Graduate Partners in Science Education (GPSE) is a graduate student run organization originating in 2005 that pairs graduate students with Phoenix and Tempe middle schoolers. The goal of GPSE is two-pronged. We train graduate students to become better scientists, more experienced educators, and superior science communicators. We also work to keep local middle school students interested and engaged in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) by leading and teaching weekly after-school science lessons and projects.
GPSE implements two different after school programs in middle schools in and around Tempe. In the beginner program, first time GPSE mentors are paired together to develop and implement active learning based lessons on a variety of STEM topics. In the advanced programs middle school students who have previously go through the beginner program are provided an opportunity to develop their own projects that are intended for submission to the Arizona Science Fair. Typically veteran GPSE graduate mentors run the advanced programs providing guidance and support.
All middle school students present their experience or science fair investigations at the ASU campus at the annual GPSE banquet and poster session. GPSE was in five different Phoenix and Tempe middle schools in 2016 which included seven classrooms reaching over 100 students. During the fall semester all first year graduate mentors are required to take a one credit course through the graduate college. The course curriculum and classroom instruction are done by the current co-directors of GPSE. Mentors in this class are trained in current pedagogical theory and evidence based practices, which they use to create lesson plans for use in the spring. Mentors demonstrate their lessons to one another so to receive feedback as well as to ensure each mentor has many lessons to draw from when running the beginner program. Many of these lessons are shared on the GPSE website and are free to use by all educators.
History of GPSE
Graduate Partners in Science Education is a project-based science mentoring outreach program founded in 2005 by Jon Davis and Nathan Morehouse, at the time both graduate students in ASU’s School of Life Sciences. GPSE was initiated to provide an accessible opportunity for graduate students to become involved in community outreach, while simultaneously addressing real needs in science departments at under-served public schools in downtown Phoenix.
For several years, GPSE worked by having highly motivated doctoral students from the School of Life Sciences at ASU deliver three different modules – microbiology, animal behavior, and ecology – over the course of six weeks during the fall semester. During the spring semester, one of two groups of students were teamed with each mentor to design and conduct research that the students would then present at the Arizona Science and Engineering Fair in April.
In 2011–2012, Rusty Ligon and Brett Seymoure became co-directors. GPSE continued its collaboration with Dr. Ganesh and Dr. Webber. Mentors created energy-themed lessons within a biological context and implemented them in every middle school within the Kyrene School District.
In 2012–2013, GPSE maintained the previous year’s model, but implemented its curriculum at the Tempe School District. Lessons remained focused on biology and energy.
In 2013–2014, Brian Haney became director and emphasized lesson development and public science education. Jason Borchert joined as co-director. GPSE introduced two styles of after-school programs:
Beginner: Continued mentor-developed lesson plans.
Advanced: Students who had already completed the beginner program worked on science fair projects with mentor guidance.
The 2015–2016 school year brought new changes to GPSE. Alex Tomes joined Jason Borchert as co-director and began the process of including graduate student mentors outside the School of Life Sciences. Mentors from different colleges within ASU brought needed academic diversity to GPSE. New members from the School of Earth and Space Exploration and the Department of Psychology implemented lesson plans outside of the life sciences, diversifying GPSE’s educational resources.
Jon Jackson joined Alex Tomes as the new co-director for the 2016–2017 academic year. For the previous 3 years Jon had co-instructed the GPSE mentor training course to ensure graduate mentors were trained in current learning theories and evidence-based teaching practices. Jon focused on creating a “community of practice” among new mentors. The class developed a mini-curriculum for beginner students using backward design and active learning strategies. This new approach aligned with specific learning objectives and reflected the growing diversity of graduate mentor backgrounds and lesson topics.
Alex continued expanding the program into other ASU colleges. That year, five new members from the School of Earth and Space Exploration joined GPSE, contributing to a more comprehensive collection of core STEM lessons for middle school students.