ISIS

The ISIS Program (Institute for Science Instruction & Study) is a post Masters Degree advanced certificate (6th year specialists). ISIS has been a highly successful and much celebrated program here at SCSU for 20 years.

Our purpose in ISIS is to bring the education community and the research community together, affording opportunities to exchange ideas, and reconnect science teachers with cutting-edge research as practiced by eminent scientists in the New England region. ISIS fellows have gained significant insights from experiences with senior researchers in Genetics, Geology, Oceanography, Neuroscience, Anthropology, Wildlife Management and Ecology, and many and other disciplines. Participants have met with Nobel Laureates, and other highly honored scientists, and had personal discussions with them on the nature of their inquiry, how they go about finding new avenues of study, and what makes them "tick" as scientists. Few other graduate programs in the nation offer a comparable set of direct, personal, and behind the scenes opportunities for teachers to meet with eminent scientists.

Throughout ISIS, we ask that our participants' employers recognize the extraordinary value of the ISIS experiences scheduled, and that release time be granted for these unique professional development opportunities. In general, ISIS requires 5 release days over the course of the two year program. The balance of our scheduled activities are regular after school teaching hours on Thursday or Friday evenings and/or Saturdays.

Each season the schedule varies slightly to accommodate our honored speakers busy calendars.

• visit the ISIS wiki to see images and more from recent ISIS cohort experiences.

ISIS typically meets monthly on a Thursday and alternatively on a Friday/Saturday to meet eminent researchers in the New England region. Much of the ISIS calendar each season is filled with visits to local researchers within Connecticut including U. Conn. Avery Point, US Fish and Wildlife Service - Fisheries in Milford, Mystic Aquarium and The Institute For Exploration, US Dept. of Agriculture Experiment Stations in Ansonia, here on SCSU's own campus, Yale, The Peabody Museum, University of New Haven, and a variety of other research sites. Once per semester there is a trip to either Woods Hole (Marine Biological Labs, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and US Geological Survey), Boston (Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard), Washington DC and Virginia (Library of Congress, National Institutes of Health, National Museum of Natural History, American Association for the Advancement of Science and others, and NASA), or New York City (American Museum of Natural History and Hayden Planetarium).

  - To speak to the ISIS Program Director, contact: Dr. Susan Cusato -Department of Science Education & Environmental Studies, ISIS, Jennings Hall #342, Southern Connecticut State University, 501 Crescent St, New Haven, CT 06515, 203-392-6600 - cusatos1@southernct.edu

ISIS Program Syllabus, SCSU Catalog Description, Contacts and further program details.

 SCE 600 series - ISIS: Institute for Science Instruction and Study

Time: Alternate Thursdays or Friday/Saturday each month (PM weekdays, AM/PM weekends)

Location: Jennings 335, elsewhere on and off-campus, across CT and in MA, NY and DC - field trips.

Instructor: Scott M. Graves, PhD. Phone: (203) 392-6604,
Email: gravess1@southernct.edu 
Office Hours: Jennings #333: Mon: 3-5pm, Tues: 2-3pm, Wed: 3-4pm, Thurs: 3-5pmand by appointment.

Instructor: Gerry Frumento. Phone: (203) 392-6612, Email: frumentog1@southernct.edu
Office Hours: Jennings #337 by appointment

Prerequisites: Admission to the Graduate School and the ISIS 6th Year Program.

 • Link to SCSU Graduate School application information

 • link to ISIS Program application

Catalogue Description
The ISIS Program (Institute for Science Instruction & Study) is offered as a sixth year program for secondary teachers of the sciences. Founded on a seminar and laboratory model, ISIS provides science teachers extensive interactions with practicing research scientists. Current science in physics, biology, medicine, chemistry and earth and space sciences among other fields is studied in depth over a two year continuum. Students are admitted by classes every two years and are recommended by their school superintendent. Outstanding scientists, including Nobel Laureates, meet at length with the participants both at SCSU and on site at their own institutions. Each student spends several weeks in a mentor-scientist's laboratory.

