Proposal to Direct COSMOS

Miguel F. AznarOctober, 2005

AdministrationAdministration

InstructorsInstructorsCurriculumCurriculum

StudentsStudents

MaterialsMaterials

StaffStaff

Discovery Lectures &Enrichment Sessions

Student feedback

Science seminars• Informal after-dinner discussions w/ UC

faculty (voluntary, < 30 students)

Modeling thinking process & crossing disciplines through

• Panel Discussions

• Debates

• Game shows

Video production

Discovery Lectures 2005

Some Great Challenges for 21st Century Scientists

Magnets and Semiconductors: Fundamental Science, Technological Applications, and “Magic Tricks”  Understanding Great Earthquakes and Killer Tsunamis The Milky Way, Schroedinger’s Cat and You Bioluminescence, Biology & Biotechnology: Glowing Jellies of the Deep

  Mad Cow Disease- the Agent is “Alive” Within Us  Beyond CSI: What Forensic Anthropologists Really Do

Enrichment Sessions 2005

Study Skills for The Sciences Careers in Science Health Sciences Preparing for College (A-G) Applying to College Life After High School Financial Aid Student Panel

Science Seminars 2004

UC faculty-led

Informal discussion near dorms during study hall

Voluntary for students

~30 students

Possible Panel Discussions

PlaguesBiology (what is a virus or a bacteria?)

Evolution (how do they change?)

Genetic engineering (feasibility?)

Epidemiology (emergent property)

Public policy (tradeoffs, politics)

Ethics (value of life, risk assessment)

Global warmingPhysics (energy, work, temperature)

Environmental sci (balance, sources)

Economics (retrofit cost)

Public policy (tradeoffs, politics)

Engineering (inventing solutions)

Accelerating changeBiology (rates of evolution)

Engineering (Moore’s law+)

Sociology (Future Shock)

Ethics (Posthumanity)

Possible Debates

EvolutionPunctuated equilibrium vs. smoothMutation vs. symbiosis

Global warmingCO2 vs. sun cycles

vs. unknown cyclesLatency, impact, solutions

Genetic engineeringNew cures vs. new diseasesHealthier vs. divided population

Game shows

Bad SciencePanel of 3 scientists describe theiralleged discovery. Students ID the 1 that is false, looking for badscience.

PerilBased on the synonymous TVshow, students answer questionsin various scientific categories.

Video Production

Student production (intern) or

UCSC Media Services

Webcasting

Useful for other COSMOS campuses

Streaming/download

Student makeup of missed sessionMarket to students / teachers / donorsGeneral education of the public

Clusters

Include areas of UCSC prominence?

? Complexity theory (“chaos”)

? Genetics (human genome project,bioinformatics)

√ Marine biology (well-covered in COSMOS)

? Engineering / Computer science (partly covered w/ nanotechnology & robotics)

Cluster in 2005

1. Logic and Probability: Truth and Uncertainty

2. Engineering the Future: Robotics, Nanotechnology...

3. Under the Sea: Exploring Marine Organisms and Their World

4. Everyday Chemistry: From Perfumes to Pollution

5. Ocean Dynamics: From Wind to Whales

6. Chemistry and Mathematics: From Life to Thought

7. Stars, Sight, and Science

8. Marine Mammals in the Past, Present, and Future

9. Particle- and Astrophysics: Investigations of the Minuscule to the Massive

Transferable Skills

General Skills· Research (e.g. critical thinking, problem solving, analysis)· Communication (e.g. oral, written, non-verbal)· Interpersonal (e.g. leadership, networking, teamwork)· Personal (e.g. self-management, flexibility, goal setting,

commitment)

Discipline-Specific Skills· Problem Formulation/Solving· Data Interpretation/Analysis/Presentation· Laboratory· Computer· Fieldwork

Promote goals of COSMOS clusters & program· Cluster math/science course curricula,· Student final projects and presentations,· Other program components as required.

Evaluatingsources of informationimportant in student

research

Recruiting Professors

Motivation to teach COSMOS1. Concern for K-12 education (especially if

has children this age)2. Joy of teaching highly-motivated students3. Financial compensation4. Satisfy NSF grant educational requirement5. Career advancement6. ?

Career advancement priorities1. Funding2. Research & Publishing3. Recruiting good grad students4. …5. …6. …7. …8. Teaching COSMOS

PromotionDean-supported breakfast presentation to professors recruited 2 for 2.

Career advancement priorities1. Funding2. Publishing3. Recruiting good grad students4. Teaching COSMOS5. …6. …7. …8. …

One professorretired months earlier than planned

just so he could teach COSMOS. Others maybe similarly motivated by the tabula rasa

opportunity to teach motivatedstudents.

Recruiting Teacher Fellows

Marketing1. Word of mouth2. Flyers to schools3. Direct contact to principals4. Conference presentations

Motivation to teach COSMOS1. Financial compensation2. Joy of teaching highly-motivated students3. Chance to work with UC faculty in cutting

edge areas4. Career advancement5. ?

Training is informal.Template Transferable Skills curriculum is

often cluster topic specific. Teacher fellows work out curriculum with professors in

cluster.

Selecting Students

Two-stage approach

1. Staff screen by numbers

2. Faculty review whole package

Can we predict performance?

Prediction

Grades

Essay

Performance

Can we recruit diversity?

Qualifications

• Performance as Cluster instructorPerformance as Cluster instructor– Feedback from staffFeedback from staff– Evaluated by UCOPEvaluated by UCOP

• Panoramic grasp of science,Panoramic grasp of science,technology, and mathematicstechnology, and mathematics– UC electrical engineering & computer scienceUC electrical engineering & computer science– Published author on technology inPublished author on technology in

a science / social contexta science / social context– Developed curriculum on technological literacyDeveloped curriculum on technological literacy– Public speaker on education and technologyPublic speaker on education and technology

• Experience managing large projectsExperience managing large projects– Bicycle tour of 150 people over 8 days (2004, 2005)Bicycle tour of 150 people over 8 days (2004, 2005)

• Going beyond the requiredGoing beyond the required– Saturday movies: Saturday movies: MindwalkMindwalk, , Future of FoodFuture of Food– Faculty vs. student soccer gamesFaculty vs. student soccer games– Scholarships, escort of students to Stanford conferenceScholarships, escort of students to Stanford conference