South Florida Teachers Receive Cutting-Edge Training at Max Planck Florida Institute

Some of the brightest teachers in South Florida were able to team up with innovative researchers at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience last week, as the institute held its first-ever TEACHS workshop. TEACHS (Teaching Educators About Classroom Hands-On Science) aims to provide South Florida educators with the most cutting-edge scientific knowledge and techniques, enabling them to elevate their STEM lesson plans for students. Seven science teachers from Palm Beach and Martin County Schools participated in the workshop, where they received hands-on training on microscopy and cell biology techniques taught by MPFI researchers. Each teacher was also loaned a classroom kit containing five stereo microscopes, a fluorescence microscope kit including a camera and imaging software, and slides and samples from MPFI researchers to share the training and experience with their students.

The teachers and schools who took part in TEACHS were Caitlin Holloway of Wellington High School, Ian Gagnon of South Fork High School, Leah Pegg of Palm Beach Gardens High School, Melissa Varvarigos of Wellington High School, Renee Szeliga of The Benjamin School, Sandra Gibson of Park Vista Community High School, and Stephen Anand of A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts.

TEACHS is funded through a grant from the Mary and Robert Pew Public Education Fund. The next TEACHS workshop, which focuses on genetics, will take place on February 20, 2023. Applications open on December 19, and interested teachers should visit mpfi.org/teachs to learn more.