BURLINGTON, NC, Sept. 4, 2018 – In time for back-to-school, Carolina Biological Supply Company, the leading school science supplier, launched the new Innovators in Science digital literacy resource for students in grades K to 8. The online resource of biographies presents diverse examples of notable scientists and engineers as part of Carolina’s core science curriculum, which is enriched with opportunities for students to access informational texts, literature, simulations and media related to science and engineering. The goal of this new resource is to bring relevance to all students in science and engineering and the message that science is for everyone. This digital literacy resource is available now and instantly accessible to students and teachers as part of Carolina’s digital science curriculum programs. Carolina developed Innovators in Science as it was creating new science education products for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and Calif. NGSS. These biographies specifically meet Calif. Science Framework requirements for diversity in science education. Teachers are invited to preview Innovators in Science at www.carolina.com/innovators.
Innovators in Science includes short, easy-to-read profiles of a diverse selection of 49 scientists from around the world, selected for their diversity, as well as interesting accomplishments and awards in many different fields of science. Carolina will continue to expand the resource by adding more profiles automatically and seamlessly online. Among the initial scientists profiled, 19 are women who are/were leaders in anthropology, astrophysics, botany, electrical engineering, biomedical engineering, chemistry, invention, marine biology, medicine, physics, planet geology, primatology, seismology, theoretical physics, and volcanology. From a couple of popular names like Sally Ride and Jane Goodall, to lesser known names such as Youyou Tu from China who discovered the best medicine to treat malaria and Rosaly Lopes, a NASA scientist who discovered volcanos on the planet Jupiter’s moon, girls and young women can learn about many female innovators and role models.
Among the male scientists students will meet as they explore Innovators in Science is engineer Mark Dean, who helped design IBM’s first personal computer and the color computer monitor. In 1996, he was named an IBM fellow, the first African-American ever to receive the honor. Another unlikely science star had a lackluster academic performance at high school and may have had ADHD. He is Craig Venter, a veteran who became one of the most influential people in the world for identifying the human DNA genome with his team. His work can help treat major diseases. In addition to the same science fields explored by female scientists above, other fields introduced by male scientists’ profiles include biochemistry, biophysics, engineering, evolutionary biology, genetics, glaciology, mathematics, meteorology, nuclear engineering, and neurobiology.
“Carolina Biological’s goal with Innovators in Science is for students to begin to make meaningful connections between the importance of their science education and their everyday lives,” said Heidi Duty, Product Developer at Carolina. “As we prepared science curriculum for the NGSS, we saw an opportunity to create a resource that would provide students with exposure to the diversity that exists among the scientists and engineers. This digital literacy resource showcases relevant and notable people from all different walks of life, enabling students to understand that the diversity of individuals making contributions to the body of knowledge of science and engineering is a reflection of the diversity in our world.”
The digital literacy resource emphasizes the importance of science education to all members of society. As required and listed in California’s Science Framework, Innovators in Science includes examples of people who used their learning and intelligence to make important contributions to society through science and technology from different demographic groups, specifically including: Native Americans; African Americans; Mexican Americans and other Latino groups; Asian Americans; Pacific Islanders; European Americans; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans; persons with disabilities; and women.
Features:
The profiles are correlated to each Carolina curriculum unit, so that teachers using those programs can easily see a list of which Innovators in Science profiles relate to their current unit or any upcoming unit. Profiles can also be viewed as a table of contents, where all profiles are visible and listed alphabetically by the innovator’s name, noting their field(s) of science. Each innovator profile includes a photograph and several links from reputable organizations or sources to encourage students at higher grade levels to explore and learn more about each person. Teachers can also use the links for lesson planning, saving them time preparing for class discussions, assignments or activities.
The sources have been thoroughly researched and vetted by Carolina to provide the most appropriate and best quality of online background information about each scientist. Teaching students about reliable sources for research, they include education sites, universities, nonprofit organizations, government departments, museums, professional science and engineering associations, science organizations, science journals, encyclopedias, biography databases, and firsthand blogs or websites of the scientist profiled.
Some of the sites that students will visit if they explore the curated links at the end of each profile are Biography, Encyclopedia Britannica, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The Nobel Prize, NASA, Scientific American, and Stanford University.
Digital Portal:
To meet the changing needs of the modern classroom, Carolina core science curriculum provides a digital experience for students and teachers through a newly updated online portal. Whether there is one computer in a classroom or 1-1 accessibility, teachers and students can access the programs in a digital format. This includes access to the new Innovators in Science digital literacy resource, the Teacher Guide, interactive Student Readers and Literacy components, digital simulations for every unit, interactive whiteboard activities and summative assessment for each product.
Availability:
Innovators in Science is available now as a new digital resource included in Carolina’s digital core science programs for grades K-8, including Building Blocks of Science™ 3D (K-5) and ™. Prices start at $374.95 for one kit through Carolina. For information, visit Carolina’s website at www.Carolina.com, call (800) 334-5551, or e-mail curriculum@carolina.com.
Carolina Biological Supply Company:
From its beginnings in 1927, Carolina (www.carolina.com) has grown to become the leading supplier of biological and other science teaching materials in the world. Headquartered in Burlington, NC, Carolina serves customers worldwide, including teachers, students, and professionals in science and health-related fields. The company is still privately owned by descendants of the founder, geology and biology professor Dr. Thomas E. Powell Jr.
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