CDC Science Ambassador Opportunity
This summer I had the opportunity to participate in the 2014 CDC Ambassador Training. Twenty teachers from across the US spent a week in Atlanta, GA attending seminars held by CDC scientists. Each day we would tour something – the Spencer Museum, research laboratories, the CDC Library, the CDC campus, etc. This was an amazing chance to see how the CDC works and obtain real-life examples of epidemiology and public health careers to bring back to the classroom.
While there, participants are placed on teams with CDC specialists. You work together to create lesson plans which will (after the clearance process) will appear on the CDC website.
The application process was surprisingly easy (applications are not available yet, but plan on applying around Spring Break):
- letter of rec from your administrator/department chair
- personal statement (less than 2 pages)
- resume
Resources which may interest you are:
- CDC lesson plans for middle & high school, created by past participants: http://www.cdc.gov/excite/ScienceAmbassador/ambassador_pgm/lessonplans.htm
- I have compiled a list of lesson plan abstracts here: CDC Ambassador Web Lesson Plan Topics
- PHIL (public health information library) with a wealth of images FREE to use (and accurate!): http://phil.cdc.gov/phil/home.asp
Thanks for your comments!
Julie, there is not a formal list of qualifications to be accepted. I think the ability to be collaborative and an interest in public health/epidemiology would be helpful.
Randy, I did get a nasty blister from poor choice of shoes.
Jesi, 9th/10th Bio, right? Check out the following lesson plans on the website (above):
Lead Placement (lead exposure…I loved Lin Andrews model application using this case study!)
Autism Spectrum Disorders
You Gotta Have Heart (congenital heart defects)
Causes of birth defects: an epidemiological mystery
Human Embryo Development & Birth Defects
HantaVirus Haunting
HIV/AIDS
West Nile Virus Strikes Again
Thank you all for listening!
kel
Hope you have recovered from the fear of all the diseases you learned about at CDC.
I liked Noah’s comment about how important this information is for students, especially given how much misinformation is out there.
My question is, where can I squeeze these lessons into my biology curriculum?
Thanks for sharing such a wonderful experience with us.
A great resource for teaching students how to be informed members of their community!
The CDC lesson plans sound like a great resource to add more epidemiological information to my biology classroom scene when we discuss diseases. Great Resources!
This was facinating! Do you need special qualifications to be accepted?