setting students on a path to success in careers in science is a challenge in poor rural public schools .
both science teachers and their students face many roadblocks . for students in these schools ,
many of the biggest challenges relate to socioeconomic factors . for example , in carter county  a picturesque , 341-square - mile , rural appalachian county in upper east tennessee  nearly 31% of individuals aged 25 or older do not have a high school diploma ( 6 ) while only 15.8% have bachelors degrees or higher ( half the national rate ) .
the teen pregnancy rate is 49 per 1,000 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 ( 8) , compared with the tennessee and national rates of 34.7 and 26.5 , respectively ( 7 ) .
female householders , no husband , comprise nearly 12% of the population , with 49% of these below the poverty level .
the poverty rate climbs even higher , to 79% , when young children are part of the household ( 6 ) .
neonatal abstinence syndrome rates per 1,000 live births is five times that of the state , and the drug poisoning death rate is greater than the state average , according to the 2015 community health needs assessment of carter county by mountain states health alliance ( 5 ) .
additionally , for the years 20092013 , carter county had the highest number of methamphetamine - related charges in the state according to news source the tennessean , based on information from the tennessee administrative office of the courts ( 3 ) .
these statistics reinforce the overwhelming need for educators and community leaders to reach out to these students , helping them to realize that they can rise above their socioeconomic hindrances and have economically viable careers , including ones in science , technology , engineering , and math ( stem ) .
in addition to the challenge of teaching students with these socioeconomic issues and students who arrive daily without having eaten a meal in 24 hours or slept with a roof over their heads , teachers in poor rural schools face other hurdles .
a survey of the dedicated high school science teachers in the carter county school system ( appendix 1 ) indicated limitations in supplies , inadequate facilities , statetesting constraints , and safety issues , such as lack of safety equipment , large class sizes , and behavioral problems , as hindrances to the number and quality of laboratory activities they are able to offer .
fortunately , however , the school system has recently invested heavily in the much - needed renovation of each chemistry lab in the system . also , because rural schools are often isolated and have low population numbers , there are limitations to hiring adequate numbers of science teachers who can provide advanced - level science classes ( 4 ) .
teachers become discouraged as their jobs become dependent on state test scores in the basic courses that are filled to capacity with students distracted by their many socioeconomic woes .
additionally , according to the rural systemic initiative , teachers in these isolated schools often lack appropriate mentor teachers who can encourage and model best practices in science education , a factor that the national science foundation s rural systemic initiative has had success in rectifying in such places as texas , kentucky , louisiana , and the ozarks ( 2 ) .
the facts that carter county extends over 348 square miles , schools are so distant from one another , and winter weather creates hazardous travel conditions in the mountainous region prevents the teachers from easily meeting together , thereby contributing to their professional isolation . also important in their struggles
is that teachers are unable to provide their students with exposure or access to outside science educational opportunities , such as might be provided by local colleges , scientific organizations , and businesses , due to their scarcity in rural communities .
former students with successful careers in science are also not available as examples , as they tend to leave their childhood communities .
students , therefore , can not envision themselves in such careers due to this lack of exposure to stem - related professions ( 1 ) .
based on the author s direct interaction with local rural public schools , students , parents , and teachers , knowledge of students entering milligan college from such schools across the state , and confirmation from existing data and studies , the author chose to address the serious need for support for these high school science teachers and their students , which the science area in our college could provide .
milligan college , whose mission is to educate men and women to be servant leaders , is a small christian liberal arts college located in the heart of carter county .
establishing a relationship between milligan college and the carter county high school science teachers was central to this project and vital to reaching out to their underprivileged students .
math professors at milligan college had already paved the way by successfully engaging in professional development and mentoring of math teachers ( k12 ) in several local rural schools supported by multiple grant projects . also serving as inspiration were grant projects such as the appalachian rural system initiative and the appalachian math science partnership , which had successfully sought to address various issues in stem education ( http://www.inverness-research.org/reports/2008-01-rpt-amsp-umbrellafinal.pdf ) , and also the community engagement model provided by the inquiry - based science and math in appalachian middle schools project ( 9 ) . however , these programs were mostly large - scale with multi - million dollar grant funding involving major higher education research institutions .
