Boise State University has been awarded $30,000 from M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust’s Partners in Science (Partners) program. The grants, at $15,000 each, will fund two different projects and give local high school teachers at Renaissance High School and Bishop Kelly High School the opportunity to engage in research with outstanding mentors at Boise State.
“Murdock Charitable Trust has been a steady and reliable partner with Boise State over the years, supporting our engagement of high school and undergraduate students in scientific research,” said Boise State Interim President Martin Schimpf. “We are grateful for their vision and dedication to creating opportunities for students to learn and participate in the scientific process at an early age.”
Grant recipients are: Cheryl Jorcyk, professor of biological sciences at Boise State, and Sandra Gulley, teacher at Renaissance High School, to research inflammation-induced chemokines in prostate cancer metastasis; and to Heidi Ware, education and outreach director of Boise State’s Intermountain Bird Observatory, and Chris Horras, teacher at Bishop Kelley High School, to research hydrogen isotopes in identification of breeding areas of the Anna’s hummingbird.
This year is the 28th year of M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust’s participation in Partners and more than 500 teachers have been awarded this grant throughout the Trust’s five-state funding region. As a part of the program, the Trust hosts an annual national conference where teachers present their research results, hear presentations from renowned researchers, and network with other teachers and researchers from across the United States.
“Our goal is to improve science education and encourage best practices of teaching to be more inquiry focused,” said Steve Moore, executive director of the Murdock Charitable Trust. “We are honored to be involved with such vital programs at Boise State University that support student learning at Boise area high schools.”
Visit murdocktrust.org for more information on the Partners in Science program or how to apply for grants.