Mission
International Research Collaboration's (IRC) mission is to provide opportunities for schools to engage in a collaborative scientific research and cultural exchange between student researchers from different countries.

IRC helps form partnerships between American and international high schools in which students do research projects together;
1- First by collaborating virtually, and performing parts of their research at their own country,
2-Then visiting each other's countries to share their results and continue to conduct research together. Students will take part in two 1-week international trips to meet and work with their team-mates.
3- At the end, submitting research work to GENIUS Olympiad to present and/or submitting it to International Journal of Highschool Research for publication. Each of these opportunities are highly selective and requires peer-review and acceptance, and is therefore not guaranteed.

Students are able to network and expand their worldview by working with international peers connected via International Research Collaborations. Different regions of the world are facing a variety of concerns. Internationally collaborating opens students’ minds to new solutions and gives them a chance to contribute to their local communities as well as the global community.

Terra will provide interested schools' collaborative research projects on its website to facilitate this program. The program will be coordinated by George Wolfe, award-winning teacher, administrator and Emmy winning television host.

Terra Science and Education will facilitate the program by:
  • Setting up partnerships with interested schools
  • Assisting in choosing the research project that will be done by students
  • Coordinating school visits by students and faculty both at the outset of the research as well as the final project presentation
  • Helping students organize cultural activities to be done during the visits as well as food and lodging
  • Helping to manage collaborative student research throughout the school year with guidance from faculty mentors
  • Helping to organize the final presentation. During the final visit, data is analyzed, presentations prepared and ultimately presented in an “endpoint presentation” such as participation in Genius Olympiad
  • Providing professional development on setting up an Independent Research Program at your school

If you are interested in to join to this program to be a partner with another school, please contact Dr. Richard Beal ([email protected]) to set up a meeting to discuss the details of your needs.

IRC Facilitator: George Wolfe

George Wolfe comes to Terra with 40+ years of teaching, curriculum writing, and leadership experience. His teaching career started in Zaire, Africa where he taught Biology, Chemistry, Political Economics and Physical Education in the Peace Corps. Since then, he has taught in the Western NY region, spending 20 years in the Rochester City School District. In 2005, George moved to Loudoun County, Virginia where he was the founder and director of the Loudoun County Academy of Science.

In 2006 while working with the Cornell Institute of Physics teachers at Hwa Chong Institution in Singapore, George approached the Hwa Chong administration with an idea to have student-researchers collaborate in collaboratively designed research projects.

This program, unique worldwide, has been so successful that it was highlighted in a Nature Article in 2015. In 2012, another collaborative research program was created with Daegu Science High School in Daegu, South Korea.

Besides his teaching career, Mr. Wolfe has also been an Emmy winning television host, fielding live questions for the PBS/WXXI production of Homework Hotline as well as writing and performing in “Football Physics” segments for the Buffalo Bills and the Discover Channel.v

His contributions to education have been extensive, serving on multiple advisory boards including the Cornell Institute of Physics Teachers, the Cornell Institute of Biology Teachers and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics SportSmarts curriculum project. He has authored several publications including “The Nasonia Project”, a lab series built around the genetics and behaviors of a parasitic wasp, as well as “Thinkwell’s Biology”, a CD lecture series used in freshman biology courses in many colleges and high schools throughout the U.S.

He has received numerous awards throughout his teaching career including the NSTA Presidential Excellence Award, The National Association of Biology Teachers Outstanding Biology Teacher Award for New York State, The Shell Award for Outstanding Science Educator, and was inducted into the National Teaching Hall of Fame in 2005.

Opportunity in Marcellus, New York, USA

The students and teachers of Marcellus School District and Marcellus Senior High School are looking for an international school to partner with on student-driven research projects.

Currently Marcellus students are working on two projects that they are looking for international partners:

If you are interested in our international research collaboration program and elevate your student's research experience into next level with cultural immersion, please email Dr. Beal with:

  • Your contact information (name, email, phone number)
  • Your status/position (teacher, mentor, student)
  • Your school’s information (name, contact number, grade levels involved in research, address)
  • Your research topic and discipline (if applicable)
  • Your desired collaboration school, country, or region (if applicable)

Contact
Dr. Richard Beal
[email protected]
1-315-422-2902