News

Bench to Blackboard: Q&A with Dr. Colleen Sheridan

Once an immunologist focusing on research at ISB, Colleen Sheridan followed her passion and became a tenure-track college biology professor focusing on teaching. Sheridan was awarded the Valerie Logan Leadership in Science Education Award, and describes her professional transformation in this Q&A.

Igniting Curiosity, Catalyzing Change

At the 6th Annual Valerie Logan Luncheon held Thursday, the day’s theme – “Igniting Curiosity, Catalyzing Change” – was evident throughout. Every year, ISB celebrates Valerie Logan, the founder of our education programs, and all her work toward providing K-16 professional development for educators, high school STEM curriculum development, undergraduate research internships, and, crucially, student access to diverse mentors. This year’s event raised a record $140,000 to fund ISB’s education programs.

2017 ISB Intern Akanksha Bawa

2017 Undergrad Intern Showcase

Summer 2017 brought a fresh cohort of undergraduate students interested in exploring ISB’s research in the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience Program.

Inspiring Teachers to Inspire Students

Featured image: ISB’s Dr. Martin Shelton, left, speaks to administrators from the Central Kitsap School District. ISB’s Logan Center for Education recently kicked off a five-year Principles of Science for Principals (P4P) project with the leadership from the Central Kitsap School District. While many programs and accompanying research have been employed to support science teachers in advancing their practice, there have been few programs designed to support principals and their…

K12 Engineering Scholars Program Seeks Applicants

The UW College of Engineering and ISB’s Logan Center for Education are excited to announce a second year of the K12 Engineering Scholars Program. The program seeks 4th-8th grade teachers of STEM to apply for a summer program. Participating teachers will spend the summer participating in engineering research and collaborating to build curricular resources for their schools and students. Additionally, participating teacher will receive generous stipends to fund the creation…

Logan Center for Education Hosts NGSS Workshop for Principals

ISB’s Logan Center for Education hosted a workshop on Next Generation Science Standards for principals from Puget Sound area schools. Kim Klinke, of the Logan Center, is also a LASER Alliance Director. She led the workshop, which gave principals an opportunity to learn about NGSS and “3-D teaching.”

Best Ever Valerie Logan Lunch: $120K Raised

The 5th Annual Valerie Logan Luncheon, which took place on Nov. 29, was our most successful yet, having raised $120,000 for ISB’s education programs. There were a few tear-jerker moments, including when Lee Hood interviewed some students: Sara Michelassi, who will graduate next spring with her high school diploma AND her AA in science from North Seattle College, said that she’s always dreamed of working in a lab, “but I…

Logan Center Hosts Community College Faculty

The Logan Center for Education has been working with Washington State’s Board for Community and Technical Colleges to offer faculty development for instructors of undergraduate biology. The participants represent nearly all of Washington State’s 34 community and technical colleges. The April 22 workshop is the sixth for this group.

College Faculty Learn Big Data from ISB

Recognizing that systems biology has fostered a paradigm shift in the practice of biology, ISB has interest in supporting educators in advancing science-related course offerings to better reflect contemporary practices of biology. With leadership from ISB’s Logan Center for Education, ISB educators and scientists have collaborated with Washington’s State Board for Community and Technical Colleges to offer faculty development for instructors of undergraduate biology. The partnership has hosted five workshops,…

Logan Center for Education

Logan Lunch Raises $88K for STEM Education, Teacher Development

*Editor’s note: After the final tally, the total raised was more than $92,000.* The 4th Annual Valerie Logan Luncheon took place on Nov. 4 and raised more than $88,000 to support ISB’s Logan Center for Education. The fundraiser showcases how the Logan Center continues to revolutionize science education by inspiring and engaging teachers and stakeholders to create learning environments that impact the pipeline of students from early grades through college….

