) members from academic institutions across the US, visited students at Flagstaff High School. Significant numbers of Native American and Hispanic students attend this school. Three interactive activities (brain anatomy, visual-motor adaptation, and proprioception), devised by YSP Teaching Teams, were practiced by outreach volunteers prior to the visit. In total, about 200 freshmen and sophomores and four teachers from seven different biology classes benefited from these outreach activities. VOLUNTEER ROLES AND LEADERSHIP POSITIONS A remarkably high percentage (nearly 10%) of the graduate and medical students at Washington University volunteer for YSP. YSP fills a particular niche for the student who has a deep commitment to both scientific education and community improvement. Approximately 150 graduate and medical students, in addition to postdoctoral fellows and clinical residents, are actively involved in the program. There are many roles for YSP volunteers, including several opportunities for leadership positions. These roles are filled entirely on a volunteer basis; no academic credit or monetary compensation is provided. An essential part of the program is the vigorous effort made to recruit incoming potential volunteers. Each year incoming students and postdoctoral fellows are provided with a flyer containing general information about the Young Scientist Program and its volunteer opportunities. Additionally all graduate and medical students are invited to an Open House event during the first weeks of the fall and spring semesters, during which a short presentation on the various components of YSP are presented and students can sign up for corresponding e-mail lists. Gathering these contacts is especially important for more targeted recruitment once specific projects or assignments develop. Leadership positions within YSP can take a significant time investment. Initially, some investigators are concerned about commitments that infringe on lab time, however the PIs soon learn that there are significant benefits of volunteer’s participation. Volunteers have presented talks or posters at the education-focused sub-meetings of major scientific societies, and a number of YSP volunteers have been awarded prestigious leadership awards within the Washington University community.

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The following is a list of volunteer responsibilities, leadership positions are in bold: Teaching Teams 1. Outing Volunteers (5-10/team/visit with 8 teams currently active): lead small-group

experiments during community outings. 2. Teaching Team Leaders (1-2 per Team): develop experiments and curriculum for

community outings; recruit outing volunteers; compile assessment and demographic data. 3. Teaching Team Program Director (1): supervises all Teaching Teams; meets regularly with

Teaching Team leaders to ensure adequate numbers of outings and address concerns; reviews assessments.

Summer Focus 1. Mentors (12-16): host high school Summer Focus Scholars in the laboratory for eight weeks;

supervise research projects; provide hands-on training and assistance. 2. Tutors (12-16): provide Scholars with scientific background specific to their research project

before and during the eight-week laboratory research program. 3. Journal Club Organizer (1-4): selects topics and papers for discussion; leads weekly sessions

during summer. 4. Writing Course Instructor (1-2): develops curriculum for course; leads weekly course;

critiques weekly assignments and compiles final “journal” of all students’ final papers. 5. Summer Focus Program Director (1-2): supervises all Summer Focus activities; recruits

and meets with summer volunteers; sets calendars; reviews applications and interviews prospective applicants; reviews assessments of participants.

Teacher/Researcher Partnership 1. Researchers (3-6): host public school teachers in the laboratory for eight weeks; participate in

curriculum development. 2. Teacher/Researcher Partnership Program Director (1-2): supervises all T/RP activities;

recruits and meets with summer volunteers; sets calendars; reviews applications and interviews prospective applicants; leads weekly curriculum meeting; reviews assessments of participants.

Laboratory Equipment Recycling 1. Recycling Volunteers (3-5): collect used laboratory equipment from donating labs; deliver to

St. Louis City public school science teachers. 2. Laboratory Equipment Recycling Program Director (1): coordinates collection and

delivery of used laboratory equipment.

Field Trips to Washington University 1. Field Trip Volunteers: lead tours; supervise hands-on experiments. YSP Administration 1. Fundraisers (1-4): act as main YSP contact for endowment building effort with University

Development Office; locate new grant funding sources; compose annual letter to past student, teacher, volunteer and faculty participants.

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2. Grant Writers (1-3): coordinate grant applications with Development Office, Student Director and Faculty Advisor; prepare follow-up reports to funding sources (Narrative & Financial Reports).

3. Webmaster (1): maintains the YSP website (www.medicine.wustl.edu/~ysp). 4. Recruiters (1-4): present informational lectures and staff tables at activities fairs for incoming

medical and graduate students. 5. Steering Committee (10-15): composed of Teaching Team leaders, YSP Coordinator,

Summer Focus and T/RP Directors, YSP Student Director, and any other interested YSP volunteers. Meets monthly to make decisions about upcoming events and discuss individual program plans.

