Medical Research Education Project

Who is this for?

We are currently seeking middle school science teachers who are interested in introducing medical research careers to their students for the Educational Pathways to Cancer Research project.

What will I learn?

Middle School science teachers will learn in-depth content and pedagogy pertaining to inquiry-based science focused on medical research with an emphasis on cancer research. The Educational Pathways to Cancer Research Project will be led by Indiana University cancer researchers and faculty from the IU School of Education Bloomington. The workshops will utilize exemplar classroom-ready, hands-on lessons that teach science and engineering practices and align with Indiana state and Next Generation Science standards.

What is included?

All participants will receive generous stipends, classroom resources and materials, and professional development certificates.

What is required?

This two-year program will ask participants to attend the following in year one: an evening workshop, three online evening workshops, and a one-week workshop. Year two of the program will focus on classroom implementation. All in-person workshops will take place in Indianapolis.

2025 Program Dates

Online Evening Workshops

  • January 29, 2025
    6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
  • March 11, 2025
    6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
  • May 14, 2025
    6:00 – 7:30 p.m.

One-week Workshop

  • June 10-14, 2025
    9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Apply now

Past Workshops

The Educational Pathways to Cancer Research Summer Science Institute was held at the IU Simon Comprehensive Care Center at Indiana University Indianapolis, June 10-14, 2024. The institute connected middle level (grades 5-9) science teachers with cancer researchers and explored resources to help teach students about cancer research science and careers. The institute included visiting the labs of Dr. Hari Nakshatri and Dr. Elizabeth Yeh and learning about their ground breaking research. This project is supported by the Indiana University School of Education and funded by the National Institute of Health.

Photo gallery

This workshop connected middle level teachers with Dr. Hari Nakshatri. Dr. Nakshatri serves as Marion J Morrison Professor of Breast Cancer Research, Professor of Surgery, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He is also the Associate Director of Education and Co-leader of the Breast Cancer Working Group of the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center.In this workshop, Dr. Nakshatri shared his research on breast cancer and introduced teachers to anthropological oncology.

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February 20, 2024

This workshop introduced the project’s participating middle level teachers to Dr. Elizabeth Yeh, Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, at the Indiana University Simon Comprehensive Cancer Care Center. Dr. Yeh introduced her work researching how normal cells become cancerous.

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April 9, 2024

This workshop connected middle level teachers with Dr. Kathy Miller, an oncologist and researcher studying breast cancer, who shared her background, her research, and her stories of serendipitously meeting other researchers which led to new discoveries and breakthroughs.

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Thursday, December 7, 2023

This workshop was designed to introduce middle level science teachers to the Educational Pathways to Cancer Research (EPCR) project and help inspire participation in the project. EPCR was developed to have teachers and medical researchers co-design and implement new lessons and activities pertaining to medical research – with an emphasis on cancer research and to help foster the next generation of medical and cancer researchers.

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For Participating Teachers

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Teacher Professional Development Opportunities

In the News

Affiliated Faculty

Dr. Gayle Buck, Professor, Science Education, IU School of Education

Dr. Kathy Miller, Hematologist, Oncologist, IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Research Center

Dr. Hari Nakshatri, Marion J Morrison Professor of Breast Cancer Research, Professor of Surgery, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, IU School of Medicine

Dr. J. Adam Scribner, Director of STEM Education Initiatives, IU School of Education

Dr. Elizabeth Yeh, Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, IU School of Medicine

Contact Us

For more information, contact J. Adam Scribner at jascrib@iu.edu.

NIH logo

This project is funded by the National Institutes of Health