Education Commons^™

Ethics, Society, And You, Peter Dong

Considerations in Ethics

No abstract provided.

Imsa360: Fall/Winter 2012, Imsa Fund

IMSA Fund Reports

Last year we celebrated IMSA’s 25th anniversary. With the commencement of our 212 Seniors, we closed this incredible chapter of IMSA’s history knowing that these young men and women have joined a long line of IMSA alumni whose life work has made an important, positive impact. While the past 25 years have seen IMSA graduates become great leaders in new fields and new careers, they have also seen even more IMSA alumni making less famous but equally as important contributions.

In addition to our Seniors, we also “graduated” more than 3,547 students and 727 teachers whom we served last year …

Using Inquiry To Teach Microscope Skills, Susan Styer

Faculty Publications & Research

One of the first lab activities often done in a high school biology course is learning to use the microscope. As it is typically described in laboratory manuals, there is no inquiry involved in this activity. Students learn the parts of the microscope and information explaining its operation. There may be a review of the metric system. Then students examine cells, often to observe the difference between plant and animal cells. Students may be instructed to prepare wet mounts and do simple staining. All of these are important skills to have in order to use the microscope correctly, but it …

2012 Convocation, Kevin Zhang '13, Glenn W. Mcgee, Diana L. Sharp, Lamar Prude '97

Convocation

• Pledge of Allegiance and Welcome: Kevin Zhang, Student Council President; Dr. Glenn W. "Max" McGee, IMSA President; Dr. Diana L. Sharp, IMSA Principal, Chief Academic Officer
• Featured Piece: Joshua Cote, '08; Dr. Jeong Hwang-Choe, IMSA Science Faculty Member
  
• Keynote Speaker: D. LaMar Prude, '97; Procurement Financial Analyst, F-18 Platform, Boeing Company
  
• Closing Remarks: Dr. Diana L. Sharp
  

Recipient Of The 2012 Alumni Titan Award, Amy (Timm) Kinney '95

Alumni Titan Award

As a cabinet member of the IMSA Alumni Association (IAA) since 2008, Amy Kinney has dedicated her volunteer efforts to launch and expand the College, Career, and Choices (CCC) Forums, the most prominent program alumni currently provide for students at IMSA. These forums, held multiple times each year, feature alumni panelists who share their collegiate and professional experiences and answer questions from students, providing insight to life beyond IMSA. This program not only establishes a means for alumni to give back directly to the students, it reengages alumni with IMSA and solidifies the IAA’s commitment to IMSA students. Kinney has …

Recipient Of The 2012 Alumni Distinguished Leadership Award, Winjie Tang Miao '94

Alumni Distinguished Leadership Award

Before turning 30, Winjie Tang Miao was named a hospital president and in 2011, she was tapped to lead the development of the newest hospital in the Texas Health Resources system. Miao’s rise to the top follows her success in previous health care administration leadership roles. Miao oversaw the development of more than $500 million in construction projects and the growth and development of a nationally-recognized breast health program. She is recognized as a “true visionary” with “a strong ability to grow inpatient and outpatient volumes, expand services in the community and advance quality in many areas of the hospital.” …

Recipient Of The 2012 Alumni Distinguished Leadership Award, Sam Yagan '95

Alumni Distinguished Leadership Award

Sam Yagan is a leading and widely-recognized serial entrepreneur or “netreprenuer” who has successfully launched, grown and sold companies in the consumer internet sector. In addition to his role as co-founder and CEO of OkCupid, he also enables budding entrepreneurs to get their start through Excelerate Labs, a leading start-up accelerator in Chicago which provides seed money and an abundance of mentoring. Yagan is a champion of disruptive innovation that “changes the game” and works by effectively addressing cost, quality and fun, and is an ardent proponent of technologies that make information free and ‘technologies for good’. Yagan is a …

Recipient Of The 2012 Alumni Distinguished Leadership Award, Alex (Dietrich) Greene ’97

Alumni Distinguished Leadership Award

Alex (Dietrich) Greene has dedicated her life to a career in service. As one of the nation’s first female strike-fighter aviators, Greene is a pioneer and a champion of diversity. She is a founding member of the military’s eMentor program, promoting mentorship and opportunity for future generations of minorities to succeed in untraditional fields. Beginning her career in the U.S. Navy, Greene was rapidly promoted through military ranks for her sophisticated strategic vision and flawless tactical execution. She led the military establishment in policies and programs to not only ensure our national security but also advance the human condition. Greene …

Comparing Overexcitability Levels Between Stem Talented Students And Generally Gifted Students Using The Oeqii, Taylor Imburgia '13, Deborah Mcgrath, Christopher G. Kolar