6. Student Director (1): supervises overall administration of YSP activities by holding monthly steering committee meetings, bi-annual Community Advisory Board meeting, and attending Teaching Team meetings; administers YSP budget; prepares annual summary of student, teacher, volunteer and faculty participation; works with Coordinator to maintain participant database; communicates about the YSP with community; collaborates with other outreach groups.

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Assessment of Impact Assessing the impact on all the parties involved with the Young Scientist Program is crucial. This key element continues to evolve in light of the dynamic growth of YSP’s programs, the substantial increases of participants and volunteers, and changes in the methods of data collection and analysis. In the early years of YSP, public school and other students were assessed with standard instruments. However, collection of comprehensive information was substandard, due both to the dynamics of the SLPS population and YSP’s primary focus on program development (rather than impact assessment). Catchment was poor, timeliness lacking and the results wanting in sufficient detail to guide program corrections or to be reported. Following a thorough independent review in 1998 by Dribin and Associates, the program was restructured. Based on these recommendations, YSP currently utilizes two major approaches for assessing impact: (1) evaluations completed by participants immediately following involvement in YSP programs, and (2) retrospective evaluations of prior Summer Focus and T/RP participants as well as all YSP volunteers. YSP’s immediate assessment techniques are based on published guidelines as well as those developed within the program. Scientific attitude assessments, given to Teaching Team, Summer Focus and T/RP participants, are used to determine the impact on motivation and desire to become scientists (References S2, S3). Content questions are given to Teaching Team participants before and after each lesson to gauge comprehension and facts learned. A weekly writing course for Summer Focus Scholars provides an effective method to track laboratory progress and project understanding. Participants and volunteers in all YSP programs are also given feedback forms on which to detail any positives or negatives. The retrospective evaluation aims to determine the long-term impact on participants and volunteers, and includes questions pertaining to current academic status and continuing involvement in outreach. The first retrospective evaluation (the basis for the summaries detailed in this report) was undertaken in 2002. Systematic re-evaluations will be upgraded and repeated every five years. The principal goals are to measure and contrast immediate and long-term impact on all participants (school children, teachers, volunteers, faculty, and institutions). The data also provide critical feedback on YSP programs. This feedback is actively reviewed and significantly contributes to program improvements. At the current time, YSP is working to standardize its evaluations and is preparing for its 2007 Retrospective Evaluation. Assessment techniques are detailed below. Copies of assessment instruments may be downloaded from the YSP website (www.medicine.wustl.edu/~ysp).

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Immediate Assessment TEACHING TEAMS Goals: To assess whether students participating in an YSP Teaching Team activity have (a) an objective improvement in content knowledge and (b) a self-reported change in interest in science. Data on demographics, scientific attitudes, and teacher feedback are also collected. Techniques:

• Student pre- and post-survey • Teacher evaluation • Demographics

Data collection: Data are collected at the beginning (pre-survey) and end (post-survey) of each Teaching Team outing. If the outing spans several days, the post-survey is collected at the end of the final day. Surveys are conducted anonymously; birthdays are recorded on pre- and post-surveys to allow for comparison of each individual’s responses. Content questions are Team-specific and adjusted according to grade level; answers are tabulated and reviewed to measure impact of each lesson/lab. Science interest is also evaluated with the question “Has this lab increased your interest in science?” at the end of each post-survey. This adds to YSP’s assessment of the impact of the Teaching Team lessons on a random sampling of middle and high school students. As a representative example, the majority of students participating in the neuroscience Teaching Teams from 2000-2006 indicated that the labs increased their interest in science (Fig. S3). Interestingly, many students who responded “No” indicated that, because they were already interested in science, the lab did not “increase” that interest. Each Team uses identical scientific attitude and science interest questions. Teacher evaluation provides professional feedback, and student demographics are also collected. SUMMER FOCUS Goals: To assess whether participation in Summer Focus results in (a) a self-reported increased interest in science as a potential career, (b) greater understanding of current scientific techniques and knowledge of science and (c) increased confidence in the student’s ability to succeed in the scientific/medical field. Data on demographics, scientific attitudes, and student feedback on specific program components are also collected. Techniques:

