Donation insures teacher training

statefarmscidon042: When the Kern County Science Foundation (KCSF) needed help sustaining science training for Kern County high school teachers, just “like a good neighbor” State Farm was there. On May 6 at University Square in Bakersfield, State Farm Insurance Companies Public Affairs Specialist Hilary Whitcomb presented a check for $7,750 to science foundation President John Hester.

The donation came at the foundation’s monthly meeting. It was in response to a grant request from the foundation, in partnership with the University of California, Merced (UC Merced), to continue biotechnology training offered by the Edward Teller Regional Education Center in Bakersfield. The program, introduced in November 2003, has so far trained 11 high school science teachers in urban and rural areas.

“State Farm grants focus on educational excellence, and one category we are particularly concerned with is teacher development,” Whitcomb said. “We want to help develop teachers that can produce quality education for our children.”

Training, offered in two phases, is based on California curriculum standards and gives teachers state of the art lessons, equipment and techniques designed to excite students about biotechnology research they can perform in the classroom. One goal is to get more students interested in pursuing scientific exploration and careers in science. State Farm helped provide funding for the first phase of educators. The latest grant will insure a second phase to begin in July and a new phase one in November with 20 more teachers.

“Students of today are not satisfied dissecting a frog is the most challenging science they can perform in the classroom,” said Anne Santer, Kern County Superintendent of Schools’ (KCSOS) mathematics and science coordinator and a foundation member. “They want science to be exciting. They see CSI on TV and those are the kinds of experiments they want to do — the biotechnological ones. ”

Phase one teachers receive instruction from qualified educators who have completed four levels of biotech training and internships at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Two days of training take place at the UC Merced, Bakersfield campus. The Livermore Lab in northern California is the site for day three of the training. Phase two consists of five days of classroom/lab training at Livermore and is applicable to college prep, honors, and Advanced Placement programs.

“State Farm hopes to increase the funding with each additional phase to enable all of Kern County’s high school science teachers to take advantage of the program,” Whitcomb said.

Santer offers support for county teachers through KCSOS science workshops and other related training programs. KCSOS and the Kern High School District are involved in providing information to teachers about the Teller training program and helping them through the application process.

The nonprofit Kern County Science Foundation encourages high school students to participate in Science Fairs and pursue careers in the sciences.
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