IRISE Research & Discovery Science

IRISE Research and Discovery Science (IRISE-RDS) is a STEM initiative that partners scientists with K-12 teachers and students to support science and math instructional standards and curricula through custom hands-on, real-world research experiences – research designed to fuel exploratory learning across a wide range of science disciplines, including but not limited to integrated chemistry, mathematics, scientific reading, and writing. IRISE-RDS's main goals and objectives are as follows:

Goals

• Partner scientists with K-12 teachers and students to conduct hands-on virtual and/or on-location research projects that can be presented at science fairs, professional conferences, or published in academic journals.
• Provide STEM affordable, easily assessable, and sustainable research opportunities to teachers, students, and school systems serving under-represented populations.
• Expose students to scientific research at an early age

IRISE-RDS Founder/CEO: Dr. Jenkins earned a doctorate's degree in chemistry (biophysical chemistry major) in 1997 from Loyola University Chicago. Today she is a full professor of chemistry at an institution in America. During her tenured professorship at Purdue University North Central (now Purdue Northwest), she served as Co-Pi on a multi-million-dollar NSF-funded program designed to recruit and retain youth in the sciences. She has published several research papers with college students; and now, she's giving back, reaching beyond the college campus and taking research on the road. Dr. Jenkins has been training young minds in the classroom and the lab for over 25 years. She's even taught K-12, and believes kids can take part in publishable research!