• Pre- and post-program scientific attitude inventory • Weekly writing course assignments • Minute papers • Peer review of papers • Program evaluation • Longitudinal tracking

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• Lab skills/previous experience assessment prior to lab course Data collection: Scientific attitude inventories are collected during the first day of the summer program (pre-survey) and during the final week of program (post-survey). Surveys are conducted anonymously. Weekly evaluation of the Scholar’s progress in the laboratory setting is evaluated using writing course assignments. Each week, students summarize their research progress in the format of a scientific paper, which is expanded over the eight weeks into a comprehensive manuscript. Each week the students also offer critiques of their fellow writing course classmates during peer review sessions in small groups settings. To assess previous knowledge as well as knowledge gained from weekly research seminars, Summer Focus students also complete minute papers. They are asked to write down anything they know about a particular topic in a few minutes before and after the seminar. By comparing these individual responses, engagement and understanding of the scientific concepts presented are measured. At the end of the summer program, students complete an evaluation of the program components, including interaction with their individual mentors/tutors. These evaluations are reviewed to measure the impact of each research experience on the student as well as to determine strengths and weaknesses of the current program implementation. Longitudinal tracking of the students is completed on a yearly basis in order to keep current contact information for all of the participants. The 2002 Retrospective Evaluation determined the long-term effects of the Summer Focus program, as highlighted below. The 2007 Retrospective Evaluation will again assess the impact on Summer Focus students, volunteers, and professors involved in all previous years. TEACHER/RESEARCHER PARTNERSHIP Goals: To assess whether teacher participation in T/RP results in (a) increased use of inquiry-driven teaching methods, (b) transfer of excitement about careers in science to students, (c) elevated comfort in conducting experiments in the classroom, and (d) a useful and lasting partnership with a university researcher. Techniques:

• Classroom observation by teacher’s researcher partner prior to summer • Questionnaire for teachers and researchers on research interests and attitude about

inquiry-based teaching • Lab skills/previous experience assessment prior to lab course • Peer review of curriculum projects • Program evaluation • Classroom observation during implementation of lesson plan • Longitudinal tracking

Data collection: The teachers and researchers fill out a questionnaire asking them to describe their attitudes/experiences with respect to scientific research and inquiry-based teaching

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methods. These questionnaires are filled out prior to the start of the program, and following the teaching of the curriculum that was developed during the summer months. These questions allow YSP to address how the experience in the T/RP program may have shifted the teachers’ and researchers’ perspectives on multiple issues. It also allows YSP to measure any discrepancies between each teacher’s and researcher’s perceived experience, e.g. how well the teacher understood the research portion of the program. Prior to their interaction in the laboratory, the teacher/researcher pair meets in the teacher’s classroom, where the researcher can experience firsthand the urban school environment. Classroom observation sheets help guide the researcher to look at learning styles and classroom management techniques. The answers provided in the program evaluation completed at the end of the summer program are used to refine the program structure, and respond to the needs of both parties. The most beneficial components of the program were identified by the teacher participants as increasing their knowledge of current scientific research (Fig. S4). In weekly curriculum meetings teachers and researchers share ideas about implementing inquiry in the classroom and offer each other advice and ideas based on their different experiences. During the final week of the summer program, the submitted curriculum projects are shared amongst the group of teachers and researchers for peer review, providing another layer of assessment. As the teachers develop their inquiry-based curriculum during the summer, they must include an assessment of student learning. These assessments will be used by both the teacher and YSP leadership to measure successful transfer of scientific content among students exposed to the new curriculum. Although not yet completed, long-term tracking of teacher participants will allow for an assessment of the impact of the T/RP experience in the years following participation, and whether the curriculum developed during the programs is still being used/modified. YSP has maintained contact with the majority of the T/RP teachers, as many continue to participate in Teaching Teams and/or return to the lab for a second summer research internship. In fact two recent T/RP teachers are currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program in science education with encouragement and recommendations from our program. 2002 Retrospective Evaluation SUMMER FOCUS PARTICIPANTS During its first decade, YSP hosted 100 students from Saint Louis Public Schools (SLPS) and the surrounding county schools in the Summer Focus program. In 2002, YSP collected its first set of longitudinal data for the 2002 Retrospective Evaluation. YSP attempted to contact all prior participants and volunteers for review of the program’s long-term effect. In trying to track this highly mobile group of students, difficulties in data collection became apparent. Eighty percent of past participants were high school students at SLPS; the other twenty percent were selected from the more affluent, surrounding suburban school districts and private schools in the region. YSP was able to locate just under 50% of the SLPS participants, whereas 90% of the suburban students were found (Fig. S5). This disparity is also apparent in the response rate, as 42% of located SLPS students responded (giving a total response rate of 20%), in contrast to 72% of located suburban students (for a 65% total response rate). Once this discrepancy was identified procedures were changed. YSP has now implemented a yearly update of tracking information and this has been greatly aided by the increasing use of email accounts by all Summer Focus

