Responding to the high-school teachers' need to receive training and swap advice in the latest scientific developments, the University of Milan in May 2004 has founded CusMiBio (Centre of the University and School of Milan for Bioscience Education), a new project to improve Science Education in High Schools. CusMiBio works in close collaboration with the Lombardy Educational Office (Lombardy is a large area in the North of Italy with 991 public High Schools, over 1500 life science teachers and over 342.000 students). This center wants to be a bridge between the two educational systems, High School and University, with the main goal to increase knowledge and interest for Science in high school students.
CusMiBio organizes training activities and updating courses directed to school teachers and laboratory activities for high school students, to increase their STEM skills and their interest in biosciences with the final goal of ensuring a new generation of researchers. For the past 18 years, ~ 200,000 Italian students and ~ 1200 school teachers participated in experimental activities organized by CusMiBio.

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CusMiBio organizes training activities and updating courses directed to High School teachers and laboratory activities for High School students to increase their interest in biosciences with the final goal to ensure a new generation of researchers.

CusMiBio laboratories are University spaces dedicated to High School, fully equipped with high-tech materials and instruments, usually not available in a school laboratory. The Bioscience laboratory has 48 equipped work stations, the Bioinformatics laboratory has 32 stations, each with computer and internet connection. In both laboratories, videobeamers, internet connection and IWB are available as additional facilities.

CusMiBio has signed a collaborative agreement with the DNA Learning Center (DNALC) of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory for the Urban barcode project

CusMiBio provides advanced CPD (Continuing Professional Development) courses and experimental laboratories mainly in the field of Biosciences, integrating the expertise of both researchers and professors from several Departments and Faculties of the University of Milan: Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Medicine, Pharmacy, Veterinary, Agricultural Sciences, Informatics, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics. Indeed, CusMiBio has been developed following the philosophy that interactions between the various levels of the educational system (school students, school teachers, university students and university researchers and professors) are fundamental to boost the interest in scientific careers as well as the public awareness of scientific priorities in Europe.

CusMiBio permanent staff:

• Lucia Colombo, Giovanna Viale and Paolo Plevani are Faculty members of the University of Milan;
• High School teacher, Cinzia Grazioli in charge of the Lombardy Educational Office, work full-time at CusMiBio;
• about two dozen researchers and professors of the University of Milano active in different fields (Biomolecular Sciences, Medicine, Agricoltural Sciences, Pharmacy and Veterinary) collaborate with CusMiBio in seminars, updating courses, and setting-up of new hands-on activities for students;
• several Ph.D. students and post-docs act as tutors during the hands-on activities in the lab. This is extremely important because the presence of motivated young people strongly facilitates productive interactions and dialogue with high school students, breaking the intimidating “teacher-student” barrier.