Science Education Group

• CELEST Neuroscience Education

• Virtual Molecular Dynamics Laboratory

• Exploring Patterns in Nature Curriculum Guides

• Dance of Chance Exhibit Hall

CPS Science Education Projects

• CELEST Education is developing neuroscience experiments, models, and curriculum and bringing these results into schools. Currently we are hosting 2-week workshops for high school teachers around the country. See Summer 2007 Workshop Results.

• High School Science Teacher Workshops Using the Virtual Molecular Dynamics Laboratory. This teacher enhancement project hosts 2 week summer workshops and 3-day academic year workshops for 336 high school science and mathematics teachers.

• The Virtual Molecular Dynamics Laboratory. This instructional materials development project is based on the WAMNET pilot project. We have produced curriculum materials (software and activities) that bridge the gap between the microscopic and macroscopic.

• The Role of Randomness in Science: An Interdisciplinary Course for Nonscience Majors. This curriculum development project extends our fractals-based high school materials into the undergraduate classroom. The curriculum materials consist of a special Web-based version of our "Patterns in Nature" text.

• Teacher-Researcher Collaboration in Scientific Modeling: The High School Science Virtual Machine Laboratory. This Collaborative Research and Learning Technologies project explored scientific modeling using distributed computing, and made curriculum materials available via the

• The Random Universe: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Investigating Patterns in Nature. This instructional materials development project completed the textbook Patterns in Nature: A New Approach to Interdisciplinary Science which contains software, hands-on activities, and experiments and is available at: Exploring Patterns in Nature.

• Patterns in Nature: A New Approach to Interdisciplinary Science Teaching. Summer workshops during 1994, 1995, and 1996 for 160 high school science teachers using materials developed at the Polymer Center. Student activity guides were developed by participating teachers.

• The Dance of Chance: Growing Order Out of Randomness. An interactive multimedia exhibit now on display at the Boston Museum of Science and is available through our online museum exhibit.

• Visual and Interactive Modes for Integrated Learning of Science and Mathematics. This NSF Research on Teaching and Learning project explored areas of impact on the WAMNET and OGAF projects.

• Learning Science Through Guided Discovery: Liquid Water and Molecular Networks (WAMNET). This applications of advanced technology project has developed a number of molecular dynamics simulation programs and activities.

• On Growth and Form: Learning Probability Concepts by "Doing Science" (OGAF).

The first image shows the time contour plots of many random walkers. The second image is a molecular dynamics simulation of liquid water.