The
Contemporary Science Center was founded in 2004 to change the way that
teenaged students experience science here in North Carolina. We believe
that successful, authentic experiences in real science can be a
critical factor in how teenaged students choose their further studies,
how they choose their careers, and just how scientifically literate they
choose to become.
To
address our national challenge of 'growing more scientists', we offer
teachers and their classes our Field Studies. These day-long field
studies are a 'field trip' for students to experience real science in
real ways, as a tool to grow kids' problem-solving skills. Our goal?
Shift teenagers' attitudes about science and science careers, by
enticing them with cutting-edge, real-world problems. Our goal for
teachers? Empower teachers with our 'inquiry incubator' that models
advanced inquiry-based teaching skills specifically for 8th grade
through high school teachers of core science and math courses.
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| Mission Statement
The Contemporary Science Center is a catalyst for transforming science education in NC, using innovative models of teaching and learning to inspire teachers and students statewide to embrace scientific engagement.
Guiding Principles
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The Contemporary Science Center bridges the gap between traditional education and contemporary application by leveraging the expertise of the Research Triangle community in order to bring authentic science to the classroom.
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The Contemporary Science Center transforms the experience of science for a broad spectrum of students by:
translating the complex to the clear
fostering group skills, and
building abilities to present and argue from evidence.
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The Contemporary Science Center believes that students and teachers are the fundamental locus of educational change.
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The Contemporary Science Center strives to spark the adoption of its unique learning and teaching models by teachers in their classrooms.
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The Contemporary Science Center will continually improve its effectiveness by monitoring the impact of its programs on teachers and students.
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CSC will continue to grow the number of students and expand the spectrum of students it can serve by developing strategic partnerships and growing its organizational capacity.
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Our Teachers
Amanda Marvelle - Biology, Biotechnology, Chemistry, and Statistics Amanda received her PhD in Genetics and Molecular Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2010. Amanda has experience teaching and mentoring students in the field of Biology at both the K-12 and undergraduate college levels. She has presented numerous papers and posters on genetics-related topics and has over ten publications.
Eric A. Grunden - Chemistry & Physics
Teacher & Science Department Chair, Raleigh Charter High School; Former Education Director, CSC. Eric Grunden holds two degrees from the University of Florida—the BS in Chemistry and the MEd in Science Education. Eric first taught at the P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School in Gainesville, Florida, and at Rockdale County High School in Conyers, Georgia. He has taught Chemistry, AP Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy at Raleigh Charter High School, and coaches the nationally competitive RCHS Quiz Bowl teams. He was also Science Department Chair and leads the Technology team at RCHS. Eric is one of the founding visionaries behind the CSC, and teaches all of our Field Studies when called upon.
Previous teachers Alice Lee - Biology, Biotechnology, Chemistry, and Statistics
Education Director, Contemporary Science Center. Alice earned her Ph.D. in Microbiology from North Carolina State University, following an undergraduate degree in Biology from Virginia Tech. Alice has taught high school biology in Namibia for the Peace Corps, and in Boston, and she has led several undergraduate courses over the past 6 years at NCSU. Alice is an associate member of Sigma Xi, and a student member since 2003 of the American Society for Microbiology.
Spring 2011 Interns
Julie Hall - BioTech Field Study
Mindy Roberts - BioTech Field Study
Lena Randhawa - Biology Field Study
Jennifer Cable - Chemistry Field Study
CSC Teaching Fellows Program
Tamica Stubbs-Biotechnology Teaching Fellow
Teacher, E.E. Waddell High School, Charlotte. Tamica designed the CSC Biotechnology/Syngenta Field Study, and teaches it on occasion at the CSC. Tamica has an extensive resume in after-school and summer research activities, enabling her to lead her students, a primarily disadvantaged population, to very strong performance in science. Of particular note this year are her latest awards from the national Biotechnology Institute as a Biotechnology Teacher, and the Intel Society for Science and the Public program, where Tamica was named one of 10 teachers in the United States selected to participate in the SSP Fellows Program. More about Tamica's work here:
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Board of Directors 2011
Pamela Blizzard - Executive Director, Contemporary Science Center Pamela was one of the key founders of Raleigh Charter High School, developing and implementing the educational and operational plans for the school, and has consulted wtih aread chart schools since 2001. In the past she has worked in sales for graphic design in Raleigh, launched and ran a family business in Richmond, VA, created a small business for working mothers in California, and worked for nine years in finance and marketing for Hewlett Packard in California. She received an MBA from the University of Santa Clara, and a BA from Brown University.
Rich Cohn, Ph.D. - Senior Principal and Director, Health Sciences Research, SRA International, Inc. Dr. Rich Cohn brings more than 25 years of experience as a statistical consultant to government, industry and academia to his role as Director of Health Sciences Research at SRA International. He oversees a center that includes leading health scientists and statisticians who conduct research and address critical needs in such fields as environmental health, respiratory health, and children's health. Dr. Cohn was also instrumental in establishing the Research Triangle Environmental Health Collaborative, a nonprofit established to leverage the combined capabilities of the region's government, commercial, and academic environmental health institutions, and to apply that expertise toward high-impact, cross-cutting issues in environmental health. He continues to serve on the Collaborative's Executive Committee. Prior to joining SRA, Dr. Cohn served a five-year term at the University of North Carolina's Collaborative Studies Coordinating Center within the School of Public Health. Dr. Cohn holds an undergraduate degree in mathematics from the University of Virginia, a master's in statistics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, and a doctorate in statistics from North Carolina State University.
