Clemson University Press Release 12/16/99
SC LIFE Program
DATE:12-16-99
CONTACT: Barbara J. Speziale, (864) 656-1550
WRITER: Debbie Dalhouse, (864) 656-0937
CLEMSON PROVIDES TEACHER TRAINING FOR ADVANCED SCIENCE COURSES
CLEMSON -- With the growing emphasis on science education in
South Carolina's public schools, there is a corresponding
need to provide science teachers with information to teach
effectively. To this end, Clemson University is offering
graduate level courses during the summer for life sciences
teachers in middle and high schools.
The summer courses are part of SC LIFE, a program developed
by Clemson to enhance biology instruction through hands-on
activities and field trips.
Two of the summer courses, "Natural History of the Piedmont
and Mountain Regions of South Carolina" and "Natural History
of Coastal South Carolina," were discussed at the recent
S.C. Science Council, a statewide conference for science
teachers in secondary schools.
High school teachers Nelle Stephenson from Georgetown and
Randy Newton from Belton-Honea Path joined Clemson faculty
Edward Pivorun, Edward Ruppert and Barbara Speziale to
describe the courses to a standing-room only audience at the
conference.
"The course rejuvenated my spirits and enthusiasm for
teaching. That enthusiasm has carried over into the
classroom," said Stephenson, a Georgetown High School
teacher who participated in the coastal course last summer.
Ruppert, a Clemson biological sciences professor, headed the
faculty team that presented the coastal course. Nationally
known for his books, Seashore Animals of the Southeast and
Invertebrate Zoology, Ruppert said, "The SC LIFE program
lets us use South Carolina's spectacular biodiversity to
teach biological concepts in our middle and high schools."
The coastal program was conducted at Clemson's Baruch
Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science and the
Baruch Marine Field Laboratory in Georgetown. Participants
lived at the institute and worked at the laboratory,
studying local plants, birds, marine invertebrates and
insects as they explored the sand dunes, coastal marshes and
beaches.
As a result of the course, Stephenson's students now take
monthly beach profiles to study seasonal changes and make
"shrimp sandwiches" using microscope slides to view how
living animals forage and feed.
Participants in the piedmont and mountains course lived on
the Clemson University campus and explored the Upstate
piedmont area and the mountains of North and South Carolina.
Field trips included whitewater streams, cove forests and
mountain balds.
Pivorun, a Clemson biological sciences professor, was on the
faculty team that presented the piedmont and mountains
course. He is developing a field guide of rodent,
insectivore and amphibian species found in South Carolina
and working with the Smoky Mountains National Park All Taxa
Biodiversity Inventory program.
"Most people don't know that the greatest vertebrate biomass
in the South Carolina piedmont and mountains is found in the
diversity of the salamander species," Pivorun said.
The SC LIFE courses combine the knowledge of plant and
animal experts to make participants more keenly aware of the
rich biodiversity in South Carolina and the interactions
between animal and plant life.
Newton, a science teacher at Belton-Honea Path High School,
described the result of this cooperation as "one of the best
courses I've ever taken. I was most impressed that the
Clemson faculty were so accessible throughout the course."
"These two courses provide an opportunity for Clemson
biologists to help middle and high school teachers become
better observers and interpreters of nature. We hope this
will enhance the ability of teachers to communicate science
to their students," said Timothy Spira, associate professor
of biological sciences.
Applications are now being taken for SC LIFE Summer 2000
courses for teachers. Teachers earn graduate credit in
biological sciences for taking the courses, then share
information on how they translate what they learned into
classroom teaching practices. Alumni of the summer courses
may also apply to engage in field and laboratory research
projects under the direction of Clemson faculty.
The SC LIFE project is supported by a four-year, $1.6
million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's
Undergraduate Biological Sciences Education Program.
To apply for the summer courses or for more information on
SC LIFE activities, call Clemson University at (864)
656-4224 or visit the web site at