Colorado State University's Center for Life Sciences was established in June 1999 to serve students, faculty, and staff interested in life sciences and to provide advising to students interested in human health professions and pre-veterinary programs and to those undecided about a life science program of study. The Center is sponsored by a four-year, $1.6 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to improve undergraduate biology education.
Center programs and activities aimed at advancing the state of life science education are described below.
t	Bugs to Biospheres: Through this summer program, students in grades 9 through 12 spend a week on the Colorado State campus hearing presentations by life science professors in classrooms, laboratories, and research settings and participating in hands-on life science research.
t	Mobile Investigations: Colorado State life science faculty and Teachers in Residence travel to schools to demonstrate life-science principles. Teacher in Residence Vicky Jordan is developing 10 or more life science lab modules for use with 9th and 10th graders. Topics will include heart-rate physiology, comparative anatomy, blood typing, and water quality. Follow-up activities for teachers will help extend students' learning experience.
t	Hughes Research for Teachers: Secondary science teachers apply to conduct summer research projects under the direction of a Colorado State faculty mentor. Teachers participate in a week-long class focusing on research and pedagogical techniques in molecular and biological sciences and then conduct their own research over the remaining six weeks. Participants receive a $2,500 stipend and six graduate-level credits.
t	Biology Teacher Visit Days: In this program, secondary biology teachers come to Colorado State and spend a full day with life science researchers in various laboratory settings. The scientists explain their research and provide teachers with materials for classroom use.
t	Life Science Visit Days: High school students with a serious interest in life sciences tour lab facilities on campus, take part in science experiments, hear panel discussions by undergraduate students, and learn about University admission requirements, the Honors Program, and pre-med and pre-veterinary advising.
t	Bioscience Circuit Riders: In this pilot program, Colorado State faculty volunteers "adopt" a middle or secondary school to visit at least twice per year to provide information about University resources.
t	Workshop on the Teaching of Evolution: Staff from the Center for Life Sciences, CSMATE, and College of Natural Sciences presented this program to teachers from area school districts in April.
www.colostate.edu/programs/lifesciences/