ISIS Cohort Schedule: Each season the schedule varies slightly to accommodate our honored speakers busy calendars. ISIS typically meets monthly on a Thursday and alternatively on a Friday/Saturday to meet eminent researchers in the New England region. Much of the ISIS calendar each season is filled with visits to local researchers within Connecticut including U.Conn. Avery Point, US Fish and Wildlife Service Fisheries in Milford, Mystic Aquarium and The Institute For Exploration, US Dept. of Agriculture Experiment Stations in Ansonia, here on SCSU's own campus, Yale University, The Peabody Museum, University of New Haven, and a variety of other research sites. Once per semester there is a trip to either Woods Hole (MBL, WHOI and USGS), Boston (MIT and Harvard), Washington DC and Virginia (Library of Congress, NIH, NMNH, AAAS and others, and NASA), or New York City (AMNH and Hayden Planetarium).

Goals: The goals of program are to provide Master Teachers with unique opportunities to greatly expand their knowledge, awareness and contact with cutting-edge research and practical knowledge and experience for effective instructional leadership. Participant Fellows will meet regularly with eminent scientists and researchers throughout Connecticut and the New England Region. Our purpose in ISIS is to bring the education community and the research community together, affording opportunities to exchange ideas, and reconnect science teachers with cutting-edge research as practiced by eminent scientists in the New England region. ISIS fellows have gained significant insights from experiences with senior researchers in Genetics, Geology, Oceanography, Neuroscience, Anthropology, Wildlife Management and Ecology, and many and other disciplines. Participants have met with Nobel Laureates, and other highly honored scientists, and had personal discussions with them on the nature of their inquiry, how they go about finding new avenues of study, and what makes them "tick" as scientists. In no other graduate program in the nation can there be found a comparable set of direct, personal, and behind the scenes opportunities for teachers to meet with eminent scientist.

Objectives: ISIS Participant Fellows will:
 • Generate extensive portfolios of the unique opportunities provided to meet with cutting-edge researchers: including syntheses and reflections on assigned readings and researchers' discussions, as well as brief narratives expressing the relevance of these experiences to science teaching.
 • Conduct research (ISIS internship) in a mentored capacity for 8 weeks over the course of the 2 year cohort schedule.
 • Develop a "publishable" review or research paper that may be submitted for publication in a regional or national science teaching journal.
 • Contribute their research paper to the Bi-Annual ISIS Cohort Review Symposium (SCSU online).

Outcomes:
A successful student in this program will, upon completion, be able to:
 • Develop artifacts for a resource portfolio (ISIS speaker reviews, syntheses and reflections) and be able to use a number of these resources to enhance their own science teaching.
 • Describe personal experiences in conducting research from the ISIS Internship.
 • Develop a paper and presentation worthy of publication or professional conference presentation based on either their ISIS Internship or infusion of ISIS experiences in their own teaching.
 • Interact in a mature, professional way with peers, the instructors, and all ISIS distinguished guest speakers.

Class participation: Candidates are expected to attend all class sessions and actively participate in class discussions and activities. Participants are expected to make class contributions based not only on their past experience, but also on the basis of their ongoing ISIS experiences. A combination of presentations, classroom activities, and discussions will be used throughout the course to facilitate meeting the general objectives.

Class Readings and handouts: Students are expected to have read all assignments prior to class discussions. Reflections on the readings and on the guest speaker discussions and experiences are to be maintained in the form of a personal journal/portfolio.

Major Assignments:
ISIS Journal/Portfolio (Due each end-semester) Must include: all distributed readings, reviews, syntheses, reflections, and short essays on the relevance of these experiences for science teaching.
Science Research Internship Poster Session (end-program).
Science Teaching or Research "publishable" article (end program).

Materials:  Each student will be expected to maintain a 2-inch 3-ring binder as a resource portfolio for each semester's experiences. It is expected that these will become valuable resources for future teaching and research.

Expectations & Grading: It is expected that all students will attend all class sessions.  In the event of an emergency, please notify the instructor.

Grades - each semester: will be based on the following: Quantitative and Qualitative factors.
30% Attendance, class participation and professionalism.
70% Portfolio with artifacts in place: reviews, syntheses, reflections, internship research report and application article.

Academic Dishonesty and plagiarism are not tolerated at Southern Connecticut State University. Any instances will be reported and may lead to dismissal.

DISABILTY SERVICES:  As a student with a disability, before you may receive accommodation in this class, you will need to make an appointment with the Disability Resource Center, located in EN B 222, Phone: 203-392-5799.