Abstract
The Muse of Fire project hypothesizes student interest in science education will improve by highlighting topics with which students have personal interactions. The fiery sting of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, is such a topic for many students in the United States and internationally. Five teams of faculty, high school teachers and undergraduate students developed high school lesson plans investigating aspects of S. invicta biology and venom alkaloids. Ecological relationships; symbiosis with the insect bacterium, Wolbachia; human health impact; toxicological; and microarray analysis of genetic responses to, S. invicta venom alkaloids were targeted. Field activities and advanced science and biomedical topics (eg., PCR, gel electrophoresis, microarray analysis, statistical treatment of data) are introduced in the high schools and supported by university faculty. Each lesson is specifically linked to published curriculum standards. Lessons are currently being piloted in five public school sites in both urban and rural school districts. Evaluation of student outcomes will continue through 2010. The Muse of Fire models inter‐institutional, multi‐disciplinary collaboration in which a topic of regional fascination is utilized to enhancement of inquiry‐based high school science education. (Supported by Howard Hughes Medical Institute)
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