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participants. It should be stressed that the recovery of any significant data from the SLPS is a notable achievement. Scholars were also asked whether their participation in the summer program had any effect on their career goals and, if so, what this effect was. Over 65% of the respondents agreed that Summer Focus was instrumental in steering them toward careers in science (Fig. S6). All students went on to attend college, with the majority majoring in a science field (Table S2). Over half of the respondents reported participating in undergraduate research. It is interesting that all of the respondents who were not steered towards science or medicine felt that the program influenced their career choices outside of science. In other words, Summer Focus helped the student realize that laboratory or medical research was not personally satisfying, and therefore they pursued another career path. A comparison group for these participants would allow YSP to fully evaluate the impact of the Summer Focus program. An ideal comparison group would be students who applied and were interviewed for the program, but were not accepted. These students would presumably have had a similar motivation to the Summer Focus participants, yet would not have been exposed to the program. Unfortunately, an insufficient number of these students were located, precluding the creation of a comparison group for the 2002 Retrospective Evaluation. However, this comparison group will be included in the upcoming 2007 Evaluation. VOLUNTEERS AND PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS Over 300 graduate and medical student volunteers were involved in YSP at the time of the 2002 Retrospective Evaluation. Seventy-three percent of the volunteers were located and, of these, over 25% responded to the survey (Fig. S5). Over ninety percent of responding volunteers agreed that YSP greatly impacted their mentoring and leadership skills. When asked which aspect of YSP participation provided the greatest benefit, 44% indicated that gaining experience in group teaching was the most beneficial (Fig. S7). Volunteers also indicated that teaching and working with other graduate students enhanced their own scientific preparation and had a positive impact on mentored students. About one quarter of the graduate/medical students who hosted or tutored Summer Focus participants are still in contact with their mentees. Further, one-third of responding volunteers who are no longer at Washington University (7/21) are still involved in community outreach at their institutions. Sixty-six of the 96 principal investigators (69%) involved with YSP during its first decade were still at Washington University at the time of the 2002 Retrospective Evaluation; 31% responded to the survey (Fig. S5). Almost half have maintained contact with their Summer Focus student participants, and most said that the experience had a positive effect on the science conducted in their laboratories, on the volunteers, and on the Summer Focus scholars themselves.

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Fig. S1

Figure S1. Genetics Lesson. Three middle school students and two Washington University Teaching Team volunteers examine the hand X-ray of a patient with the autosomal dominant disorder polydactyly during a lesson on genetic inheritance.

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Teaching Teams Process MapFig. S2a

Figure S2a. YSP Teaching Teams Process Map. Flowchart illustrating the academic year schedule of Teaching Teams and highlighting the responsibilities of volunteers, participants, and the YSP Coordinator.

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Summer Focus Process Map Fig. S2b

Summer Focus cont. Fig. S2b cont.

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Summer Focus cont.

Figure S2b. YSP Summer Focus Process Map. Flowchart illustrating the month-by-month schedule of Summer Focus preparation and implementation as well as the responsibilities of volunteers, participants, and the YSP Coordinator.

Fig. S2b cont.

Fig. S2c

Teacher/Researcher Partnership Process Map

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Teacher/Researcher Partnership cont.

Fig. S2c cont.

Figure S2c. YSP Teacher/Researcher Partnership Process Map. Flowchart illustrating T/RP preparation and implementation as well as the responsibilities of volunteers, participants, and the YSP Coordinator (please note the previous name of T/RP was Summer Research and Curriculum Enrichment, or SRCE).

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Fig. S2d Laboratory Equipment Recycling Process Map

Figure S2d. YSP Laboratory Equipment Recycling Process Map. Flowchart illustrating process of used laboratory equipment donation to local schools and the responsibilities of volunteers and the YSP Coordinator.

