1. Information Technology in Science Center for Teaching and Learning An NSF-funded project of the Colleges of Science and Education at Texas A&M University

2. Texas A&M University ITS Center’s Mission To fundamentally change the relationships among scientists, educational researchers and teachers by engaging them in the use of information technology to learn about: how science is done; how science is taught and learned; how science learning can be assessed; and how scholarly networks between scientists, educational researchers, teachers and students can be developed.

3. Texas A&M University ITS Center Goals Production of education specialists through a program of study focused on the interaction between scientists and mathematicians, education researchers, and education practitioners Development and dissemination of quality professional development experiences structured around the impact of information technology on learning and teaching science and mathematics Creation of new knowledge through research on the impact of information technology on learning and teaching science and mathematics

5. Texas A&M University ITS Center for Teaching and Learning Focus on information technology used for: Modeling/simulation Visualization Interaction with complex data sets

6. Texas A&M University ITS Center Program Components The ITS Science Project Team Component The Science Education Research Component Collaboration with the Virtual Science Museums of China (VSMC), CNIC, CAS

7. Collaboration with CAS, CNIC, and the Virtual Science Museums of China

8. VSMC-TAMU ITS Collaboration Memorandum of Cooperation (2003)

9. VSMC-TAMU ITS Collaboration US Delegation Visiting VSMC (2004)

10. VSMC-TAMU ITS Collaboration Meeting for Planning Collaboration (CNIC)

11. VSMC-TAMU ITS Collaboration Meeting for Planning Collaboration (XTBG)

12. Engagement in research related to VSMC content Connections between Chinese and US research scientists with common interests Connections between Chinese and US education researchers and scientists Development of cross-cultural internet-based programs in the field of science education and Public Understanding of Science VSMC-ITS Collaboration China-US Researcher Opportunities

13. Texas A&M University’s Information Technology in Science Center for Teaching and Learning http://its.tamu.edu This project is supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. ESI-0083336.