Science Education Partnership Award

For Teachers:

1. What do the terms SEPA, NIH, NCRR, and Principal Investigator (PI) mean?

   NIH is the National Institutes of Health which includes the division of the NCRR, the National Center for Research Resources. The NCRR funds the SEPA (Science Educational Partnership Award) programs which produce the educational projects compiled in this website. The Principal Investigator (PI) is the person that leads the team which produces the SEPA project. In the case of these health and science projects, the PI may be a scientist, medical doctor, film director, museum director, or other public health promotor.

2. What does the SEPA website have to offer me?

   The SEPA website is a compilation of resources for teachers including:
   professional development workshops/training
   science & health curricula
   museum exhibit information for class trips
   films, videos, & Multimedia
   equipment loans
   FREE curriculum downloads direct from the SEPA website

   • Either click on "For teachers" in the left menu bar of the home page
   • OR click on “Educational Resources” in the top banner from any page in the SEPA website
3. How do I find projects in my state?
   • Click on “Explore SEPA Programs” on the left side of the top banner from any page in the SEPA website. Then click on “By State.” Click on your state from the map of the U.S. Holding the mouse arrow over an area of the map will highlight the state it is pointing to.
   • An alternate method is to click on “Advanced Search” on the left-hand side of the home page and choose your state from the drop-down box. Then click “Submit Selection.”
   • A third way is to click on the drop down menu for "Educational Resources" in the top banner of any page in the site. Choose the type of resource you are interested in. You will be directed to a page with a listing of these resources organized by state. Find your state in the alphabetized list.

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4. How can I verify validity of the educational resources provided on the SEPA website?

   All the materials and resources available on the Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) website were created under the auspices of SEPA grants from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). To obtain these grants, all investigators had to compete for resources in a peer-reviewed process. The NCRR cannot warrant the validity of each and every activity that was created with SEPA resources. Since the SEPA website is also intended to be an archive of older projects, some of the materials may be out of date. If you have any questions regarding an individual piece, you should contact the investigator for the project that created it.

   Programs do however create tools to evaluate whether their original project objectives have been met. Taking a look at this information may give you an idea of how a program assesses itself. You may find a few by clicking on "Evaluation Tools" in the top banner of any page in the SEPA website.

5. What is meant by formal and informal educational programs listed on the left menu of the “Explore SEPA Programs” page?

   Formal Educational Programs include those that provide classroom curriculum or structured student, parent, or teacher workshops. Informal Educational Programs can include educational films, websites, museum exhibits, and other non-school based activities.

6. How do I search for a particular keyword, program, etc?

   You may either look at the site index (click link found at the top of the blue SEPA banner from any main page) or click on “Advanced Search” (in the left menu of the home page). Here you can enter various information including keywords of subject areas you are interested in.

7. How do I get more information (cost of materials, dates of workshops, museums, etc) or obtain educational materials (such as curriculum) from a certain SEPA program?
   • Once you've found your search results for a certain keyword, state, and program , you can click on the link to be directed to each project's abstract page. The abstract page for each SEPA project lists contact information such as a mailing address, email address, phone/fax numbers, and in many cases a link to its own project website where more information and perhaps educational materials can be downloaded.
   • Also, you may click on “Educational Resources” in the drop down menu in the banner at the top of any page in the site. Then choose the type of educational material you are looking for. All programs that have resources (such as class curricula, films, videos, & multimedia, museum exhibits, teacher, parent, or student workshops/training) are listed. It tells the grade level, types of lesson plans or subjects, and approximate cost (often there is a free download available for curricular materials). Find a project that interests you in the list. Clicking on the name of the SEPA project will direct you to its own website where further information can be obtained and downloads can be found if available.
8. Some SEPA programs have multiple phases of funding (Phase I and Phase II). If I've found Phase I, how do I find information on Phase II and vice versa?

   On the abstract page for Phase I of a project, there will be a link to Phase II at the bottom. Likewise, on the abstract page for Phase II of a project, there will be a link for Phase I.

9. How do I search for all projects at a particular institution (university, museum, film studio, etc)?

   On the left menu of the home page, click on “Advanced Search.” Here you can pick from the drop down menu which institution you would like results for. It is not necessary to fill in information for any other areas.

10. How can I search for only films, websites, museum exhibits, class curricula, teacher workshops, or student workshops?

    Click on “Educational Resources” in the drop down menu in the banner at the top of any page in the site. Then choose the type of educational material you are looking for. All programs that have resources (such as class curricula, websites, films, software/multimedia, museum exhibits, teacher, parent, or student workshops/training) are listed. It tells the grade level, types of lesson plans or subjects, and approximate cost (often there is a free download available for curricular materials). Find a project that interests you in the list. Clicking on the name of the SEPA project will direct you to its own website where further information can be obtained and downloads can be found if available.

11. If a program's funding has ended, can I still get educational resources from it?

    Some programs still maintain a website with available information and materials even after their SEPA funding has ceased. If so, you will find a link to their website on the program abstract page. In other cases, we are collecting non-funded projects' materials to archive on the SEPA website.

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For Students:

1. What do the terms SEPA, NIH, NCRR, and Principal Investigator (PI) mean?

   NIH is the National Institutes of Health which includes the division of the NCRR, the National Center for Research Resources. The NCRR funds the SEPA (Science Educational Partnership Award) programs which produce the educational projects compiled in this website. The Principal Investigator (PI) is the person that leads the team which produces the SEPA project. In the case of these health and science projects, the PI may be a scientist, medical doctor, film director, museum director, or other public health promotor.

