The State University of New York at Old Westbury is partnering with the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) to participate in the museum’s Seminars on Science program, an online professional learning program for educators.
SUNY Old Westbury is the first campus on Long Island and the first in the SUNY system to partner with AMNH for this program, where graduate credit from SUNY Old Westbury can be earned through the museum’s online offerings.
“This partnership adds to the variety of courses we are making available to professional educators and graduate students as they seek to continue to enhance their skills,” said Dr. Diana Sukhram, Dean of the School of Education.
Developed under the leadership of Dr. Fernando Espinoza, science education coordinator for the School of Education’s graduate programs, the partnership makes courses available to students in the College’s Master of Arts in Teaching programs in Biology and Chemistry, to non-matriculated students who may be enrolled in other programs or who may be seeking this content for professional development or certification needs.
Credit from SUNY Old Westbury will be available for the following graduate courses: Topics in Biology, Topics in Chemistry I, and Topics in Chemistry II. The courses offered via AMNH Seminars on Science to earn that credit include Diversity of Fishes: Course for Educators, Ecology: Ecosystem Dynamics and Conservation: Course for Educators, Evolution: Course for Educators, The Link Between Dinosaurs and Birds: Course for Educators, Climate Change: Course for Educators, Earth: Inside and Out: Dynamic Earth Systems: Course for Educators, Space, Time and Motion: Physical Science: Course for Educators, and The Solar System: Earth and Space Science: Course for Educators.
Since 2000, AMNH’s Seminars on Science has engaged over 10,000 educators around the world in cutting-edge research and provided them with valuable classroom resources. The program offers six-week online graduate courses that are asynchronous, providing students with the flexibility to complete weekly activities at their own pace.
The course format includes case studies, textbook readings, videos, interactive simulations, image galleries, and discussions that connect students to the Museum’s scientists, laboratories, expeditions, and specimens. Each course is co-taught by an experienced educator and research scientist in a manner consistent with the Next Generation Science Standards.
More information on the courses available and registration processes is available from Dr. Espinoza at espinozaf@oldwestbury.edu, and at the AMNH Seminars in Science website.
Photo: The Museum of Natural History in New York City (courtesy of the Museum of Natural History)