UW Science Professors and Students to Visit Worland Feb. 11

University of Wyoming professors and students, who have begun traveling the state to discuss UW’s Science Initiative, are scheduled to be in Worland Wednesday, Feb. 11.

Botany Professor Greg Brown and chemistry Professor Dean Roddick, along with students Paige Copenhaver and Philip Bergmaier, are scheduled to take part in hands-on science activities with Worland High School (WHS) students and meet with the public.

The UW delegation will be at the high school from 8:30-11:15 a.m., working with students in the classes of WHS teacher Kitsy Barnes. At noon, the group will attend and speak at a meeting of the Worland Rotary Club chapter.

From 1:45-3 p.m., the professors and students will be at the Ranchito Café, 544 Big Horn Ave., to meet with alumni and other members of the public. Anyone interested in learning more about the Science Initiative is encouraged to attend.

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.