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n=10 n=40 n=144 n=67

Response of Neuroscience Teaching Team Participants:"Did this lab increase your interest in science?"

0%

20%

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2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

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n=48 n=26n=5

Figure S3. Teaching Team Participant Science Interest. All students participating in the neuroscience Teaching Teams from 2000-2006 were asked, “Did this lab increase your interest in science?” as part of the post-survey (where n refers to number of SLPS students). Each year, the majority of students indicated that participating in the Teaching Team activities did increase their science interest.

Fig. S3

Fig. S4

T /R P B e n e f it s

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P ro c e s s o f S c ie n t i f icR e s e a r c h

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C u r r e n t T o p ic s inS c ie n c e

N /AN o t v e ry h e lp fu l

S o m e w h a t h e lp fu l

V e ry h e lp fu l

Figure S4. Perceived Benefits of Teacher/Researcher Partnership. The majority of T/RP participants reported that the program provided beneficial understanding of science in general within their specific research project. This information was collected as part of our 2003 and 2004 T/RP Program Evaluation (n=9).

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n=96 n=302 n=20 n=80

Figure S5. 2002 Retrospective Evaluation Respondents. Forty-eight percent of Summer Focus participants from St. Louis public schools were located for the 2002 Retrospective Evaluation; of those, 42% responded (giving a total response rate of 20%). Ninety percent of suburban Summer Focus students were located; of those, 72% responded (giving a total response rate of 65%). The discrepancy between the located/replied categories among SLPS vs. suburban students indicates the difficulty inherent in tracking students from a school district with high student turnover (see text for details).

Fig. S5

2002 Retrospective Evaluation Respondents

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Summer FocusStudents (suburban)

YSP Volunteers (allprograms)

Summer Focus andT/RP PrincipalInvestigators

Perc

ent o

f tot

al

Located (%)

Replied (%)

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Influence of Summer Focus on Career Paths of Scholars

65%

23%

12%Toward scientific/medical field

Away from scientific/medical field

No change

Figure S6. Influence of Summer Focus on the Career Paths of Scholars. Sixty-five percent of Summer Focus Scholars were directed toward a career in the scientific or medical fields as a result of their participation in the program. This information was collected as a part of the 2002 Retrospective Evaluation (n=26).

Fig. S6

Fig. S7

Participation Benefits for YSP Volunteers

44%

26%

13%

9%

4%4% Group teaching experience

One-on-one mentoring

Community outreach

Sparking science interest inothersLeadership position

Volunteer collegiality

Figure S7. Participation Benefits for YSP Volunteers. Volunteers in all YSP programs ranked the benefits that they gained from participating in YSP. Forty-four percent reported that the greatest benefit was earning group teaching experience. This information was collected as a part of the 2002 Retrospective Evaluation (n=58).

