Iowa Turtle Army
Undergraduate Research Internships: Discovery-based learning opportunities
The ITA provides an opportunity to Integrate undergraduate discovery-based learning through a service-learning activity that helps immerse biology undergraduates into the field and lab modules of the research projects conducted by the Valenzuela lab at Iowa State University.
ITA interns learn about environmental and evolutionary genomics; field, experimental and developmental biology; herpetology, and evolutionary ecology.
The ITA combines service experience with academic learning and reflection by recruiting members via ISU’s Skunk River Navy (SRN) program (which is committed to improving the quality of local aquatic environments).
Additional ITA participants have come from ISU's Program for Women in Science and Engineering (PWSE), George Washington Carver Internship Program (GWC), the program for Alliance for Graduate Education and Professoriate, or as independent interns during the summer or academic semesters.
ITA interns disseminate their research via publications and presentations (PDF)
Teacher Summer Internships: Discovery-based professional and curricular development
Teachers carry out research and develop curricular material
The ITA also provides opportunity for K-12 teachers to participate in summer internships on animal research, through a collaboration with the Plant Genome Outreach program at ISU.
This internship enables teachers to share the latest scientific advances with their K-12 grade pupils to inspire them to love and pursue science. Teachers develop curricular material to be used by them in their classroom as well as by other K-12 teachers at peer institutions.
K-12 Curricular Material
The following curricular material was developed by K-12 teachers during summer internships with the ITA. It is intended that this material be shared for their use by peer teachers and institutions. Credit should be given to the authors of the material and the funding sources that enable their development. Funding was provided in part by supplements IOS-0826664, IOS-0924290, and IOS-0924290 to NSF grant IOS 0743284 to Nicole Valenzuela.
Gene McClugage, Science Teacher, Ames Middle School, Ames, Iowa
Gene McClugage's Population Genetics Poster (PDF)
Karen Catron, 1st Grade Teacher, Lovejoy Elementary School, Des Moines, Iowa
Karen's Turtle Biology Poster (PDF)
Karen's Turtle Biology Unit (PDF)
Tanya Manternach, Hempstead High School Teacher, Dubuque, Iowa
Tanya's Gene Expression Unit (PDF)
Tracy Pearson, High School Teacher, Lawton-Bronson CSD, Lawton, Iowa
Tracy's Developmental Biology Poster (PDF)
Heather Sweers, Middle School Science Teacher, Woodside Middle School, Des Moines, Iowa.
