NIH funds 16 Science Education Partners...( The National Institutes of Health (N...)

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced today it will provide up to an estimated $17 million to fund 16 Science Education Partnership Awards (SEPAs). Led by the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) a part of the NIH SEPAs provide two to five years of support to stimulate scientific curiosity and encourage hands-on science education activities. By supporting collaboration among scientists, educators and community organizations, SEPA projects help improve public understanding of NIH-funded medical research and encourage young people to choose science as a career path.

SEPA projects advance science and health education through ways such as interactive traveling exhibits, 3-D animated lessons, virtual and mobile labs and online teaching curricula.

"Now in its 18th year, the SEPA program reaches tens of thousands annually in more than 40 states, Puerto Rico and about 15 American Indian communities," said NCRR Director Barbara M. Alving, M.D. "Projects include innovative and interactive methods that help explain the complexities of front page health and science topics, such as the role of diet and physical activity in health. Through these collaborations, students gain skills and engage their imaginations as they learn about the mysteries of disease, how to stay healthy and perhaps set a course for their future careers."

These 16 awards bring the SEPA portfolio to 66 active grants, including 18 underway at science museums and planetariums. Through diverse venues, these new projects will continue the SEPA tradition of encouraging the next generation of health professionals while advancing public understanding of health and medicine.

2008 Science Education Partnership Awards

(A full description of the projects is available at www.ncrr.nih.gov/sepa/2008.)

American Museum of Natural History (New York), Five-Year Award: $1.09 million
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