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2000 Sub-Cloning of α2 and α3 Isoforms of the Na Pump in Expression Vectors for Mammalian Tissue Effects of Protein Kinase Inhibition on Vesicle Processing in Snake Motor Nerve Terminals Bacterial Expression of SOCS Protein CIS6 Influence of Gender on Fear Conditioning Analysis of Microfibril Binding Domains on Tropoelastin Code Specific Priming An Investigation of the SNAP-25 Membrane Targeting Domain Subcellular Localization of RGS2 Protein is Dependent on Amino- and Carboxyl-Terminal Determinants Using Fluorescent Protein Labeling to Study the Effects of Rab5 on Rat Glutamate Receptor Mediated Synaptic Plasticity Nucleation of Curli The Genetic Basis of Resistance in Arabidopsis Thaliana to Pseudomonas Syringae Characteristics of Alpha-Crystallin Binding to Lipid Vesicles Expression Analysis of the Putative K+ Channel TWK – 12 in C. Elegans Identification of Genes Affecting Nuclear Pore Complex Assembly Polymorphism Mapping of a Gene Involved in C. elegans Vulval Development Cloning and Characterization of a Putative NCP1 Interactor Identified by Yeast-2-Hybrid Screening 2001 Making Judgements About Physical and Semantic Attributes of Words: A Behavioral Comparison Determining the Location of Genes that Affect Adiposity and Body Weight on Mouse Chromosome 6 Transferring the Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor 1 Mutant Gene from the H-2b Background to the H-2u Background To Engineer a Deletion of the D-2 Domain of von Willebrand Factor (VWF) Mapping of Mutants in the Ras/MAPK.Lin–1 Pathway in C. elegans Cloning a Gene for a Novel NT-3 Fusion Protein to Enhance Spinal Cord Regeneration Developmental Eph and Ephrin Expression in Efferent Pathways of Rat Inner Ear and Brainstem Identification of Amoebic Nucleotide Sugar Transporters Rational Design of Penta Aza-Crowns as Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors Analysis of Macrophage Recruitment and Afferent Neuron Innervation in the Avian Utricle During Hair Cell Regeneration Unraveling the Global Functions of the TOR Proteins in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Using the Antibiotic Rapamycin Inhibition of Interferon Gamma-Induced Gene Expression in Bone Marrow Macrophages by Murine Cytomegalovirus The Effect of Gamma-Secretase Inhibitors on Hematopoiesis in Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation Cloning of the WPRE Element Into a Lenti-Viral Vector Alien Plants Attack: Garlic Mustard Invades St. Louis 2002 Finding Your Time: Locating Peak Performance Time By Evaluating the Human Biological Clock Flexibility of Pentaaza Crowns in Mimicking β-Turns Determining the Function of the C-Terminal Tailpiece of Myosin Heavy Chain Creating an Optimal Atlas for Directly Comparing Adults and Children in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Studies Increasing the Life Span of Caenorhabditis elegans Using Drug – X Yeast Two-Hybrid Screening of Rat Brain Library for a Newly Identified Protein

Table S1. Summer Focus and T/RP Research Project Titles

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Do the Transmembrane Domains of Notch and APP Dimerize? Efferent Innervation Precedes the Expression of Acetylcholinesterase in the Inner Ear Increased Copy Number Within a Modified pTrue Blue-rop Plasmid Vector Drug Addiction Studies in CamK IV Knock-Out Mice Role of Glucocorticoid Receptors in Regulation of the Stress Response & Depression Fine Mapping Adiposity Genes on Mouse Chromosome 6 Characterization of Haemophilus influenzae Type f Pili Measuring the Effectiveness of Stem Cell Transplantation in Lysosomal Storage Disease 2003 Structural and Biochemical Analysis of Immune Evasion Proteins From Gammaherpesvirus 68 The Thermal Stability of MHCI Single Chain Trimers The Use of Polymorphims as a Tool in BAC Overlap Confirmations Using Shotgun Sequencing to Close Gaps in Bacterial Artificial Chromosomes Mosaic Cre Expression Throughout Mouse Lens Development LsbS Gene: Is It Important to the Actin Cytoskeleton? Comparative Sequence Analysis Of Human, Chimpanzee, And Baboon BAC Clones Using Physical Mapping Techniques The Spectral Properties of a Novel, Highly Efficient, Mutated Red Fluorescent Protein Protein Expression in Vitamin-E Deficient Mice Calcium – Independent Phospolipase A2β Causes Increased Monocyte Adhesion in Restenosis Following Angioplasty Finishing Process of Chimpanzee DNA Sequence for the Purpose of Comparing Human's Sequence Detection of ABCA1 Protein and mRNA in Mouse Brain Changes in Cx43 Expression in Plakoglobin-Deficient Mice GABA Interneuron’s in the Mediodorsal Nucleus of the Thalamus An Examination of FLT3 D835 Mutation in AML Patients Mutations in Presenilin-1 Affect γ-Secretase Activity Hypoxic Regulation of HIF-1α in Mouse Cochlea is Strain Dependent Time Course for Appearance of Apoptosis Marker After Hydrogen Per-Oxide Oxidative Stress Fine-Mapping Obesity Genes on Chromosome 18 2004 Inducing Weight Loss in Elderly Obese Through Caloric Restriction and Exercise Heart Rate & Heart Rate Variability Changes During Recovery from Peak Exercise Testing in Gulf War Illness & Fibromyalgia Core Notch Signaling Pathway Regulation of the Neural Markers Geminin and NCAM in Xenopus laevis Examining the Role of Ubiquitination in Post-Replication Repair of Yeast DNA PGC - 1α and Cardiac Metabolism Calpactin 1 Light Chain Association with Lipotoxicity The Efficiency of Two Types of Cre When Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor is Removed From the Mouse Lens Initial Characterizations of Candidate Genes Involved in Sterol/Shingomyelin Metabolism in Leismania Major The Involvement of LIM Protein Ajuba in Cell Migration of Mouse Astrocytes Oxysterols in the Intracellular Sterol Regulatory Pathway in Mammalian Cells Not for Germophobes A Comparison Between APOE/MMP-9 Double/Single Knockouts on High Fat vs. Chow Diet: A Study of Lesion Size

