ISB News

Logan Center for Education Hosts NGSS Workshop for Principals

ISB’s Logan Center for Education hosted a workshop on Next Generation Science Standards for principals from Puget Sound area schools. Kim Klinke, of the Logan Center, is also a LASER Alliance Director. She led the workshop, which gave principals an opportunity to learn about NGSS and “3-D teaching.”

Dana Riley Black, Director of ISB's Logan Center for Education, and the Rev. Jesse Jackson at the Washington STEM Summit on Dec. 2, 2014.

Talking STEM Education with the Rev. Jesse Jackson

It’s a fine day when the Rev. Jesse Jackson is the surprise guest speaker – after Gov. Jay Inslee – at an event. Dana Riley Black, Director of ISB’s Logan Center for Education, had the opportunity to meet the Rev. Jesse Jackson after his speech during the Washington STEM Summit, which is an annual event to bring education, business and community leaders together for a statewide effort to advance excellence,…

Partnership for Science and Engineering Practices (PSEP) is one of our current partnerships to foster STEM collaborations. In this photo, educators from Seattle and Renton public school districts participate in a recent PSEP workshop.

A Comment About Gov. Inslee’s Announcement of $170,000 STEM Award

WHAT YOU SAW IN THE NEWS: On Aug. 14, Gov. Jay Inslee announced that the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices awarded Washington State a $170,000 grant to support the launch of the STEM Education Innovation Alliance, which is tasked with bringing together business leaders and educators in order to help more students acquire the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills they need to qualify for the increasing…

Cover image for ISB's 2013 Annual Report.

ISB’s 2013 Annual Report is Now Available

Institute for Systems Biology has a dizzying breadth of research projects. But when we talk about what we do, it’s how we do it that matters most. The systems approach that we pioneered and exemplify continues to distinguish our ability to tackle the most complex biological and environmental challenges today. Because of how we apply our hallmark collaborative, cross-disciplinary and integrative approach, our collective success is greater than the sum…

ISB’s K-12 STEM Education Work: Collaboration with Washington Alliance for Better Schools

(Photo: Bothell High School teacher Cynthia McIntyre (above left) and ISB’s Chris Plaisier (above right), a senior research scientist in the Baliga Lab, participated in Washington Alliance for Better Schools’ event “A Celebration of STEM” which took place MOHAI on May 6.) ISB’s K-12 STEM Education work On May 6, Washington Alliance for Better Schools held “A Celebration of STEM” at MOHAI to showcase projects that middle and high school…

Networks Are All Around You network activity created at Institute for Systems Biology for the USA Science & Engineering Festival.

ISB at USA Science and Engineering Festival

ISB scientists Aaron Brooks (Baliga Lab) and Martin Shelton (Hood Lab) attended the USA Science & Engineering Festival in Washington D.C. on April 26-27. They, and ISB senior research engineer, Chris Lausted, developed an interactive network activity involving circuit boxes that represent nodes and fiber optic cables to connect them. The project and trip to D.C. were supported by funds through NIH/NIGMS and ISB’s Center for Systems Biology. From Brooks:…

ISB's Director of Education, Dana Riley Black, mades national impact on science education.

ISB Impacts Education System Nationally and Locally

National: At the beginning of April, Dana Riley Black, ISB’s Director of Education, was invited to participate in one of three Ideas Labs hosted by the National Science Foundation in Washington D.C. The weeklong lab was related to the new NSF program “Improving Undergraduate STEM Education” (IUSE) and was focused on discussing ideas for integrating quantitative literacy into undergraduate biology education. The reason for this particular topic is that while…

Best Way to Get Kids to Like Science? Inspire Teachers

By Hillary Lauren Science teachers and principals from Schmitz Park and Arbor Heights Elementary Schools in West Seattle attended a day-long workshop co-hosted at the Institute for Systems Biology. During their visit to ISB, the educators were enthusiastic to collaborate, learn about new curriculum materials, and see first-hand what an innovative science research space looks like at ISB. “The day signified much more than these teachers learning about some instructional…

WA State Adopts Next Generation Science Standards

PRESS RELEASE SEATTLE, Oct. 3, 2013 – After a two-year process, Washington State will officially adopt the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). It is the eighth state in the country to make the commitment. Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) has been one of the leaders in the process of developing the standards and preparing local school districts for the implementation of NGSS. “It is unusual for a nonprofit scientific research…

ISB Leads the Way in Helping Washington Schools Adopt and Implement Next Generation Science Standards

Washington State is expected to be among the first 10 states to officially adopt the Next Generation Science Standards. The NGSS were released in spring 2013 after a two-year development process and reflect the most contemporary research on science and science learning in determining what K-12 students ought learn in order to be prepared for college. Washington State is one of 26 lead states that have been instrumental in the…

ISB Education Team: Next Gen Science Standards for Teachers

ISB is committed to K-12 science education. Today, to launch a new OSPI Math & Science Partnership, we are hosting 40 teachers from Seattle Public Schools and 20 teachers from Renton Public Schools to help them develop curriculum aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (and how all that fits with Common Core Standards). Go, ISB education team! (Full gallery)

K-12 Education: Next Generation Science Standards

By Dana Riley Black, ISB Director for Center for Inquiry Science April 11, 2013 — Earlier this week the new national Next Generation Science Standards were released. (Here’s a New York Times report regarding the release.) While states are not required to adopt these new standards, 26 states, including Washington State, are seriously considering adoption.  Similar to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts, the Next…