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Teachers convene for 7th annual Mini Medical School experience at UF

Mini Medical School delivers update in medical science from research perspective

World leaders in neuroscience research and medical applications are no longer worlds away from high school science classrooms. On Wednesday, November 5, 2008 over 100 high school teachers will fill the role of students, bridging the gap between current science research and high school science curriculum.

"[New content] reinvigorates the teacher," said Julie Bokor, Mini Medical School Coordinator, "an excitement that we hope will ultimately infect high school students with scientific curiosity."

This year teachers will get a face-to-face introduction to the research and application of neuroscience in topics ranging from neuro-oncology to Parkinson's disease. From lecture hall to laboratory the participants will interface with clinicians and researchers from the UF Health Science Center and Shands.

"I can't tell you how much Mini Medical School helps keep me abreast of advances in science. My students benefit from the best practices I have put into place as well as from lectures/activities that move us beyond their archaic text," commented Diane Conlon, Fleming Island High School (Clay County) science teacher and repeat Mini Medical School participant.

Prepared with paper, pen and lists of questions, teachers like Conlon will sit for university style lectures, engage in question and answer sessions with over 20 Health Science faculty members, participate in guided tours and demonstrations using state-of-the-art equipment and convene with one another on best practices and classroom application of new information.

Mini Medical School for secondary school teachers is a one-day in-service program coordinated by the UF Center for Precollegiate Education and Training and has been offered at UF every Fall since 2001 with funding provided by the UF Medical Guild and Shands HealthCare. Past featured topics have included stem cells, cancer, infectious disease and cardiovascular disease. Registration opens on September 15 each year and fills quickly. The 2008 program has already been filled.

For more information or to be placed on the mailing list please contact Julie Bokor at (352) 392-2310 or e-mail: Julie@cpet.ufl.edu. The UF Center for Precollegiate Education and Training can be found online at: http://www.cpet.ufl.edu.

The UF Center for Precollegiate Education and Training (UF-CPET) is a university-wide organization dedicated to fostering educational enrichment and forging research and Florida school partnerships by identifying, coordinating, extending or creating outreach programs that link secondary school teachers and students with UF in science, mathematics and technology.