Much of the K-12 science curriculum is devoted to covering the major disciplines of science, yet high level research is often multi-discplinary. The Center for the Physics of the Living Cell K-12 outreach program at the University of Illinois (UIUC) brings research to elementary through high school students. Here we present two effective examples of interdisciplinary curriculum enrichment, where students experience how the fundamental science they learn in the classroom can be applied to solve complex problems that cross scientific disciplines. In the first program, four high school students spent Saturday mornings for two semesters in an independent research project related to a current graduate student's thesis study. The first semester was spent in a research techniques �boot camp� where they learned the chemistry and biology skills necessary to pursue their interdisciplinary  project. In their second semester they used fluorescence spectroscopy and other multi-disciplinary techniques to measure the thermodynamics of protein folding inside living bacteria cells�an entirely new result. Second, we expanded our efforts to 5th grade bilingual students fostering two main objectives: (1) teach new but curriculum-aligned science concepts to the students, and (2) decrease the segregation problem between Spanish and English speaking students. We work in conjunction with the dual language program in an urban, public elementary school serving a large Hispanic population and the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science-UIUC Chapter. After a year of monthly hands-on activities, the students have found role models, are well informed about the science performed at UIUC, and their motivation towards the sciences has increased. These two outreach efforts show the great social and educational benefits of exposing K12 students to interdisciplinary material and techniques. Programs that bring current research into the classroom, or students out of the classroom into research, can excite an interest in pursuing scientific research.

Towards more diverse and interdisciplinary K12 outreach

248th National Meeting (2014)

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