Highlights of Hope 20th Anniversary

SCIENCE EDUCATION
Dr. Gordon Van Harn –
a Legacy of Learning
It’s All About Inquiry!
Van Andel Education Institute
encourages both students and teachers
to think and act like scientists. Instead
of focusing on memorization, inquiry-based
learning allows students to learn by asking
questions and testing hypotheses. The
Institute’s inquiry-based model centers on
three dimensions: habits of mind, a sociallyand
language-rich environment and the
QPOE 2
®
investigation organizer. QPOE 2
highlights the scientific process of asking
a question, making a prediction, collecting
data through observation, developing an
explanation and ongoing evaluation to
refine and improve the process.
From the Founding Into the Future –
NexGen Inquiry ®
In the late 1990s, when the founders
envisioned an institute that would have the
potential to revolutionize science education
and inspire generations of students, the
internet was a curious new technology.
Today, the Institute harnesses the power of
web-based connectivity in the form of
NexGen Inquiry—a powerful web-based
science education platform that provides an
opportunity for interactive learning in
K–12 classrooms worldwide.
The platform, accessible to anyone with
an internet connection, was designed by
education experts with the goal of
bringing the Institute’s inquiry-based
education philosophy to an unlimited
audience. NexGen Inquiry provides a
solid foundation for the Next Generation
Science Standards (NGSS) and gives
teachers accessible tools to help their
students develop important 21 st century
skills and a life-long love of science.
Jim Nicolette, associate director of
Van Andel Education Institute, believes that
the Institute’s future in science education
is dependent on the ability to scale-up the
inquiry-based science education model
in order to reach more teachers
and students.
“The model we’ve worked to develop is truly
golden, and now we have to introduce it to
a larger audience,” Nicolette said.
“Betty Van Andel and the Van Andel family’s
original intent was to change the way
science is taught at the national level. Today
we are really in a place to realize this bold
idea and help educate more students than
ever before.”
FORMER VAN ANDEL EDUCATION INSTITUTE
DIRECTOR DR. GORDON VAN HARN.
Dr. Gordon Van Harn was one of the early
leaders who shaped the destiny of
Van Andel Education Institute (VAEI).
Following a stellar academic career that
included serving for more than 30 years
as a faculty member in Calvin College’s
Biology Department, where he taught
physiology, undertook muscle and
cardiovascular research, and served as
provost and academic dean for the natural
sciences, Van Harn became an active
member of the Institute’s leadership.
Van Harn joined the VAEI Board of Trustees in
2000 and served with distinction as director
of VAEI from 2001 to 2009. Under his
leadership, Van Andel Education Institute
expanded its programs across new
spectrums of learning, including Van Andel
Institute Graduate School, which offers a
doctoral program in cellular and molecular
biology. Van Harn defined the scope of
VAIGS, secured its charter from the State
of Michigan to confer degrees and enlisted
an excellent board of directors to guide its
development. In addition to VAIGS, Van Harn’s
endless passion, creativity and planning
helped found VAEI's Science Academy, which
focuses on K–12 science education.
2012
CONTINUED FROM PG 17 >
First students graduate from VAIGS.
2013
Dr. George Vande Woude and Dr. Peter Jones named as Fellows of the American Association
for Cancer Research Academy.
VAIGS receives initial accreditation from Higher Learning Commission.
2014
VAI partners with Spectrum Health’s Frederik Meijer Heart & Vascular Institute in an effort to stimulate regenerative medicine for heart
disease. The joint effort was made possible by a significant donation from the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation.
VARI establishes the Van Andel Research Institute-Stand Up To Cancer Epigenetics Dream Team to foster epigenetics research
collaborations and move promising therapies into clinical trials.
VAI and area partners collaborate to
create a world-class biorepository
following the Program for Biospecimen
Science’s accreditation by the College
of American Pathologists.
Dr. Peter Jones appointed Van Andel Research Institute’s
Chief Scientific Officer. VARI commits to becoming a global
epigenetics research hub.
VAI launches Pathway of Hope, a multifaceted initiative to study
tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC).
VARI and UK-based research charity The Cure Parkinson’s Trust collaborate on the Linked Clinical
Trials initiative. This effort aims to repurpose medications that have already been approved for use,
and significantly reduce the time and cost required to bring new and more effective therapies
to market.
Dr. George Vande Woude receives the Fellowship Award in Biological Science from the American
Association for the Advancement of Science.
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