Although undergraduate research experience has proven to have positive effects on student outcomes, such opportunities are not always widely available. Options can be especially limited for early-career engineering students who have limited research experience. One approach to addressing this issue is to partner engineering instructors with active…

This article presents a semester-long, interdisciplinary project-based learning (PBL) suitable for secondary and postsecondary students enrolled in a second-semester (i.e., intermediate) meteorology course. This case-study approach builds on the research question "What atmospheric conditions lead to tornadoes, hail, and damaging winds…

Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) sites widely serve as the first major research gateway for undergraduates seeking a structured research experience. Given their lack of prior research skills, and the highly compressed duration of the REU programs, these students frequently encounter barriers to a seamless transition into a new…

Current trends in ecological research emphasize interdisciplinary approaches for assessing effects of present and predicted environmental changes. One such emerging interdisciplinary field is the discipline of ecohydrology, which studies the feedbacks and interactions between ecological and hydrological processes. However, interdisciplinary…

Teachers who work together to blend academic and career/technical (CT) instruction have found a key to motivating students to complete high school and prepare for college, advanced training and careers. This newsletter highlights key strategies schools are using to join academic and technical studies to advance student motivation and achievement.…

Presents ideas to help elementary teachers encourage their students to discover the excitement of doing descriptive, historical, or experimental research by seeking new information, testing hypotheses, gathering data, drawing conclusions, and using appropriate vocabulary. The article includes questions for children to investigate and words used by…

The ballad is a primary medium for the reliving of historic events. Described is a joint music and social studies project in which junior high school students research historic events and write song lyrics. A composer gives a lesson on lyric writing, verse forms, and rhyme schemes. (RM)

Two New Rochelle, New York, teachers who developed a unit on ancient Egypt for gifted fifth and sixth grade students give tips on preparing interdisciplinary units which involve independent student research. Their unit incorporated social studies, science, language art, and mathematics activities. (PP)

This paper describes the use of undergraduate materials multidisciplinary research projects as a means of addressing the growing industrial demand for graduates experienced in working in multidisciplinary teams. It includes a detailed description of a project in which a multidisciplinary team of chemical engineering and civil engineering students…

Provides background information and related learning activities for three areas of inquiry involving youth and violence: (1) "Evolution of the Juvenile Justice System"; (2) "The Literature of Crime and Poverty"; (3) "Youth Crime and Public Policy." Includes a list of six recommended Web sites. (MJP)

Describes a class activity in which students gathered pictures and wrote and recorded narration relating to the first successful flight by the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Notes that, in the process of gathering pictures, the students were motivated to read the information accompanying the pictures. (RS)

Describes the use of the Internet to investigate mathematical problems, create and share information, discover patterns and relationships, and find out more about the world. This unit investigates pet ownership and introduces children to telecommunications, the use of the computer as a tool, and scientific research methods. Other units address…

Describes several student-tested activities built around "Jurassic Park." The activities feature students engaged in role-playing scenarios, investigative research projects, journal writing and communications skills activities, cooperative learning groups, and learning experiences that make use of reading skills and mathematical knowledge. (PR)

This brief paper describes a school class project in which students "write" their own history books, based upon extensive research and writing activities. The guide advocates this as a way to create more interest in the subject area and allow students to become more involved in their own learning. Sections include: rationale; who could use; goals;…

Describes a classroom project integrating children's literature, Japanese culture, and geometry that grew out of the local killing of a Japanese exchange student. Fourth-graders read "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" around which the interdisciplinary unit was developed. Topics covered included Japanese culture, American social…