SMART Teams
Students Modeling A Research Topic
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What do you get when you combine enthusiastic high school teachers and their students, scientists excited about their research, and Rapid Prototyping technology? SMART (Students Modeling A Research Topic) Teams! In this multi-faceted program, students develop teamwork as they delve into the molecular world, explore science as a process and not just a collection of facts, and work closely with a researcher to understand and model the structure-function relationship of a protein the researcher studies. After designing and building a model of the protein using Rapid Prototyping technology, SMART teams create an oral presentation explaining their work to a lay audience and a poster which is presented to a scientific audience.
SMART teams developed as an extension of our summer professional development course, Modeling the Molecular World, allowing teachers to continue to explore the molecular world in depth with their students. There are three different SMART Team programs:
- Local SMART Teams in the Milwaukee area join CBM staff for training on a few Saturday mornings beginning in September.
- HHMI SMART Teams work with our partner institutions throughout the US to receive training and connect with researchers in their area.
- Remote SMART Teams who don´t reside close enough to one of the SMART team training centers receive training from their SMART team teacher with materials provided by the CBM on a schedule unique to each remote team.
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Highlights from the 2011-2012 SMART Team Program
Twenty-three (!) SMART Teams attended the 2012 Annual American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) meeting in San Diego in April. The meeting started with a visit to The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla where the SMART Teams heard an address from Dr. Ian Wilson, toured labs, presented their projects and had an ice cream social. It was a wonderful experience! Thanks to Marisela Chevez for arranging such a fabulous day. On Saturday, the SMART Teams presented their projects during the Undergraduate Poster Session. Following the poster session, the CBM hosted our annual National SMART Team Meeting, complete with an address from Dr. Suzanne Pfeffer (president of the ASBMB society) and a swap meet! We look forward to seeing everyone in Boston April 2013.
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For a historical view of SMART teams, check out:
- Previous SMART Team Projects
- Where are they now? (Find out what SMART Team Alumni are doing now or submit your alumni profile.)
- Comments from previous SMART Team participants
- Publications describing SMART Teams
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Funding for the local SMART Team program is provided through grants from
Funding for the HHMI partner sites is provided through
