UW Program Bringing Real-World Science to Classroom Starts Second Year

The University of Wyoming’s Teacher-Researcher Knowledge Exchange (TRKE) program kicked off its second year of connecting science educators and scientific researchers with a five-day institute in Pinedale this fall.

The 31 members of the second TRKE cohort include university researchers, K-12 teachers from around the state, and nonformal educators and field instructors from Teton Science Schools and Grand Teton National Park.

Under the Wyoming Anticipating the Climate-Water Transition (WyACT) project at UW, TRKE was founded to bridge the gap between scientific research and effective science teaching and learning.

“Science educators wanted to include more Wyoming-specific data and, at the same time, researchers were looking for outreach avenues that would better support educators,” says Martha Inouye, a research scientist and professional learning specialist at UW.

With their background at UW’s Science and Math Teaching Center, which has supported teachers for over 50 years, Inouye and colleague Clare Gunshenan devised the TRKE program to bring teachers and researchers together in person.

The event in Pinedale began with field trips to the Civilian Conservation Corps ponds, New Fork Lakes and the New Fork River with experts from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the Sublette County Conservation District and Sublette County Historical Society. Researchers from WyACT’s aquatic team helped the cohort members explore the role of isotopes in examining food webs, and other researchers engaged the cohort with climate-related data from sites around Wyoming. Educators helped researchers better understand the K-12 science education context.

Through field trips and hands-on learning -- such as stream water quality testing -- educators experienced current scientific methods and insights. Additionally, researchers provided access to current and emergent data that teachers explored and analyzed, including from the U.S. Drought Monitor and UW climate models. This direct engagement makes the program especially compelling and unique, organizers say.

During the second half of the institute, teachers and researchers collaborated to develop science projects for various age groups, from grade 3 to high school, to foster students’ interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and connect scientific topics to their own lives.

During the current school year, teachers and researchers are meeting virtually every month to continue working on compelling ways to translate cutting-edge data into educational settings. Some of these projects include connecting weather stations across the state for K-5 classroom comparison, bringing messy climate data into high school classrooms and monitoring restoration projects.

The program’s success is evidenced by the fact that nine of 10 teachers from the first cohort applied for the second. For the upcoming school years, TRKE cohorts are envisioned for the Green River Basin (2025-26) and the Wind River Basin (2026-27).

Participating educators, listed by their home communities, are:

Buffalo -- Rebecca Qualm.

Casper -- Jennifer Edwards.

Evanston -- Josh Cox.

Green River -- Megan Allen and Shawna Mattson.

Jackson -- Kelli Petrick and Johnson Whippie.

Kelly -- Ruby Jenco and Jill Woodhouse.

Lander -- Ashley Haratyk.

Laramie -- Andrea Hayden.

Pinedale -- Jamie Bellian and Liz David.

Rock Springs -- Kimberly Harper and Chelsea Lund.

Sheridan -- Jules Craft.

UW -- Toby Johnson

About UW’s Teacher-Researcher Knowledge Exchange

TRKE is designed to foster collaborative educational initiatives and research between teachers and researchers. It aims to improve educational outcomes and increase scientific literacy through direct involvement in ongoing research activities. This project facilitates meaningful exchanges of knowledge, ensuring that both educators and researchers benefit from shared insights and experiences.

Funding is provided through National Science Foundation EPSCoR grant NSF OIA 2149105.