June 18, 2007
In This Issue:
· Dave Menshew Wins Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence
· Free Ag Biotech Workshop for Teachers
· Community College Students Intern at UC Davis
· Andrew Hill Students Win DNA Day Video Award
· DNA Day in Tracy Connects Students with Scientists
· Free Equipment and Supplies for School Programs
Dave Menshew Wins Amgen
Award for Science Teaching Excellence
Dave
Menshew, lead teacher of the biotechnology/forensics program at
James C. Enochs High School in Modesto, recently received the
Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence. Menshew was one of
six California teachers to receive the award which included an
unrestricted $5000 cash award, plus a $5000 cash grant for expansion
or enhancement of his school’s science program. The Science
Teaching Excellence award recognizes extraordinary contributions
by full-time classroom teachers who are elevating the level of
science literacy through creativity in the classroom and motivation
of students.
Menshew may be an extraordinary teacher, but teaching wasn’t
his first career. He was the President of a successful retail
chain when a friend challenged him to volunteer with the students
at a local juvenile detention center. “I found,” Menshew
recalls, “that teaching was far more important than financial
success.”
Menshew returned to school and earned a teaching credential.
Upon graduation, he sold his business and began teaching in the
Modesto school district. Dave has been active in programs offered
by the San Joaquin Biotechnology Center as well as the Edward
Teller Education Center (ETEC), including a summer internship
at Lawrence Livermore National Lab. After earning a biotechnology
certificate from Merced College, Menshew proposed a biotechnology
course to the district as an advanced high school science elective.
The district asked if he could expand the proposal. The four-year
Forensics Biotechnology Career Pathway Program at James C. Enochs
High School is the result.
The new forensics/biotech program includes almost 225 students
in 4 sections and is one of the most popular programs at the new
school. “We’re using forensics as the hook to get students
interested in science,” says Menshew. “Our goal is to
teach science, aligned to state content standards, that meets
our student expectations and need for job skills training.”
Teachers interested in learning more about Dave's curriculum should
email him at Menshew.D@monet.k12.ca.us.
Free Ag-Biotech Workshop for
Middle and High School Teachers
August 13 and 14 in Morgan Hill
The San Joaquin Biotechnology Center in partnership with UC Davis
is hosting a two day workshop on agricultural aspects of biotechnology
on August 13 and 14. Designed for middle and high school teachers,
the workshop will be held at Sobrato High School in Morgan Hill.
The workshop will include speakers, hands-on labs and other activities
that teachers can use in their classrooms. Materials will be tied
to state standards.
Speakers include Dr. Peggy Lemaux from the Department of Plant
and Microbial Biology at UC Berkeley and Dr. Judith A. Kjelstrom,
Director of the UC Davis Biotechnology Program
The workshop is free; breakfast and lunch will be provided each
day. Housing is available for participants traveling from outside
the area. For more information, contact Shannon Bishop at 408
848 4800 x 4277 or sbishop@gavilan.edu. Teachers can register
online at http://www.gavilan-sjbc.org.
Community College Students Intern
at UC Davis
Four students from our area were selected to participate as interns
in the Partnership for Plant Genomics Education at UC Davis this
summer. Garrett Chavez and Briana Gonzalez from Gavilan College
and Samantha Bain and Jiaqi Yang from Merced College will
participate in the program. After a week of lab training, students
will work in the plant pathology lab for 30-40 hours a week under
the direction of a mentor. The program will conclude on August
10 with a graduation luncheon and poster session. The Partnership
for Plant Genomics Education program is funded by a grant from
the National Science Foundation.
Andrew Hill High School Students
Win DNA Day Video Contest
Ricardo Contreras and Ana Dominguez from the Biotechnology Academy
at Andrew Hill High School in San Jose were the winners of the
DNA Day Video Contest sponsored by the Santa Clara County Biotechnology
Education Partnership (SCCBEP). The theme of the 1 minute video
was "Biotech in our World." The winners received $200
Amazon gift certificates and family memberships to the Tech Museum
of Innovation. The biotechnology academy is part of the Andrew
P. Hill High School Medical/Health Professions Magnet. This academy
is a three-year program dedicated to producing students with science
and laboratory skills necessary to enter the workforce and college.
SCCBEP is a nonprofit that supports educators with professional
development, 
equipment,
reagents, and classroom implementation of hands-on biotechnology
laboratories. This is the first year SCCBEP has hosted a video
contest to celebrate DNA Day. For more information about SCCBEP,
including their summer workshops for teachers, visit www.science.sjsu.edu/SCCBEP.
DNA Day in Tracy Connects Students with Scientists
Almost
650 fifth-graders at nine schools in the Tracy Unified School
District made jewelry out of their own DNA in celebration of DNA
Day. Students from the science club at Tracy High School led by
Kirk Brown, assisted by scientists from Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory and Roche Molecular Systems, helped the fifth grade
participants isolate their DNA. The DNA was transferred to a small
plastic tube and strung on a colored cord to make a necklace.
The program was a collaboration between the Edward Teller Education
Center, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and the Tracy
Unified School District.
“The project allowed high school students the opportunity
to mentor younger students and showed what the scientific community
can offer education: brilliant scientists as tremendous role models,”
said Carey Kopay, Director of the Edward Teller Education Center.
We hope to expand the program into other communities next year.
For more information on ETEC’s summer workshops see http://etec.ucdavis.edu/
Donated Equipment
and Supplies Available for Biology Programs
Ken Olson at the Center for Applied Competitive Technologies
at Fresno City has scientific laboratory equipment available
for school programs. The equipment that is currently available
includes ventilator hoods, laminar flow hoods, incubators, hot
water baths and water chillers. Additional equipment is expected.
For more information contact Ken Olsen, Director of the CACT,
at ken.olson@fresnocitycollege.edu.
TEKnova manufactures a large variety of agar plate media,
liquid broths and buffers for molecular biology applications.
Most of their plates are expiration dated and they do not ship
them with less than thirty days remaining on the shelf life. They
are however still good for much longer. TEKnova sends an email
of expiring products that can be ordered free of charge each week
to interested schools. (Schools pay for shipping.) If you are
interested in receiving this list of free supplies send your name
to Deanna Cortez, Donation Project Manager, at deanna@teknova.com
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