Program Outline: This Institute, sponsored by Bryn Mawr College under a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, will provide selected teachers with an intensive exposure to recent advances in understanding the brain, with particular reference to those which provide new insights into behavior and its development, and an opportunity to participate in discussion and evaluation of the implications of these advances for science education and education generally.

The Institute Director is Dr. Paul Grobstein, Professor in the Department of Biology at Bryn Mawr College. Dr. Grobstein teaches a popular undergraduate course on Neurobiology and Behavior, and has directed six prior summer institutes like the current one (cf. http://serendipstudio.org/bbl/bbl98). An active research scientist, Dr. Grobstein is also interested in ways of making science a more appealing and significant part of the educational process at all levels, and has helped to organize a World Wide Web site (http://serendipstudio.org) as a resource for people interested in brain and behavior, and in science education generally.

The Institute will consist of lectures and demonstrations, together with discussion periods aimed at exploring ways in which recent advances in brain research might be incorporated into science curricula, and the implications of these advances for educational theory and practice. The intent of the latter is to encourage increased interaction among those concerned with teaching at all levels of the educational system. In addition to Dr. Grobstein, other College faculty, post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, as well as colleagues from previous institutes, will participate in these discussions. The additional Institute faculty will also bring to demonstrations their own special expertise is areas such as computer modelling, animal behavior, child development and drug addiction. Special attention will be paid to demonstrations which might be of use in pre-college classrooms and laboratories, as well as ways to make use of computers and computer communication networks such as the Internet and the World Wide Web.

Institute Requirements and Follow-up: Fellows will be expected to play an active role in the Institute, helping to develop effective ways to translate recent advances in brain research into significant components of the science curriculum. In addition to active participation in discussion during the two week summer session, Fellows will be expected to prepare a written proposal describing plans to make use of Institute experiences in their own classrooms, to experiment with these during the following academic year, to participate in several follow up meetings during the year, and to prepare a report of the their year's activities which can be posted on a World Wide Web site so as to be available to other interested teachers.

Institute Schedules and Location: This Institute will take place at Bryn Mawr College from 10 July through 21 July. Sessions will be held from 9 am. to 4 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays. Lunch will be provided.

Eligibility: High school and middle school teachers of science, including department heads and science supervisors, are eligible. Preference will be given to teams of teachers from high schools and middle schools which serve overlapping student populations; selected primary school teachers might be admitted as part of such teams (please indicate team memberships on the applications forms) . Enrollment will be limited to eighteen.

Incentives: All participants will receive a $500 stipend. An additional $300 per participant to purchase educational supplies and materials will be available to those submitting cogent curriculum proposals and agreeing to provide a written report on their experiences.

Principal's Commitment: Institute participation requires signature of principal.

For more information: Paul Grobstein, Department of Biology, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pa. 19010. 610 526-5098 pgrobste@brynmawr.edu FAX: 610 526-5086.