News

On June 30, 2023, Mr. Marty Buehler (K-12 Liaison and Region 10 Science Olympiad at WMU) joined the lunchtime discussion on “K-12 engagement at WMU” with 17 BIORETS teachers (https://wmich.edu/biology/biorets).

On, July 7, 2023, Dr. Jim Burns (Director of the STEM Work Collaboratory program at WMU) presented a workshop about this program to 17 BIORETS teachers.

On April 17, 2024, Dr. Allison Witucki (former Research Associate from Center for Science and Mathematics Program Improvement at WMU) presented a workshop on “What is a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE)” to WMU faculty.

On April 24, 2024, Dr. Allison Witucki presented a follow-up workshop on “Developing a CURE using backwards design” to WMU faculty.

On July 16-17, 2024, Dr. Todd Barkman (Professor of Biological Sciences at WMU) hosted a hands-on workshop on “Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS)” for ~25 Upward Bound Kalamazoo campers (https://wmich.edu/precollege/upwardbound/kalamazoo). The students mixed 3-4 different essential oils together to make their personalized “perfume”, loaded the samples on the GC-MS, and analyzed the resulting GC-MS data.

On July 25, 2024, four Biological Sciences faculty (Drs. Benjamin Koestler, Yan Lu, Silvia Rossbach, and John Spitsbergen), eight Biological Sciences graduate students, and one BIORETS teacher visit various facilities at Charles River Laboratories in Mattawan, MI.

On Aug 2, 2024, Dr. Jim Burns presented a workshop on “CUREs and K-12 engagement at WMU” to 10 BIORETS teachers.