Planting Science - PlantingScience {F2} Fellows

Become an F₂ Fellow!

PlantingScience is seeking 30 early-career scientists to participate in our Digging Deeper F₂ research project with high school teachers and their students this summer and fall. This project is a replication of our Digging Deeper research done in 2016 and 2017, which evaluated how effective student-teacher-scientist partnerships (STSPs) like PlantingScience are at promoting student mastery of desired content and at positively influencing how student participants think and feel about scientists in general.

The Digging Deeper study was published in the Journal of Research in Science Teaching this past March, and we are currently preparing to replicate the study during the Fall, 2024 session. For this reason, we are seeking to recruit early career scientists to serve in a modified 'liaison' capacity during that session.

DiggingDeeper Teachers and Fellows working together during the 2017 summer professional learning workshop.

Digging Deeper Fellows and Teachers working together during the 2017 Summer Professional Learning workshop.

What F₂ Fellows Do

In a typical PlantingScience session, members of our Master Plant Science Team act as liaisons for our participating groups. In this role, they assist the group's teacher by helping with team setup, recruiting mentors, and monitoring the conversations to step in and post to student teams when their mentors are slow to respond.

F₂ Fellows perform similar duties, but with certain additions. Fellows will:

participate in a professional learning workshop during the summer of 2024.
provide (online) support as 'liaisons' for two teachers during the Fall 2024 session, and
provide feedback to the Digging Deeper F₂ project evaluators about their experience during the project and about the impact the experience has on their own teaching and mentoring.

Time Commitment

Summer 2024: Collaborative Professional Learning

Fellows are required to attend one of the following options:

June 24-28: In-person workshop (St. Louis, MO)
July 8-19: online professional learning which will include both synchronous and asynchronous activities. Exact schedule TBD.

Fall 2024: Facilitating Student Mentoring

Fellows will provide support to two high school teachers and their students in a liaison role during the Fall 2024 PlantingScience session. This role is estimated to take approximately 2 hours/week while the class is active.

September 1 - November 30, 2024

Compensation:

Stipend: $1000 total.
- $500 after summer professional learning institute
- $500 after completing Fall 2024 session and all liaison responsibilities.
Travel expenses
- Travel costs for those attending the Professional Learning in-person will be reimbursed.
- Food and lodging will be provided.
Eligibility for dissemination grants:
- Project will award five $500 dissemination grants for PlantingScience Fellows to attend scientific meetings and share their experiences and insights from participating.

Qualifications

To apply to be a F2 Fellow, candidates must:

Be in a life science career or pursuing a science degree with some research experience
Be comfortable mentoring students on photosynthesis & cellular respiration
Be early career (will be asked to self-define but generally <7 years from terminal degree)
Have consistent internet access during summer professional learning sessions and fall 2024 PlantingScience session
Have a participation schedule compatible with US time zones (GMT-5- GMT-9)*

In addition, ideal F₂ Fellows candidates will have experience with the following:

Collaborating with high school teachers to help students learn how to conduct research on photosynthesis and cellular respiration
Taking part in collaborative professional learning with classroom teachers to help enhance the practice of teaching science in high schools.
Participating in a research project to discover how collaborations among teachers, research scientists, and students can lead to enhanced student learning and improved attitudes towards plant science and scientists.
Mentoring small teams of students online as they work more with plants and experience working through their own science investigation.
Working with a diverse group of students, teachers, and scientists.

*While US citizenship and/or residency is not a requirement for participation, the project is sponsored by the US National Science Foundation and the majority of teachers and students participating will be in the United States (GMT-4 to GMT-9). Time-zone compatibility and travel costs/logistics will be considered in making final selections.