Eric A. Grunden - Faculty, Raleigh Charter High School Eric A. Grunden has taught at the P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School in Gainesville, Florida, and at Rockdale County high School in Conyers, Georgia. He hold two degrees from the University of Florida - the BS in Chemistry and the MEd in Science Education. He teaches Chemistry, AP Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy, and coaches the RCHS Brain Game and national champion Quiz Bowl teams. He also is Science Department Chair and lead the Technology team at RCHS. Eric develops Fields Studies for the CSC, and teaches all of our Field Studies when called upon.
Mike McBrierty - Manager, Public Affairs, Biogen Idec Mike McBriety is Public Affairs Manager for Biogen Idec, a global biopharmaceutical leader. Mike oversees a range of public affairs functions for the company's Research Triangle Park (North Carolina) operations, including government relations, community affairs, media relations and executive and internal communications. Prior to joining Biogen Idec, Mike served as manager, Global Government Affairs for SAS Institute, the world's largest privately-held software corporation. Mike began his career at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as Program Coordinator for the Brazil-U.S. Business Council where he oversaw member services and programs. Mike earned a Master of Public Policy from Duke University's Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy and a B.A. (magna cum laude) in Latin American Studies and Political Science from Texas A&M University.
Jerry McCrain, Ph.D. - VP, District Director PBS&J Jerry McCrain was the founder and president of EcoScience until 2008, when the company was acquired by PBS&J. Dr. McCrain now serves as District Director for PBS&J's mid-Atlantic region. He is responsible for all strategic planning, marketing, client development, and project assistance. His specialties include wetland jurisdictional concerns, preparation of environmental assessments, permitting, mitigation planning, and environmental policy. In addition, he is responsible for providing direction and support to PBS&J's mitigation banking program.
Karen Ondrick - Program Director, Community Relations, Lenovo USA Karen Ondrick is Program Director for Community Relations at Lenovo's executive headquarters in Morrisville, North Carolina. Her responsibilities include acting as Lenovo's single point of contact for North Carolina and coordinating community outreach through various Lenovo employee volunteer initiatives, including the management of the annual Lenovo Employees Care charitable contribution campaign. Karen joined IBM in 1981 in Connecticut and spent 12 years in management positions in Northeastern U.S. branch, region, and headquarters sites. After relocating to North Carolina in 1993 as IBM Sales & Distribution Operations manager for the Southeast U.S. Customer Support Organization in Raleigh, Karen transferred to IBM's Personal Computing Division in 1996. Karen held various management and staff positions in the Americas PC Division and assumed her current role in Community Relations for Lenovo in 2006, after Lenovo's acquisition of IBM's global Personal Computing Division.
Ward M. Peterson, Ph.D. - Senior Vice President, Inspire Pharmaceuticals Dr. Peterson has over 15 years of academic and industry experience in vision science. He has served as Vice President of Discovery since December 2005. Prior to this position, as Vice President of Biology, Dr. Peterson supervised Inspire's Biology department (Molecular Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Screening, and Drug Evaluation) and worked with other Discovery functional group leaders to set the strategic direction for Biology. He is also the team leader for the glaucoma (cytoskeletal therapy) project. Prior to joining Inspire, Dr. Peterson was a retinal research scientist at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. he received his Ph.D. in Biophysics form the Dept of Molecular and Cell Biology and School of Optometry at University of California, Berkeley. he was awarded a research fellowship from the Foundation Fighting Blindness and a National Research Service Award from the National Institute of Health in support of his post-graduate training at U.C. San Francisco and Berkeley.
Sharlini Sankaran, Ph.D. - Assistant Director, NC Science and Technology Board Sharlini serves as assistant director and research manager for the NC Science and Technology Board, managing their nanotechnology conference, green business fund and many other initiatives. She has taught electronics and computer programing at Durham Tech Community College, and was manager of education programs at Sigma Xi. She is a mentor to young girls for the Durham County Women and Math Mentoring program. Dr. Sankaran earned her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and a M.S., Electrical ana Computer Engineering, and B.S. (with honors), Electrical and Computer Engineering from Ohio University, Athens, Ohio.
Contemporary Science Center - Additional Support
Lily Skok Bunch - Strategic & Fundraising Consultant Lilly has almost 20 years of fundraising and non-profit management experience, having served as chief development officer for a number of diverse organizations. Before starting her consulting business, she was Vice President for Development and External Relations for Peace College, and before that worked at her Alma Mater Hollins College, and the National Center for Family Literacy in Kentucky among others. Her current consulting business has included as clients the Contemporary Art Museum, Alliance Medical Ministry and Raleigh Charter High School, as well as the Contemporary Science Center. Lilly consults from her new home in Lenoir, NC.
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