Loyola University Chicago
Grant Information
This grant continues support for Loyola University’s Ethics-based Teaching Helps Optimize STEM (ETHOS) program. ETHOS engages high school and middle school students traditionally minoritized in STEM fields in a program that infuses neuroscience education with ethical considerations through discussion of real-world issues and topics that connect neuroscience to society. The goal is to foster the development of students’ STEM identity and interest in STEM careers by making neuroscience relevant to students’ everyday lives and experiences.
The ETHOS program consists of three sequential phases:
- a discussion-based, afterschool workshop series for high school students that connects neuroscience topics with societal or ethical issues
- a one-week “Neuroscience & Society Day Bootcamp,” that provides students with professional development guidance and near-peer mentoring training; and
- a “Neuroscience & Society Day” event where summer program graduates develop and facilitate neuroscience and society activities for middle school students.
Dana Foundation support enables Loyola’s continued study of the effectiveness of the ETHOS approach by expanding the program to new sites in Chicago and Detroit and recruiting new facilitators to implement the program. Three facilitators for each semester form a community of practice (COP) that meets weekly on Zoom to evaluate the pedagogical manual and iteratively improve its content—assessing needed foundational biology and neuroscience concepts, pathways for teaching and learning ethics, best practices for leading discussions, and strategies for culturally relevant pedagogy and rapport-building with youth. As part of this effort, Loyola is developing and preparing to disseminate a comprehensive, free, and easy-to-use pedagogical manual to encourage broader adoption of the ETHOS program among science educators.
This grant supports the Dana Education objective to engage K-12 students in learning about neuroscience and its relevance to society through structured education opportunities (formal and non-formal) that integrate relevant, real-world topics and issues to capture their interest and inspire continued study.
This grant supports the Dana Foundation objective to facilitate greater understanding and informed decision-making among professionals by supporting new education approaches on neuroscience topics related to their practice.