Student Publications & Research

Gifted individuals have been shown to have higher developmental potential, making them more likely to exhibit overexcitabilities (OEs) classified as psychomotor, sensual, intellectual, imaginational, or emotional. The OE levels between IMSA males and females and between IMSA students interested in STEM and Ohio generally gifted students were examined using the Overexcitabilty Questionnaire-two. Data from 70 IMSA sophomores were analyzed using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and Bonferroni Correction method. Results showed that IMSA females had significantly higher sensual and emotional levels than males. Both IMSA males and females exhibited significantly lower imaginational OE levels than the Ohio students. This study will hopefully …

Imitism: Learning Imagism Through Imitation, Nicole Trackman

Understanding Poetry

Students will learn the components of Imagism through works of William Carlos Williams and D.H. Lawrence. As authors, students will demonstrate their understanding of this poetic movement through an imitation of either Williams’ poem “This is just to Say” or Lawrence’s poem “Green”.

Commencement Of The Class Of 2012, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

Ceremony

No abstract provided.

2012 Multicultural Development Plan, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Resources

The affirmation, appreciation, and inclusion of multiple cultures is vital to ensure that all students, faculty, and staff and the IMSA community will be able to thrive in a multicultural academic and residential environment. From this perspective it is important that community members be effective at interacting across cultures, which is essential to IMSA’s vision of “ igniting and nurturing creative, ethical scientific minds that advance the human condition”. The multiple cultures that make up the IMSA community include individual characteristics that contribute to personal identity such as race, ethnicity, geographic origin, gender, socioeconomic status, religion, age, sexual orientation, and …

Imsa25 Gala: Acceptance Of Dr. Leon Lederman’S Portrait, Stephanie Pace Marshall

Lectures, Speeches, and Talks

Thank you, Max, good evening everyone and congratulations to our honorees: Sally Walker, Eric McLaren, Cathy Veal—whom I had the wisdom to hire 25 years ago! And King Harris and the Harris Family Foundation, long-standing supporters of IMSA beginning over 20 years ago with his very, very generous father, Neisen.

Imsa360: Spring 2012, Imsa Fund

IMSA Fund Reports

We are all still basking in the glow of a wonderful 25th Anniversary Gala attended by more than 250 dear friends and supporters of IMSA. It has been truly inspiring to hear alumni, alumni parents and staff proudly reflect on our first 25 years as well as share extraordinary excitement in anticipation of our next 25.

For the past two and a half decades, IMSA faculty and staff have excelled at “igniting and nurturing” creative, ethical, scientific minds through inquiry based activities, demanding rigor and close relationships. In turn the students have continuously helped us learn how to teach – …

Integration Of Student Centered Physiology Learning Into Related High School Science Courses, Sowmya Anjur

Faculty Publications & Research

Student centered teaching was previously found to enhance student understanding and even improve performance of students in other courses taken in the same semester in high school (6). In an effort to improve student performance in related science classes, the same student centered methods used in my Physiology and Disease (PAD) class were implemented in a Biophysics class this semester. Initial student surveys showed that students felt that integrating physiology concepts into Biophysics helped them understand the material from two very different perspectives, giving them a "more complete picture". Test scores from each of the four units were compared in …

Imsa360: Spring 2012, Imsa Fund

Documents

IMSA Founding Father and Nobel Laureate Dr. Leon Lederman has spent the better part of 90 years tirelessly improving science education. Because of his legacy, Illinois, the nation and the world will reap the benefits for generations to come.

On April 14, 2012 at IMSA’s 25th Anniversary Gala, members of the IMSA community celebrated the 90th birthday of a state and national treasure—Dr. Leon Lederman. It was a fitting tribute for a man who changed the lives and futures of generations of talented students in Illinois by giving them a home where they could reach their full potential.

2012 Imsaloquium, Student Investigation Showcase, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

IMSAloquium Event Booklets

"Through SIR and its partnerships, IMSA students engage in rich opportunities to pursue compelling questions of interest, conduct investigations, engage with extraordinary advisors, communicate findings, and ultimately impact society."

Session D-2: Including World Religions In World History, Christian D. Nokkentved

Professional Learning Day

The major religions of the world are fascinating and belong in world history curricula, but can be challenging; especially if students are to be given the opportunity to read in the scriptures of diverse religions. This presentation will provide participants with a structure and suggested resources for setting up learning experiences that will facilitate student discussion of basic texts.

Session E-5: Anatomy Of A Learning Network, Tracy Miller

Professional Learning Day

In recent news articles, debates have challenged the quality of online classes vs. face-to-face. Participants will “storyboard” an online experience based off a typical classroom lesson and discover if they can create their own online extension activity. Get ready to work your creativity muscle in hopes of navigating the online frontier. March 2^nd, be part of a learning network! If you liked “Putting the ‘e’ in Learning” from last year, consider this your next step.