small liberal arts schools located in these communities were typically not a part of these projects .
the university of california at los angeles citylab , whose local underprivileged urban high school students have many of the same socioeconomic issues as rural appalachian students , provided a successful design example ( http://citylab.aud.ucla.edu ) .
this small - scale endeavor , therefore , began by meeting with the teachers , assessing their needs by means of a survey and personal interviews , and donating some much - needed lab equipment and supplies no longer in use by the college .
the survey , approved by the milligan college irb and administered using an online survey tool paid for by the author , was conducted with the author present during a professional development day for carter county high school science teachers at the start of the 201415 school year .
the survey included questions on course content delivery methods , laboratory and critical thinking activities included , writing assignments , specific equipment available , specific equipment needed , and hindrances to teaching more labs in each individual course ( appendix 1 ) .
the author then met with the teachers individually to follow up on the survey , ask about challenges to teaching in carter county , and solicit ideas for the planned campus laboratory day visit ( appendix 2 ) .
this relationship was established , the author was able to plan and implement the college campus laboratory day portion of this project , which is described below and which complemented the women in stem resolution passed by the tennessee senate in march 2015 .
since rural appalachian high school girls need encouragement to consider careers in science , a lab - day event was organized and implemented at milligan college .
all science teachers from each of the four carter county high schools were invited along with six academically strong junior girls from each school .
juniors were chosen since they would be at a stage where they would be looking toward college but were not likely to have solidified a decision , a factor contributing to the project s attractiveness to the college s admission staff .
the author arranged with the high school administration for transportation and substitute teacher costs to be covered by the school system .
one teacher from each school planned the transportation , and each teacher arranged for their own substitute teacher and student permission slips .
teachers also received credit from the administration for one day of professional development , thereby compensating for their time commitment before and during the lab day .
milligan college science faculty and several female science students volunteered to staff the laboratory activities .
the event consisted of two lab sessions in the morning , lunch in the college cafeteria , and an afternoon lab session , followed by a campus tour .
the lab - day curriculum was forensic in nature due to several teachers indicating in interviews that their rural students have such interests .
milligan college science faculty and female students assisted in all of the labs and were available to speak with the attendees during the lunch hour .
such willingness to volunteer time is inherently typical of milligan college students and faculty and is a reflection of the college s mission .
for the first laboratory session , human anatomical specimens ( such as brains , skulls , hearts , lungs , and bones ) were placed at stations throughout the lab .
nitrile gloves and probes were provided for safe handling of biological specimens . at each station ,
the background materials explained how to measure a femur in multiple ways to determine sex and height .
the students completed the measurements and decided whether the femur could belong to either missing person .
students rotated in pairs through all of the stations . the professor in charge of this session presented a follow - up discussion of each scenario . since milligan college has sufficient supplies of anatomical specimens and models , professors and students who graciously volunteer their time , and administrators willing to share the facilities with the community
the students learned to distinguish the seven different recycling classes of plastic polymers by density comparison analyses and flame tests .
the students were then given a crime scenario in which they had to determine whether an unknown polymer sample matched a sample from a crime scene .
the professor in charge discussed the results to complete this session . during the discussion , some girls indicated this lab to be somewhat tedious .
the purchase of materials for preparing fluids of various densities was the only expenditure for this session since the plastic polymers were obtained from recyclables from the presenting professor s home . in the final laboratory session
this session began with a short lecture from a professor on antibodies , antigens , and the concepts of each step of the elisa .
students were then presented with a case study of an infectious disease outbreak within a high school and each given a sample simulating their own body fluid .
the students simulated the spread of an infection by mixing their sample with the samples of other students as described in their experimental protocol , performed an elisa according to the step - by - step instructions provided , and used the elisa results to determine which individual was likely to be  patient zero . 
the scenario was modified for the audience from the one provided by the supplier of the elisa kit ( explorer.bio-rad.com ) .
the purchase price for an elisa kit is reasonable , running approximately $ 120 to $ 150 for up to 48 students .
instructions for preparation , background , and experimentation are provided with the kit from bio - rad and are thorough and easy to follow .
