Past Projects
Learning Trajectories for Everyday Computing (LTEC)
Years Active: 2016 - 2022
Collaborators: Computational Thinking Research Lab, College of Education, University of Florida
Learning Trajectories for Everyday Computing (LTEC) is a collaborative NSF STEM+C project seeking to understand how to integrate computational thinking (CT) into elementary mathematics. This work involves the development and evaluation of integrated elementary mathematics activities focused on fractions in 3rd and 4th grades with CT and computer science (CS) concepts that align to learning trajectories for elementary CT. The research investigates how students' understanding of fractions is influenced by experiences with integrated lessons that combine mathematics and CT.
EtoysIllinois
Years Active: 2004 - 2022
Collaborators: Dr. Howard Elementary School; Department of Computer Science, College of Engineering
EtoysIllinois was a MSTE-supported project to bring Etoys - a visual, object-oriented programming environment - to K-12 school districts in Illinois. The goal of EtoysIllinois was to help children learn to use Etoys and to ignite an enthusiasm for expressing ideas using the language of the computer.
MSTE Friday Lunch
Years Active: 2005 - 2021
MSTE Friday Lunch guest lecture seminars took place during the Spring and Fall semesters and featured a math, science, technology, and/or education-related discussion. Many weeks had a scheduled speaker/activity, and the remaining weeks were dedicated to discussion of math/science/education topics brought by participants. All were welcome to participate!
CUVolunteer
Years Active: 2011 - 2021
Collaborators: United Way of Champaign County; Office of Civic Life, Student Affairs
CUVolunteer was a partnership between the United Way of Champaign County, the University of Illinois, and a few members of the general public interested in making volunteering easier in our local community. The purpose of the site was to connect interested citizens with volunteering opportunities in the Champaign-Urbana area.
Public Engagement Portal
Years Active: 2008 - 2019
Collaborators: Office of Public Engagement
The Urbana Public Engagement Portal (PEPortal), started in 2008 and ended in 2019, was the most comprehensive source for information about public engagement programs, events, & resources offered by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This project expanded in 2015 to also include UIC, UIS, and the System Offices to form the UA3 Public Engagement Portal. The Urbana PEPortal was maintained by the Office for Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education (MSTE) with support from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Illinois System.
GIC Hazard Prediction
Years Active: 2015 - 2019
Collaborators: Grainger College of Engineering
Led by Dr. Thomas Overbye, this project aimed to improve the scientific understanding of the processes governing the impacts of severe solar storms on our power distribution system. The team studyied the relationship between solar wind drivers and magnetic field perturbations on the ground, developing improved models of induced electric fields, and enhancing prediction capabilities for geomagnetically induced current (GIC) hazards. The team developed algorithms that both advanced the science of induced electric fields and operated as a predictive tool of GIC hazards in the bulk power system, including transformer heating and damage and loss of voltage stability. Impact models were developed, enhanced, and validated to provide better prediction of the effects of GMDs on power systems for both real-time response and longer-term resilience.
Creative Technology Research Lab: Shifting Education (CTRL-Shift)
Years Active: 2012 - 2018
Collaborators: Champaign Unit 4 School District; various community members; various UIUC faculty, staff, & grad students
CTRL-Shift was a professional and social group comprised of K-12 school practitioners, community members, entrepreneurs, & faculty and staff at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. They gathered to discuss and celebrate computer science in the K-12 schools as well as support and research school-based implementation of computational thinking.
Project Clarify
Years Active: 2014 - 2017
As a nation, we are poised to spend nearly 100 billion tax dollars to make improvements to our drinking and wastewater systems, yet where our water goes after it leaves the home is not well understood by most Americans. The goal of Project Clarify was to demystify the wastewater treatment process by providing students with the opportunity to design and test solutions for wastewater treatment, emulating the engineering processes that occur at wastewater treatment facilities all around the nation. Students would model the wastewater treatment process using first a computer-based simulation, followed up by hands-on laboratory sequences.
Trustworthy Cyber Infrastructure for the Power Grid (TCIPG) Education
Years Active: 2006 - 2016
Collaborators: Information Trust Institute (ITI)
MSTE partnered with the Information Trust Institute (ITI) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on the TCIPG project to create Educational applets and lesson materials illustrating power use and the power grid.These interactive lessons explained the basics of the power grid in a fun and informative way. Users could learn about electricity generation, transmission, and distribution. They also demonstrated how various factors affect the reliability and pricing of electricity.