Session E-1: Self-Paced Proficiency Based Physics – Updates And Extensions, Brooke Schmidt, Eric Hawker

Professional Learning Day

This presentation will cover how a typical introductory physics course has been transformed into one that is self-paced and proficiency graded. The changes were made so that each student would be challenged at his/her level and therefore be more engaged in the course. This structure allows the teacher to individualize instruction of the students. The presentation will also cover adjustments that were made to this model based on student feedback and experiences. The model used to make this course self-paced and proficiency graded should be transferable to other courses.

Session C-1: The U .S. Civil War: Global Perspectives, Steven Buenning

Professional Learning Day

In Lincoln’s words, the Civil War would preserve the United States as “the last, best hope of earth”. A crucial turning point in U.S. history, the Civil War, was also an important global event. Viewed from broader economic, political, cultural, and social perspectives, the causes and consequences of the Civil War resonated worldwide. By using recent scholarship, this session will provide a context for helping students understand the place of the Civil War in global history. An original, document-based question will be presented, along with teaching methods developed by an AP history exam reader.

Session C-2: Social Media And Crowdsourcing For Educators, Shawn Mccusker

Professional Learning Day

What if you had the ability to brainstorm with the best educators from around the country, sharing ideas, materials and strategies to create the best lessons possible? This is a reality. Using social media like Twitter and various web technology, teachers from all fields are generating peer reviewed and "crowd-sourced" resources that are available for free online. This process has recently been featured in the New York Times and the Washington Post as the leading edge in educational professional development. Most importantly it will save you time. Find the best resources faster and have more time for student instruction. Learn …

Session D-3: Discrete Mathematics: A Great Curriculum Connector, Donald Porzio

Professional Learning Day

Many topics that fall under the umbrella of Discrete Mathematics cut across the traditional high school curriculum areas of algebra, geometry, and pre-calculus. Come try some classroom-ready hands-on Discrete Mathematics activities that illustrate the true interconnectedness of mathematics.

Session D-6: Teaching Modern Physics, Peter Dong

Professional Learning Day

Modern physics is an excellent way to get students interested in physics – the “weirdness” of relativity and quantum mechanics captures the imagination. This presentation discusses how to teach the subject in a way that encourages this interest. This year’s session will focus on teaching quantum mechanics in a way that is interesting to students and avoids common misconceptions.

Session B-1: The Prize: Teaching Early Illinois History To Secondary School Students, Claiborne A. Skinner Jr.

Professional Learning Day

This presentation will outline ways in which Illinois can be placed at the center of the story of colonial America and the events which triggered the Revolutionary War. The discussion will be accompanied by a bibliography of relevant secondary readings for instructors, lists of public domain primary sources for students, websites where these can be obtained, lists of Illinois historical sites connected to these materials, and suggestions as to how to interpret these sites for students.

Session B-2: Docsteach – An Online Tool For Teaching With National Archives Documents, Kristina Maldre

Professional Learning Day

The latest National Archives web site, DOCSTEACH, invites teachers to explore thousands of documents in a variety of media from the National Archives holdings – items such as George Washington’s draft of the Constitution, photographs capturing WPA and Civil Rights activities across the country, and Ronald Reagan’s “Evil Empire” speech. This session will provide educators with an overview of DOCSTEACH and help prepare them to create and use primary-source based, interactive learning activities with their students.

Session A-1: Environmental Chemistry – Chemistry In Context, Branson Lawrence

Professional Learning Day

The use of the ACS curriculum combined with group and individual projects to teach entry level chemistry through the context of environmental chemistry.

Session C-1: What Goes Up Must Come Down – Are All Parachutes Created Equal, Mary Lou Lipscomb, Elizabeth Martinez

Professional Learning Day

Participants engage in a guided inquiry: making a parachute and investigating its falling behavior; then develop a list of questions about the behaviors and determine which are testable. Next, small groups each choose one question to test and do so. Finally participants reflect on the process skills used. Although designed as a professional development activity, the lesson may be used with students to focus on testable questions or process skills necessary for scientific investigation.

Session C-2: Putting The “E” In Learning, Tracy Miller

Professional Learning Day

Find out about web resources you can use with your class. Think creatively in designing an interactive environment to help foster collaborative teamwork. Wikis, blogs and electronic portfolios: what it all means, and how to meet students’ learning objectives.

Session A-1: The Cuban Missile Crisis: Understanding The Impact Of Personality On Leadership, Lee Eysturlid

Professional Learning Day

This session will explore the impact of the various types of personalities that were involved in the Cuban Missile Crisis. These differences had a direct impact on the way each leader reacted to the stresses and demands of the crisis as well as their own political objectives. Attendees will come away with an immediately teachable topic on world leadership and the Cuban Crisis as an event.