Program brings research into high
school classrooms
James Island High School teacher Selina
Caparas often encounters questions like: ãWhy do we have to do lab experiments?
Why does everything have to be exact? Whatâs the point?ä from her biology
students. When school resumes this fall, sheâll be able to answer those
questions based on the real-world experience she gained this summer in
MUSC research labs.
Through the American Physiological Societyâs Frontiers in Physiology Program, Caparas is working with researchers Drs. Francis G. Spinale and George Tempel conducting research that will define how the development of congestive heart failure affects blood flow patterns in the brain.
Congestive heart failure is a progressive and fatal illness; more than four million patients currently carry the diagnosis in the United States. By showing how the brain responds to poor heart function, Caparasâ research will provide more information on how to treat patients with the disease.
Not only will her research add an important piece to the puzzle, it will also enable her to bring the enthusiasm and excitement of research into the classroom.
The Frontiers Program is a three-year project designed to improve science education by building connections between secondary school teachers and the research community. Spinale professor of Surgery, comparative medicine, physiology and anesthesiology and Tempel, professor of Physiology, are two of 29 APS members working with 25 middle and high school teachers across the country.
During the course of the summer, Caparas is taking part in research experiments, recording and analyzing data from these experiments, and participating in lab meetings and seminars.
Caparas is already designing lab experiments for her students based on her experience, and Drs. Spinale and Tempel are planning a visit to her classroom.
ãItâs a way to get students excited about science,ä Tempel said.
Caparasâ students wonât be the only one to benefit from her summer research experience. She will also share what sheâs learned with other science teachers throughout Charleston County. ãItâs given me an appreciation of scientific study, the accuracy involved in data collected and the dedication of researchers,ä Caparas said.
In spring 1998, she will travel to San Francisco to present her findings at the Experimental Biology meeting, an annual biomedical scientific meeting of several life sciences societies that attracts up to 15,000 scientists annually.