Clark

Pugh

Council members of the Louisiana Systemic Initiatives Program recently approved over $125,000 in grant funding for a projected headed by Principal Investigator Lynn Clark, assistant professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

Dr. Ava Pugh and Dr. Joydeep Bhattacharjee are co-principal investigators on the grant. Clark’s collaborative project, Outstanding in the Field: Real World Science Experiences for Middle School, received $125,386 in funding.

The proposal, which received the highest rating this year by LaSIP officials, provides assistance for area middle school science teachers working in the fields of geology/archaeology, biology and environmental sciences.

During a two-week Summer Institute, teachers will engage in real world scientific data-gathering activities at Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Restoration Park and Poverty Point State Historic Site. Teachers will then use this data to supplement the comprehensive curriculum as part of inquiry-based activities in the classroom. The ULM Museum of Natural History will serve as a home base and a resource for the project.

“It was only through the hard work of an amazing team of educators that this grant happened,” said a grateful Clark.

“Thanks to Drs. Pugh and Bhattacharjee, Dr. Gary Stringer, Cynthia Rodriguez and our amazing community partner, Joyce Tate. Thanks also to our assistant and associate deans who made the grant available and supported us every step of the way,” she said.

LaSIP, started in 1992, is designed primarily to enhance teacher quality and increase student performance through professional development for in-service teachers. A combination of Board of Regents’ funds, Board of Elementary and Secondary Education funds, and all Title II, Part A, No Child Left Behind funds help finance LaSIP’s efforts.





Photos by ULM's Office of University Relations