Texas Journal of Microscopy - Texas Society for Microscopy

EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES
SPRING 2007
INSPIRING ENTHUSIASM FOR SCIENCE THROUGH AC-
CESS TO TECHNOLOGY: THE SCANNING ELECTRON
MICROSCOPE AS A RECRUITING TOOL. JILL DEVITO
(PRESENTER); CARL KNIGHT, CHERYL GREEN, MELANIE
GILL-SHAW and DAYMI PARDO, Eastfield College, Dallas
County Community College District.
The National Science Foundation Science Talent Expansion
Program (NSF STEP) at Eastfield College is a multifaceted project
designed to broaden access to the fields Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Our objectives include )
educational outreach at the pre-college level, 2) fostering inquiry
based learning through curriculum enhancements, 3) specialized
recruitment of underrepresented students across STEM disciplines,
and 4) providing early undergraduate research experiences to facilitate
the transition to successful further study at four year universities
and beyond. Our new Scanning Electron Microscopy facility
centered around the Hitachi S-3400N VP SEM and the TM- 000
“tabletop” model plays a critical role in achieving each of these
objectives. For example, we introduce students to SEM techniques
at an early age by transporting our TM- 000 into the classroom
for inquiry-based outreach activities in local public schools, and
we utilize the same instrument to enrich the laboratory curriculum
of science courses offered on campus. Both the S-3400N and the
TM- 000 will be used extensively as research tools for our students,
through collaboration with established research programs at fouryear
universities, for example, through our Biodiversity Summer
Institute at the Big Thicket National Preserve (a joint venture with
Texas A&M and several other institutions). These partnerships
will create unique opportunities for community college students
to engage in the scientific community as active participants, while
they in turn will be valued for the use of their microscopy skills
to enhance the work of researchers who would not ordinarily have
access to SEM equipment.
“What Is It?” Answer in Next Edition
TEM micrographs provided by Dr. Robert Droleskey, USDA/ARS/SPARC, College Station, Texas 77845.
Tex. J. Micros. 38: , 2007
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