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Genome Sequencing and Library Construction of the Pathogen Enterobactor Sakazakii The Activation of Entamoeba Histolytica Via Mucin and Its Effect on Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells Repairing and Regeneration of Hair Cells in Amphibians After Sound Induced Trauma Sequencing the Platypus Polymorphisms in the Retinoic Acid Receptor – Alpha Gene in Tumor & Non –Malignant DNA How Does Stress Affect Cells 2005 Transcription Factor GATA-4 is Necessary for in vitro Differentiation of Sex Steroidogenic Cells Genetic Variation in Murine Ion Channels Fine-Mapping Quantitative Trait Loci for Mouse Skull Morphology Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) is Important for Fetal Vasculature Development and Lens Growth and Transparency Insertion of a Chimeric Gonadotropin Gene into an Animal Expression Vector Role of Acetylcholinesterase in the Early Synapse Formation of the Inner Ear Cell Death of GABA Immunoreactive Neurons in the Immature Nervous System Computer Applications to Score DNA Binding Proteins A,C,G,T, Mutation Changes Expression of Agouti Signaling Protein and Melanocortin Receptor-1 in Cochlea of CBA/J and C57BL/6J Mice Five Genotypes of Mice and Their Response to OXLDL Identification of Mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana with Non-Wildtype Responses to Methyl Jasmonate 2006 Cyanide Found in Plants and Its Impact on Herbivores Grasping of Healthy Adults Measured Across Different Movement Contexts Notch2 and Its Effect in the Kidney Distribution of Astrocytes in the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus Finding and Sequencing the Jun B Gene From Hair Cells in the Chicken Ear Analyzing the Cytomegalovirus Promoter Using Transposons to Create a Linker Mutagenesis Library An Approach to GABA Release in Prostate Cells An Investigation of Coronatine, A Virulence Factor of the Plant Pathogen Pseudomonas syringae Does the Presence of Inner Hair Cells Play a Role in the Development and Size of Efferent Neural Connections? The Determination of The Sub-Cellular Localization of The Low Density Lipoprotein Recepter-Related Protein 9 Diffuse Optical Tomography: An Illuminating Look at The New Radiological Technique Vampires Among Us: Investigating the Correlations Between Avian Diversity and West Nile Virus Prevalence Detecting Epistasis Affecting Murine Reproductive Fatpad Weight FgF 11-14, A New Family of Intracellular Neuro-Regulators Sound Integration in Auditory Cortex Neurons

Table S1. Summer Focus and Teacher/Researcher Partnership Research Project Titles. Titles of eight-week summer research projects undertaken by Summer Focus and T/RP participants from 2000-2006.

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High School

Graduation

Undergraduate Education Undergraduate Major

Graduate Education

Graduate Area of Study

1991 Northwestern Biology University of Wisconsin

Veterinary School

1992 University of Chicago Biology Harvard Biology 1993 University of Missouri-St.

Louis Communications/ Math

1996 Washington University Chemistry MIT Inorganic Chemistry

1998 Alabama A&M; University of Missouri-St. Louis

Biology

1998 Washington University Biomedical Engineering

Washington University

Computer Engineering

1999 Saint Louis University Accounting Pre-med

2000 Washington University Mechanical Engineering

2000 Saint Louis University Computer Science

2000 Saint Louis University Clinical Lab Science

2000 University of Missouri- Columbia

Biology

2000 Truman State University Biology 2000 Stanford Biology 2000 Washington University Computer

Science

2001 University of Missouri-Rolla Chemical Engineering

2001 Stanford Undecided 2001 Forest Park Community

College; Washington University

Computer Science

2001 Central Methodist College; University of Missouri St. Louis

Religion/ English

2001 University of Michigan Ann Arbor

Cell and Molecular Biology

2001 St. Olaf College Undecided

Table S2. Summer Focus Scholars’ Undergraduate and Graduate Academic Institutions

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2001 University of Arkansas Pine Bluff

Nursing

2001 Truman State University Nursing 2001 Truman State University Biology 2002 Washington University Biology 2002 Harvard 2002 Truman State University Biology

Engineering

2002 Fontbonne College Biology

Table S2. Former Summer Focus Scholars’ Undergraduate and Graduate Academic Institutions. Data collected from responses to the 2002 Retrospective Evaluation.

