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Summer Science Institute
2005
The University of Florida Summer Science Institute (SSI) is a new professional development program for high school science teachers. SSI began its inaugural year with the workshop entitled Biotechnology Techniques and Applications, an intensive week-long, residential workshop considering many areas of biotechnology.
The University of Florida Center for Precollegiate Education and Training (UF CPET) was proud to host eighteen outstanding teachers selected from across the state. The participants in the SSI program comprised a diverse group of experienced educators, representing 12 counties and 14 schools teaching over 1800 students in classes such as IB Biology, Agriscience Foundations, Biotechnology, and General Biology.
Throughout the week, the teachers attended lectures on current research concepts and applications in biotechnology such as bioinformatics and microarrays; participated in hands-on laboratory research including performing Southern blots, PCR, and ELISAs; visited emerging companies at the Biotechnology Development Incubator in Alachua; and developed plans to incorporate their new knowledge into their high school curriculum. The SSI teachers return to their communities, having learned the most recent advances in biotechnology which, combined with their outstanding teaching talents, will bridge the research community with the general public.
