UW Science Professors and Students to Visit Kemmerer Feb. 25

University of Wyoming professors and students, who have begun traveling the state to discuss UW’s Science Initiative, are scheduled to be in Kemmerer Wednesday, Feb. 25.

Professor Donal Skinner, head of the Department of Zoology and Physiology, and Professor Danny Dale, head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy -- along with students Marjorie MacGregor, Daniel Allen and Micah Ross -- are scheduled to take part in hands-on science activities with Kemmerer High School (KHS) students and meet with the public.

The UW delegation will be at the high school from 9-11:30 a.m., working with students in the classes of KHS teacher Josey Allen. At noon, the group will attend and speak at a meeting of the Kemmerer Rotary Club at the South Lincoln Medical Center board room, 711 Onyx St.

Endorsed by a governor-appointed panel of accomplished scientists, industry leaders and other professionals, the initiative aims to transform science education and improve student success at UW and across the state, while creating world-class facilities to propel research on issues important to the state and nation.

The plan calls for programmatic and facilities improvements in two phases, starting in 2015 and concluding in 2021. It emphasizes collaboration among multiple disciplines by assembling researchers into a single complex with shared instrumentation, technical support and collaboration spaces.

The plan also signals a dramatic change in the way the foundational sciences are taught at the university, moving from traditional lectures and laboratories to an “active learning” format. That approach involves collaborative work among small groups of students and instructors, with traditional lectures replaced by a variety of learning opportunities including short interactive lectures, small-group discussions, case studies and Web-based opportunities outside of class.