Maximizing Yield Through Integration (MYTI): Science and Math Education in the Context of a Disposing Society

The Maximizing Yield Through Integration (MYTI): Science and Math Education in the Context of a Disposing Society brings together NSF awards from the Math and Science Partnership (MSP), Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT), Center for Research and Education in Science and Technology (CREST), Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER), Undergraduate Mentoring in Environmental Biology (UMEB) and Geo-Internships via the Innovation through Institutional Integration themes of integrating research and education, broadening participation, and critical junctures. Led by the University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras (UPRRP), the project establishes a Center for Science and Mathematics Education (CSME) to integrate research and education by incorporating existing NSF-funded programs in the broad area of environmental sciences and science education. The CSME will provide support to conduct research on science education and establish outreach opportunities with partnering K-12 schools, thus instituting a model for developing educational research incorporating up-to-date research from NSF-funded programs. The Center will provide the infrastructure for the following: cooperative teaching approaches; pilot studies; internet resources; research in science education, including statistical support; and assessment tools, including a variety of surveys. The Center will provide the infrastructure for developing cooperative teaching approaches, supporting pilot studies, support for internet resources and for research in science education, including statistics support, building survey support, and other assessment tools. MYTI will broaden the participation of underrepresented minorities by increasing the number of Hispanic teachers and faculty that are proficient in the best teaching practices in mathematics and science education and improve the attitude of students at a critical juncture (7-12) towards STEM. It will ultimately develop 48 master teachers, 18 during the first three years and 30 more teachers during years 4-5, who will serve in 25 partnering schools/towns throughout Puerto Rico. In addition, it will support 12 scientists from UPRRP who will pursue science education as a scholarly activity. By utilizing funded NSF projects that are at different points on the educational continuum, CSME will have a holistic effect on the pipeline, leading to increased numbers (yields) of students, particularly students underrepresented in STEM disciplines, entering careers in STEM fields.