The Initiating New Science Partnerships in Rural Education (INSPIRE) project between Mississippi State University and three rural school districts in North-Central Mississippi focuses on technology-supported, inquiry learning in the Earth and Space sciences for 7th-12th grade classrooms. The interdisciplinary project will recruit 50 Fellows from three STEM disciplines (Geosciences, Physics, and Engineering) where they will be partnered 2:1 with a teacher. The innovative aspect of this project includes the use of spatial analysis platforms (e.g., Google Earth) during the classroom implementation of graduate student research. The project aims to achieve five essential goals: 1) enhance Fellows? communication, teaching, and team-building skills; 2) develop and implement technology-supported, inquiry-based instructional materials that infuse Fellows? STEM research; 3) increase K-12 science teachers? content knowledge and technological skills; 4) build partnerships between K-12 school districts and University STEM disciplines that serve to support K-12 students? pursuit of higher education and STEM-related careers; 5) provide international research experiences for Fellows and teachers where they receive training across geographic borders. The intellectual merit of the project is the incorporation of Fellows? scientific research into the classroom through the use of technology and the extension of this research beyond our nation through international training experiences. The broader impacts of the project include creating future STEM leaders that conduct cutting-edge science, have solid communication skills, and possess a passion for supporting science education; building a skilled STEM workforce in Mississippi; and developing sustainability and institutional change for GK-12 type activities at MSU beyond the lifetime of the project.
