Iowa Educators Prepare to Teach High School Students How Medicine...(lopment. During the three-day sessio...),Health

During the three-day session, teachers will become familiar with the RxeSEARCH curriculum that uses a fictional story of an epidemic and challenges students to seek a medicinal treatment or cure. The curriculum is designed to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills through an interdisciplinary approach integrating chemistry and biology with mathematics, language arts and the social sciences. Not only does it promote workforce development by exposing young people to the nexus between education and career paths, it offers a deeper understanding of the processes and challenges of making medicines.

Speakers at the Institute include Judy Jeffrey, director of the Iowa Department of Education, and Linda Lantor Fandel, deputy editorial page editor of the Des Moines Register. The teaching curriculum will culminate with a tour of the Fort Dodge Animal Health facilities.

The RxeSEARCH program partners include Wyeth, Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Schering-Plough, and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). Educational partners include the NJ Department of Education and several NJ school districts that helped develop the program, as well as the National Science Resources Center.

Schools participating in the Iowa Summer Institute include:

-- Southeast Webster Grand of Burnside

-- East High School of Des Moines

-- Boone High School of Boone

-- Forest City High School of Forest City

-- Fort Dodge Senior High School of Fort Dodge

-- Eddyville Blakes Burg High School of Eddyville

-- St. Ansgar High School of St. Ansgar

-- Le Mars Community Schools of Le Mars

-- Mt. Vernon High School of Mt. Vernon

-- Phillips Middle School of Prairie Lakes

-- Vinton Shellsburg High School of Vinton

-- Hinton High School of Hinton

-- Clarion Goldfield High School of Clarion

-- Schaller Crestland Hi
'/>"/>