Project NEXUS is a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant funded project based at the University of Maryland, College Park and headed by Principal Investigator Dr. J. Randy McGinnis. Its purpose is to investigate an innovative model of teacher preparation. Originally a collaboration among University of Maryland, College Park (UM), (a large, primarily majority population university); Bowie State University (BSU), Maryland (a smaller, historically black university); and Hands On Science Outreach, Inc. (a national organization developing and administering informal science education classes for children), it has evolved into a collaborative with Coppin State University (CSU), (Maryland) and available informal science education internships. The award was made in 2005 and ran until 2012. The key assumption was that science educational practices require systemic reform within the undergraduate science subject matter and education classes, prospective teachers’ field-based experiences, and professional development during new teachers induction years (NSF, 1993; NRC, 1997; Sunal, Wright, & Day, 2004.) Project NEXUS was supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0455752.
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