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Table S3. Memorable Experiences

Students “The experience that I was able to have, the networking that I was able to do, and the friendships that I made is what I remember the most.” “My wonderful lab! I loved feeling like an actual lab assistant and that science may sound and look intimidating but is ‘oh so approachable.’” “In high school science labs, experiments come from pre-packaged kits that take ½ hour to solve, with a guaranteed answer. The Summer Focus program was the first time where science had no answer books and no guarantees.” “…the repetition of procedures in order to see results. That experience helped me understand how patient one must be if they intend on finding results.” “I thought science was boring but it turns out if you just pay attention and join in it will be interesting.” Volunteers “I love the rare moments where I really connect with a student and can help them understand my own fascination with science.” “I love the rare moments where I really connect with a student and can help them understand my own fascination with science.” “Seeing the lack of resources contrasted with the interest in the hands-on activities and smiles on the faces of the students.” “Seeing the student I mentored excited about science and really comprehending what she did over the summer.” “I was quite surprised by how many questions students asked about our life as graduate students and science as a career. I really felt like I contributed in some small way to their definition of scientist.” “The ‘wow, gross, hey that’s cool’ comments are so refreshing… these students are seeing science in a whole new light.” “I have occasionally run across students I have worked with in the grocery store or movie theatre and they always comment on what a great summer they had in the Summer Focus program. We must be doing something right.”

Table S3. Memorable experiences. Quotations detailing memorable experiences from Summer Focus Scholars and YSP volunteers. Data collected from responses to the 2002 Retrospective Evaluation.

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Table S4. Impact of YSP Participation

Students “I saw a scientific career as a desirable career path, although I did not know exactly how scientists spent their time at work. By observing my co-workers, I learned how demanding a career in science can be. After the program I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in science.” “I just want to learn more!” “After the program I realized that engaging in scientific research was a lot of work and perseverance, but also very exciting and satisfying. The program showed me that I would definitely enjoy a scientific career.” “Before I took part in the program, I wasn’t sure about my career. Thanks to the Summer Focus program I have learned about many different fields of science and that I must work harder because my career path will be challenging.” “There is more about science than I knew.” “Summer Focus gave me an experience that proved my interest. It also put me in contact with my mentor, who I still talk to and ask for career and educational advice.” “It solidified my theory that I belong in science! I can make a huge difference in the lives of the human race. I am now working on my 3rd year in mechanical engineering.” “Where as before I was not looking beyond Biology as a major, I am now looking seriously at Biochemistry as a major. The lab’s focus opened the door toward more human-based studies.” Teachers “A major pro of the group meetings was the opportunity to work with other teachers, especially teachers from varying backgrounds.” “The experience allows teachers to get a real-world sense of what is being done in science, and hopefully they can communicate that to their students.” “Everything I did… I use. Nothing has been wasted.” “I needed to be in the lab and find a way to captivate my students.” “It is important to step out of one’s comfort zone and learn new ways of doing things/acquire new knowledge. I feel that it is essential that the teachers in this program are open to this proposition.” Volunteers “I am more certain that I want to work in education trying to improve scientific understanding in middle/high schools.” “It has helped me realize that I enjoy teaching as much as I enjoy work at the bench, so I believe my ideal career will incorporate both.” “I know I will teach… YSP was a major contributor to this decision as I was able to interact with students and learn the value of a good mentor.” “Science education reform is critical to adequately prepare young people to make informed decisions about science and technology. I plan to remain active in the movement in whatever part of science my future career involves.”

Table S4. Impact of participation. Quotations from Summer Focus Scholars and YSP volunteers detailing the impact of participation in the programs. Data collected from responses to the 2002 Retrospective Evaluation.

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Supporting References S1. P. Green. Get Hired: Winning Strategies to Ace the Interview (video). Bard Press (1996). S2. R. W. Moore, R.L. H. Foy, Journal of Research in Science Teaching. 34, 327 (1997). S3. R.W. Moore, F.X. Autman, Journal of Research in Science Teaching. 7, 85 (1970).

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