KINGSVILLE (July 29, 2024) — Local teachers from around the Coastal Bend presented their findings from several weeks of research during Administrators Day on Friday, July 26, at the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Student Union Building Ballrooms.
The Administrators Day presentations concluded Summer programs entitled Promote Sustainable Agriculture Concepts in Education through Multidisciplinary Research and Pedagogical Trainings (PACE), and Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Site: Integrating Data-driven research in Renewable Energy Across Disciplines (I-READ).
The PACE Program focused on food and agricultural sciences for kindergarten through eighth-grade teachers, while I-READ was for sixth through 12th grade STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) teachers researching data science and renewable energy.
While the programs differed slightly, the goal of both was to have all participants be a part of team-based research and professional development activities alongside industrial advisors, and faculty and student advisors to develop curricular modules.
“We want to create a community of practice in both programs,” Dr. Mohammad Motaher Hossain, associate professor of mechanical and industrial engineering said. “We want the community of practice to work and learn together while helping each other share the knowledge to advance the STEM education in South Texas.”
PACE was funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) with a $500,000 grant last May, while the I-READ program was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Hossain is the principal investor for both grants.
The PACE program was two and a half weeks for two separate cohorts, while the I-READ program lasted six weeks. Both featured teachers from local ISD’s such as Driscoll, London, West Oso, Ricardo, Corpus Christi, Bishop, Tuloso-Midway, Santa Gertrudis Academy, Kingsville, Sinton and Flour Bluff.
Project topics included research on solar panels, composting, wind farm operations and more. Each team presented its research topic findings through informational boards they put on display during Administrators Day, while the I-READ participants gave 20-minute presentations on stage.
The experience is seen as an opportunity to bolster the local curriculum with news, interesting topics and ideas.
“Bringing this to STEM education (in the region) is very valuable,” said Debra Carpentier, a Santa Gertrudis High School chemistry teacher participating in the I-READ program. “It creates a lot of excitement among the teachers and the students to have those experiences. It will ignite motivation and interest from the topic. It definitely will be a great implementation to our educational programs at the high school.”
Carpentier teamed with H.M. King’s Marisa Hamilton to research wind speed pattern changes.
Program attendees met in person and virtually to share views over the weeks and were given weekly stipends, materials for each research project, funds towards curriculum implementation. They were also provided with additional funds to attend educational conferences and help pay for substitute teachers during those instances.
With a bevy of shared knowledge, opportunities to learn and incentives, participating teachers relished the experience and are hoping to return in the future.
“I don’t think I’ve ever researched like I did here,” Eulene Adkins, an Oak Park Elementary School teacher who participated in both cohorts for the PACE program. “I teach fifth grade and this is more college-level stuff. To bring fifth grade into it and make it cohesive was very cool. Building a curriculum of my research and being able to take it back to my classroom and apply hands-on opportunities for my students was amazing. I definitely would do it again and I’m excited to do it again.”
Adkins teamed with Dricoll Elementary’s Mary De La Mora and Flour Bluff Intermediate’s Katie Doyle to study solar panel design systems.