2. What does the SEPA website have to offer me?

   The SEPA website provides a way for kids to find all sorts of fun, educational websites, with games, multimedia, and other materials. The website also provides listings of:
   summer/afterschool science programs
   museum exhibits in your state

   Click on "For students" to see more.

3. How do I find what I’m looking for?
   • Click on “Advanced Search” on the left-hand side of the SEPA home page. In the “Keyword” text box, enter games, interactive websites, or whatever else you are looking for to find results. Also, the SEPA website can provide a way to find all sorts of helpful information that could help you with your homework or answer questions you may have about different areas of health and science. For instance, if you would like to find out about the food guide pyramid, cloning, the mathematical formula to calculate density, etc. enter your specification into the “keyword” text box using the “Advanced Search” option as explained above. Museum exhibits and student summer programs can also be found using this method. Use the drop-down menu to search for your state. You may also specify what kind of exhibit or program subject area you are looking for in the “keyword” text box.
   • OR Click on “Educational Resources” in the drop down menu in the banner at the top of any page in the site. Then choose the type of educational material you are looking for. All programs that have resources (such as class curricula, films, video, & multimedia, museum exhibits, teacher, parent, or student workshops) are listed. It tells the grade level, subjects, and approximate cost (often there is a free download available for curricular materials). Find a project that interests you in the list. Clicking on the name of the SEPA project will direct you to its own website where further information can be obtained and downloads can be found if available.

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For Investigators:

1. How do I find my project's abstract page on the website?

   This can be found in multiple ways:

   • Click on “For Investigators” then “Explore SEPA Programs.” Use the drop-down menu to pick either “By Funding Year” or “By State.” Then click on the first year your program was funding or click on the state in which your program exists.
   • OR Click on “Explore SEPA Programs” on the left side of the blue SEPA banner at the top of the home page. Use the drop-down menu to pick either “By Funding Year” or “By State.” Then click on the first year your program was funding or click on the state in which your program exists.
   • OR use the “Advanced Search” function on the left-hand side of the home page. Type in various text boxes with your program information and “Submit Selection.”
2. What does the SEPA website have that might interest me?

   Click on "For investigators."

3. I have new information (logos, links, workshop flyers, publications, photos, evaluation tools, archive info, or keywords/subject areas) to be updated on the website for my SEPA program. When and where do I send them?

   You may send information about your program anytime via mail or e-mail and the SEPA webmaster will update your abstract page. Please note:

   • We need consent in writing from anyone pictured in photos you would like posted on the website.
   • Send written consent from journals/newsletters/publishers if you would like us to post a PDF of any of your project publications. Links to these publications are always easier since we do not need consent. However, also note that some journals require membership for the public to view articles. Therefore a PDF with publisher permission may be more effective in these cases.

   Kandi Grimes, SEPA Webmaster
   UT Health Science Center at San Antonio
   7703 Floyd Curl Drive
   Mail Code 7891
   San Antonio , TX 78229
   teachhealthk-12@uthscsa.edu

4. My project is no longer funded. How can I still let people know about our materials?

   The SEPA website also acts as an archive for older SEPA programs. Please send us your organized materials to the mailing address or email above and we would be happy to post them on the SEPA website.

5. How do I apply for a SEPA grant?

   Every year we update the RFA (Research Funding Application) posted on the SEPA website. You can freely download the RFA found on the SEPA homepage in the left main menu.

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For Families:

1. What does the SEPA website have to offer me and my family?

   (See "For families.") The SEPA website allows you to find fun and educational opportunities which your family can enjoy together. Not only does it allow you to find summer/afterschool programs in science and health for your kids, but you can also find out about museum exhibits in your area that you can all take advantage of. Some SEPA projects even have parent workshops on nutrition, obesity, and cultural health & science issues. Also, your family may be interested in other informal educational programs funded by SEPA such as those that create films, videos, & multimedia.

   • Click on “Educational Resources” in the drop down menu in the banner at the top of any page in the site. Then choose the type of educational material you are looking for. All programs that have resources (such as class curricula, films, videos, & multimedia, museum exhibits, teacher, parent, or student workshops) are listed. It tells the grade level, subjects, and approximate cost (often there is a free download available for curricular materials). Find a project that interests you in the list. You may want to search in your state. Clicking on the name of the SEPA project will direct you to its own website where further information can be obtained and downloads can be found if available.
   • OR click on “Advanced Search” on the left-hand side of the SEPA home page. In the “Keyword” text box, enter games, films, interactive websites, museum exhibits, student summer workshops, etc to find results. You may want to specify your state of residence in the drop-down box above to find museum exhibits in your area.
   • How do I get more information (dates/cost of workshops or museum exhibits, etc) about a certain SEPA program?
     • Once you've found your search results for a certain keyword, state, program, etc. you can click on the link to be directed to each project's abstract page. The abstract page for each SEPA project lists contact information such as a mailing address, email address, phone/fax numbers, and in many cases a link to its own project website where more information is available.
     • Also, a link to each program's website or SEPA abstract page is available in the “Educational Resources” listings. There you can get more information.

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