By Brad Haire
University of Georgia

Lynn Swain and Landon Alberson pore over detailed digital maps
and data on computer screens. They’re learning software that
will help them and their students study and monitor the water
quantity and quality in their area.

For most of the year, Alberson and Swain teach high school
science in Tift County, Ga. But for a month this summer, they
and 14 other middle and high school science teachers from 10
south Georgia counties became working scientists through the
Georgia Internships For Teachers program.

Classroom confines

“Teachers can sometimes become isolated in their classrooms,”
said Swain, who teaches environmental science courses. But the
GIFT program, she said, breaks them out of the classroom
confines and teams them with working scientists.

The teachers conduct research at the University of Georgia’s
Tifton, Ga., campus, and see firsthand the practical
applications of things they teach their students.

Teachers are charged to take the experience back to their
students and show them that science is more than just lectures
and textbooks.

“The experience enriches our curriculum,” said Alberson, who
teaches biology.

Through his connection to the program last year, Alberson was
able to show his students how science solves problems. He paired
many of his students with science mentors on the Tifton
campus.

GIFT works

“I’ve seen the GIFT program work for many years,” said Susan
Reinhardt, an education program specialist with the UGA College
of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

“The teachers are excited about being involved with current
scientific research, taking this information back to their
students and linking textbook information with real-world
applications,” she said.

Making the grade

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress,
Georgia’s elementary and middle school students aren’t faring
well in science.

Only 23 percent of Georgia’s fourth-grade science students
perform at a proficient level, 5 percent fewer than the national
average. Just 23 percent of Georgia’s eighth-grade science
students perform at a proficient level. That’s 7 percent below
the U.S. average.

The GIFT program was developed by Georgia Tech in 1991. Since
then, more than 80 organizations and universities have provided
this opportunity for about 1,000 teachers in 44 Georgia school
systems.

GIFT, for the most part, has been offered to teachers in and
around metro Atlanta, Savannah and Augusta, Reinhardt said. But
this is the second year it’s been offered in Tifton.

It’s a paid experience for the teachers, she said. A grant
provides funding, along with money from the participating school
systems.

“It’s a win situation for both groups,” Reinhardt
said. “Scientists become aware of the needs and expectations of
teachers. And teachers understand the importance of producing
more students interested in science.”

High school students, too, are learning real-world science on
the Tifton campus as part of the Young Scholar Summer Internship
Program.

The six-week program pairs students with a serious interest in
science and technology with working scientists. Students are
exposed to many fields of scientific study, application and
career opportunities.