NIH News Advisory--The NIH Releases New Curriculum Supplements with Findings on the Brain, Environmental Health, and Oral Health --07/19/2002

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, July 19, 2002

Contact:
Dr. David Vannier
(301) 496-8741

The NIH Releases New Curriculum Supplements with Findings on
the Brain, Environmental Health, and Oral Health

Bethesda, Maryland — The National Institutes of Health is releasing three new curriculum supplements to bring the latest findings on the brain, environmental health, and oral health to students across the nation. The state-of-the-art instructional materials are part of an ongoing project that promotes inquiry-based, interdisciplinary learning in kindergarten through grade 12. The NIH, the Federal focal point for medical research in the U.S., is distributing the modules to teachers free-of-charge to promote scientific literacy and student interest in the sciences.

The new curricula (listed below) are aligned with the National Science Education Standards released by the National Academy of Sciences. Each supplement comes with an interactive CD-ROM.

The Brain: Understanding Neurobiology Through the Study of Addiction. Allows students in grades 9 through 12 to explore how drugs alter brain function by changing the way neurons communicate.
Chemicals, the Environment, and You: Explorations in Science and Human Health. Enables students in grades 7 and 8 to explore the relationship between chemicals in the environment and human health, utilizing basic concepts in the science of toxicology.
Open Wide and Trek Inside. Encourages students in grades 1 and 2 to explore the wonders of the mouth as a living environment and learn major scientific concepts relating to oral health.

The modules are the result of a cooperative effort among teachers, scientists, and curriculum developers. A team of teachers from across the country, top scientists from the NIH, and curriculum developers from Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) of Colorado Springs, CO, and Videodiscovery, Inc. of Seattle, WA, created the modules. Teachers and students across the country field-tested the supplements.

According to Marjorie King, K-12 science consultant at Jefferson Parish Public School System, La., "The NIH supplements help bridge the gap between the classroom and the scientific world. They are very, very good."

Three earlier curriculum supplements, designed for use in high school classrooms, are Cell Biology and Cancer, Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases, and Human Genetic Variation. Each is available on the NIH Office of Science Education Web site. Additional supplements are planned each year. For more online information, visit http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements.

For more information or review copies, contact: Dr. David Vannier, Professional Development Coordinator, OSE, NIH 6705 Rockledge Dr, RM 700, Bethesda, MD 20892-7984 TEL: 301-496-8741; FAX: 301-301-402-3034, E-MAIL: vannierd@od.nih.gov

The National Institutes of Health is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.