Mobile laboratories provide a unique opportunity for improving access of students to cutting-edge, hands-on science and technology education and for exposing teachers to curriculum based on current research and new scientific methodologies. The premiere venue for mobile laboratory programs and their partners to gather for professional development is at the annual conference for the Mobile Laboratory Coalition (MLC). The annual conferences are critically important as a forum for mobile laboratory educators and their partners to build and strengthen their knowledge and skills in areas relevant to their mobile lab program and for sharing program successes as well as challenges. The content is designed to be relevant to staff of all levels including those from new and emerging programs who can learn from the shared experiences of existing programs, as well as staff from more established programs. The conference is designed to address the needs, challenges and opportunities facing each program, which vary widely depending on the maturity of the program, funding, institutional commitment and other factors. The conference also provides opportunities for program staff at all levels to produce scientific posters, present workshops, build collaborations with other programs, and develop mentor relationships with community leaders. A unique feature of the conference is the inclusion of classroom teachers who are partners in creating engaging science experiences for students on mobile labs. By attending the conference, teachers can attend curriculum workshops that are often based on cutting-edge biomedical research. Teachers can also share their expertise in pedagogy and classroom management with mobile lab program staff who are often scientists with limited training or background in education. There is no other conference for mobile laboratory programs and their partners. We are seeking funding for three key aspects of the conference: 1) to support the participation of program staff and teachers; 2) to support bringing mobile labs to the conference so that attendees can see and tour examples of different types of vehicles; 3) to provide educational content that broadly benefits mobile laboratory programs that is delivered by outside experts and/or thought leaders. The expected outcomes for this project are an increase in effectiveness of program staff and teachers through professional development, the development of collaborations, improved quality of programs, and the development of shared resources such as evaluation tools and curriculum. The end result is that students, teachers, and community members participating in mobile science laboratory programs receive higher quality and higher impact science education and have greater awareness of the career possibilities in the biomedical fields.
The proposed project will support the annual conference for the Mobile Laboratory Coalition by providing educational content relevant to mobile laboratory programs, creating a forum for sharing of curriculum, best practices, advice, and providing opportunities for networking and forming new collaborations. We are seeking funding for three key aspects of the conference: 1) to support the participation of program staff and teachers; 2) to support bringing mobile labs to the conference so that attendees can see and tour examples of different types of vehicles; 3) to provide educational content that broadly benefits mobile laboratory programs that is delivered by outside experts and/or thought leaders. There is no other conference for mobile laboratory programs and their partners.