electronic files containing preparation and implementation instructions for the three lab sessions were given to the teachers .
the milligan college admissions office was a major supporter of this event , particularly because of its recruitment potential .
in addition to speaking during the lunch hour with the girls ( about undergraduate degrees , dual enrollment , and financial aid ) and the teachers ( about graduate degrees ) , the admissions office covered the cost of lunch in the college cafeteria , provided each attendee with a milligan t - shirt , and conducted campus tours .
the college of science and allied health , along with the author , provided each attendee with a drawstring bag filled with science - related  goodies . 
the total cost per attendee for the lunch , t - shirt and bag was approximately fifteen dollars .
first , a lab day evaluation was offered to the girls following the third lab ( appendix 3 ) .
the girls rated the event an average of 5.7 on a scale of 1 to 6 , with 1 being a waste of time and 6 being awesome .
most importantly , 83% of the girls rated the event as having a positive effect on their interest in a career in science71% already interested and now more interested , 12% not interested and now interested , 17% already interested and now unchanged , and 0% had no interest or a loss in interest .
secondly , the teachers responded to an online evaluation the week following the event ( appendix 4 ) .
five out of six of the respondents ( 83% ) considered the event to be very useful for their students while the remaining respondent found it moderately useful .
each responding teacher would also bring students to such an event again and would attend such an event again .
finally , observation of , and conversations with , the students , teachers , and volunteers revealed an apparent high level of engagement in each of the activities of the day .
in order to have a continuing impact on this school system and our community , this relationship needs to be fostered and maintained , particularly in light of the tennessee state legislature s commitment to stem education .
first , the author plans to maintain contact with the teachers by e - mail .
however , these teachers are often overwhelmed by e - mail communications from their administration reminding them of and adding to their responsibilities .
therefore , it would be important to not become a nuisance or burden to them .
secondly , the intention is to offer the lab - day event at least once a year .
though planning this event was time - consuming for the author , it should take less time each time it is offered . at the event , as requested by approximately one - third of the teachers in the online post  lab day evaluation , more professional development opportunities could also be offered specifically for the teachers , for example , having the teachers from each school discuss best practices and successful teaching methods for particularly challenging state science standards ( appendix 4 ) . additionally , the teachers indicated in the post  lab day evaluation that their students would likely be interested in some form of multi - day science camp at milligan college , as long as there was little or no cost to the attending student .
the teachers indicated they would be interested in some form of opportunity for their own continuing education as well .
expenses and time investments would obviously vary for each of these events , and milligan college and carter county school administrations would , therefore , have to be approached about the level of commitment each could offer .
ongoing assessment of the many aspects of this partnership would also be critical to improving and determining the future direction of such a program . in the end ,
the desire is to serve this underprivileged community and to see more poor , rural appalachian high school students envisioning and pursuing careers in science .
appendix 1 : individual course - by - course survey of teaching methods and laboratory needs appendix 2 : individual teacher interview questions appendix 3 : student evaluations of lab day appendix 4 : teacher evaluations of lab day and future events
 setting students on a path to success in careers in science is a challenge in poor rural appalachian public schools . 
 students face many socioeconomic obstacles . 
 their teachers are also limited by many factors including inadequate facilities , under - funding , geographical isolation of the schools , and state - testing constraints . 
 additionally , students and teachers lack the availability of outside science educational opportunities . in an effort to address this situation , 24 academically strong 
 high school junior girls and their teachers from the carter county school system in rural east tennessee were invited for a laboratory day at milligan college , a small liberal arts college in the heart of the county . 
 science faculty , female science majors , and admissions staff volunteered in service to the project . 
 the event included three laboratory sessions , lunch in the college cafeteria , and campus tours . 
 this successful example , as evidenced by positive evaluations by the invited girls and their teachers , of educational outreach by a local , small liberal arts college to a rural county school system provides a model for establishing a relationship between higher education institutions and these underprivileged schools , with the intention of drawing more of these poor , rural appalachian students , particularly girls , into a science , technology , engineering , and mathematics ( stem ) career path . 
 journal of microbiology & biology education 
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND
DISCUSSION
CONCLUSION
SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS