Department of Biological Sciences

Biology Outreach

ENGAGEMENT

Touching the lives of students, science teachers, and communities

• Stimulate students to study and consider biology as a career
• Improve the teaching and learning of biology by working with high school biology teachers
• Increase the recruitment and retention rates of all students, especially minorities, women, and rural students in the Department of Biological Sciences at Purdue

K-12 Visits to the Department

No “ivory tower” here! In the past five years, the Department of Biological Sciences has been visited by 1500 students and 100 teachers from more than 60 schools. Visiting groups learn about the Department’s ongoing research efforts as well as the university’s programs of study in the biological sciences.

On the Road

Biology faculty hit the road to travel to high schools and elementary schools as part of the Faculty in the Classroom program, conducting seminars and working with teachers to stimulate student interest in the science.

Teacher Training Programs

Weekend Workshops keep high school biology teachers apprised of the latest developments in teaching and laboratory techniques within the biological sciences. Advanced Placement Biology teachers receive training through the AP Institute for teachers held each summer. This 10-day intensive program provides teachers an introduction to the College Board’s AP program and prepares them to teach the AP biology curriculum. Purdue also hosts the state’s only AP Institute in Environmental Science.

Open House Weekend

A favorite with visitors, especially children, the Department’s Open House is held annually in conjunction with Purdue’s campus-wide SpringFest. Observe chicken embryos, run an electrocardiogram, or visit the tidal pool and handle sea urchins, starfish, and sand dollars, all right in the lobby of Lilly Hall of Life Sciences! Thousands try their hand at DNA sequencing. Our faculty and students are available to host demonstrations and share their enthusiasm for biology with young and old alike!

State Science Olympiad

As a regional site for the annual event, Purdue hosts approximately 350 middle and high school students who come to campus to display their science skills.

Student Recruitment

Each year 25 students are invited to visit the department once in the Fall and again in the Spring to engage in day-long activities, attend biology lectures, and visit research laboratories. The program’s aim is to follow these students all the way through high school graduation and to encourage them to attend Purdue to study the Biological Sciences.

Our Labs Are Your Labs

Lab experiments made possible! Biology classes requiring sophisticated equipment for lab experiments have the opportunity to use the department’s facilities on campus. Equipment such as Spec 20s and pH meters are also delivered directly to the schools via the Small Equipment Loan Program, and fruit flies are made available to teachers free of charge for lab experiments.

Website goal: The G.A.M.E. website is a tool for high school science teachers and higher education instructors that teach genomics but do not have a molecular biology background. Useful analogies and resources are available for teachers to use in their classroom.