New $500K OSPI Award Aids ISB’s Work with Marysville School District

Above: Dr. Dana Riley Black, Director for ISB’s Logan Center for Education, speaks to educators about how her team and other ISB researchers work with school districts. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Marysville School District Scores $500,000 OSPI Funding for Science & Engineering Workshops for Teachers 3-Year Award Supports Partnership with ISB & UW Engineering to Provide Professional Development for District SEATTLE, May 1, 2015 – The Office of Superintendent of Public…

Lucas Myers is a biology instructor at Lower Columbia College.

ISB’s Impact on College Science Courses

By Dana Riley Black Director for Logan Center for Education Recognizing that systems biology has fostered a paradigm shift in the practice of biology, ISB has interest in supporting educators in advancing science-related course offerings to better reflect contemporary practices of biology. With leadership from ISB’s Logan Center for Education, ISB educators and scientists have collaborated with Washington’s State Board for Community and Technical Colleges to offer faculty development for…

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, center, chats with two of his staff members, left, and, at right, Dr. Nitin Baliga and Dr. Dana Riley Black, both of Institute for Systems Biology, Institute for Systems Biology/March 16, 2015

Gov. Inslee Hosts Round Table With College Students at ISB

Gov. Jay Inslee hosted a round table discussion today at Institute for Systems Biology with a group of invited college students, who were asked to share their thoughts on the affordability of education. We were honored to be able to provide the venue. ISB has had a long history of supporting systemic change at the K-12 school district level to improve the quality and access of STEM education. Now, our…

Dana Riley Black, Director of ISB's Logan Center for Education, and the Rev. Jesse Jackson at the Washington STEM Summit on Dec. 2, 2014.

Talking STEM Education with the Rev. Jesse Jackson

It’s a fine day when the Rev. Jesse Jackson is the surprise guest speaker – after Gov. Jay Inslee – at an event. Dana Riley Black, Director of ISB’s Logan Center for Education, had the opportunity to meet the Rev. Jesse Jackson after his speech during the Washington STEM Summit, which is an annual event to bring education, business and community leaders together for a statewide effort to advance excellence,…

Partnership for Science and Engineering Practices (PSEP) is one of our current partnerships to foster STEM collaborations. In this photo, educators from Seattle and Renton public school districts participate in a recent PSEP workshop.

A Comment About Gov. Inslee’s Announcement of $170,000 STEM Award

WHAT YOU SAW IN THE NEWS: On Aug. 14, Gov. Jay Inslee announced that the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices awarded Washington State a $170,000 grant to support the launch of the STEM Education Innovation Alliance, which is tasked with bringing together business leaders and educators in order to help more students acquire the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills they need to qualify for the increasing…

Shifting the Education Paradigm

Photo above: Dr. Vineet Sangar, right, a postdoc in the Price Lab at ISB, explains proteomics technology to a group of community college faculty, who participated in a systems biology workshop in May 2014. By Dana Riley Black Director of Logan Center for Education Over the past two decades, systems biology has revolutionized traditional approaches to answering complex biological questions. The rapid advancement of computational power and the increased access…

ISB’s K-12 STEM Education Work: Collaboration with Washington Alliance for Better Schools

(Photo: Bothell High School teacher Cynthia McIntyre (above left) and ISB’s Chris Plaisier (above right), a senior research scientist in the Baliga Lab, participated in Washington Alliance for Better Schools’ event “A Celebration of STEM” which took place MOHAI on May 6.) ISB’s K-12 STEM Education work On May 6, Washington Alliance for Better Schools held “A Celebration of STEM” at MOHAI to showcase projects that middle and high school…

ISB's Director of Education, Dana Riley Black, mades national impact on science education.

ISB Impacts Education System Nationally and Locally

National: At the beginning of April, Dana Riley Black, ISB’s Director of Education, was invited to participate in one of three Ideas Labs hosted by the National Science Foundation in Washington D.C. The weeklong lab was related to the new NSF program “Improving Undergraduate STEM Education” (IUSE) and was focused on discussing ideas for integrating quantitative literacy into undergraduate biology education. The reason for this particular topic is that while…