Groundwater Education
Years Active: 2015 - 2016
Collaborators: Water Resources Engineering and Science Program, Grainger College of Engineering
The Groundwater Education project is a web-based application which allows students to simulate the impacts of groundwater withdrawal on the water table and streamflow. Hypothetical scenarios are used to illustrate water conflicts between urban and farming use. Students can run simulations using real models developed by researchers at the University of Illinois. They can view the impacts of human activity on the water table and learn about the dynamic interactions between stream and aquifer. This applet was developed as part of "Improving Prediction of Subsurface Flow and Transport through Exploratory Data Analysis and Complementary Modeling," Award No. 0943627, supported by NSF, Hydrologic Science Program.
Project NEURON
Years Active: 2009 - 2015
Collaborators: Impact on Science Education
Project NEURON was an active NIH-SEPA project from 2009-2015. Project NEURON's core mission was to develop middle and high school science curriculum materials that emphasize inquiry and active learning. The completed units address science education standards, including the Next Generation Science Standards, within the context of biology research performed on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. Project NEURON was primarily funded by a Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA; Award No.: R25 RR024251-03; R25OD011144 and a SEPA supplement grant) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of the Director Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives, Office of Research Infrastructure Programs.
The Power of the Wind
Years Active: 2008 - 2014
The Power of the Wind is a set of curriculum materials to help teach students about wind power. It includes several small projects that are designed to teach about the wind and its uses while introducing engineering design and engaging learners in doing, testing, reflecting and revising. These instructional resources are appropriate for learners ages 8-adult. They are designed to reflect the goals of the 4-H Youth Development Program, which promotes learning by-doing and focuses on developing skills for a lifetime and are aligned to National Standards in Mathematics and Science. The materials were developed by Jana Sebestik in consultation with Sue Larson, Bill Million, and George Reese.
The Accessible Community
Years Active: 2013 - 2013
Collaborators: Disability Resources & Educational Services (DRES)
The Accessible Community was a Fall 2013 workshop series put on by Hadi Rangin (Disability Resources & Educational Services (DRES)) and Michael McKelvey (Office for Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education (MSTE)) to educate local Champaign-Urbana website developers and their managers about accessibility.
Bloom High School District After School Homework Help and Tutoring Program
Years Active: 2003 - 2013
Collaborators: Champaign Unit 4 School District; Urbana School District #116; Bloom High School District
Bloom High School District's After School Homework Help and Tutoring was a part of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program. 21st CCLC was funded through the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) as a component of the No Child Left Behind Act. After School Homework Help and Tutoring provided students with academic enrichment, homework help, tutoring and other activities focused on improving school achievement
Achievement-Improving Mathematics and Science (AIMS)
Years Active: 2005 - 2008
Collaborators: Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School
AIMS was a teacher professional development project for mathematics and science teachers. The goals of the project were to increase content expertise, to enhance teaching skills, to promote understanding and application of educational research pertinent to math and science teaching and learning, and to positively impact student achievement in math and science. Support for the AIMS project was from a Math/Science Partnership (MSP) grant through the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
Teaching Enhancement Activities in Math and Science (TEAMS)
Years Active: 2004 - 2006
TEAMS was a collaborative project for teacher professional development in math and science supported by the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE)
Technology-Intensive Mathematics and Science (TIMES)
Years Active: 2004 - 2005
Collaborators: Office of Educational Technology (OET), College of Education; Department of Mathematics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Department of Physics, The Grainger College of Engineering
Technology-Intensive Mathematics and Science (TIMeS) was a collaborative project to improve instruction and student achievement in local high need school districts. The TIMeS project targeted schools that have ISAT scores that demonstrated a need for improved student achievement in mathematics and/or science and had teachers with provisional certificates or who are teaching out of their area in math or science.
Mathematics Materials for Tomorrow's Teachers (M2T2)
Years Active: 1999 - 2004
Mathematics Materials for Tomorrow's Teachers (M2T2) are a set of mathematics modules created in the spring of 2000 by a team consisting of teachers, administrators, university researchers, mathematicians, graduate students, and members of the Illinois State Board of Education. The modules are for use by trained "teachers of teachers," most often from Illinois's Regional Offices of Education, to use for in-service with mathematics teachers around the state. There are five modules. Each module is connected to one of the goals for mathematics in the Illinois Learning Standards. The content is at a middle school level.
Indicators of Quality Undergraduate Mathematics Education (Indicators Project)
Years Active: 1997 - 2000
The goal of this grant funded project was to develop statistical indicators of the quality of undergraduate mathematics education. The project was conducted with three sub-investigation sites, all mathematics departments at three distinct institution types: California State University (San Marcos, California), Parkland Community College (Champaign, Illinois), and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ( Champaign, IL). Each site had a project coordinator, a project team, and an advisory panel of nationally recognized mathematicians and mathematics educators. Additionally, the overall project was assisted by a project steering committee, various consultants, and the staff at the Office of Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education. Project #9629932: Developing Statistical Indicators to Monitor the Condition of Undergraduate Mathematics Education: A Feasibility Study funded by the National Science Foundation.