ASPB EDUCATION FORUM

Compiled and edited by Sheila Blackman, Grand Valley State University, Biology, One Campus Drive, Allendale, MI 49401, blackmas@gvsu.edu

Education Posters Presented at 2003 ASPB Annual Meeting

Posters are always an exciting and informative part of the ASPB annual meeting. Although ASPB members are allowed to present only one research poster, they may present a second poster in the education category. This year, many interesting education posters highlighted the development of new educational resources or the incorporation of genomics and bioinformatics into the undergraduate curriculum. For abstracts of all the education posters presented at ASPB 2003, see http://abstracts.aspb.org/pb2003/public/P25/.

The education posters at the ASPB meeting in Honolulu had an interesting new addition this year—posters presented by high school students about a course they took at the University of Rhode Island (URI). The course was organized by a new not-for-profit organization called “Lifeedu” (http://www.lifeedu.org/) that is developing educational resources (see the November/December 2003 issue of the ASPB News). The high school students who participated in the course “Modern Techniques in Genetic Engineering” at URI made posters and presented them at the ASPB meeting.

Several posters were presented that highlighted how genomic approaches are being incorporated into the undergraduate curriculum. In her poster “Connecting the Classroom With Primary Research: Molecular Analysis of Red Clover Genes,” ASPB member Sharon Thoma described how students in an upper-level cell and molecular biology class used a red clover complementary DNA library as a source for clones, which they analyzed through a variety of approaches. Thoma, an assistant professor of biology at Edgewood College, in Madison, Wisconsin, wrote:

Students carried out BLAST searches of DNA and protein databases to determine possible identities of their clones. Three clones, corresponding to a psaH protein, ferredoxin 1, and an early light-induced protein were chosen for further analysis. For each clone, the entire sequence was determined and the expression pattern was analyzed via RNA blot analysis. Because red clover is not widely studied on the molecular level, these data are unique and provide an opportunity for undergraduate students to publish data in electronic DNA databases and/or in peer-reviewed publications.

Richard Mercier, a research assistant professor in plant science at the University of Connecticut, presented a poster titled “Undergraduate Student Involvement in Bioinformatics: Genetic Analysis of T-DNA Insertional Mutant Plants as an Educational Tool.” Mercier explained how undergraduates learned bioinformatics and molecular biological techniques as they studied transferred DNA insertion knockout lines in cyclic nucleotide gated channels. Students analyzed these genes using tools available from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov), the Munich Information Center for Protein Sequences (http://mips.gsf.de), The Arabidopsis Information Resource (http://www.arabidopsis.org) and PlantsP (http://plantsp.sdsc.edu), and molecular techniques including polymerase chain reaction and Southern analysis.

Nicholas Ewing, an assistant professor from the California State University at Sacramento, presented a poster titled “Integration of Microarray Analysis of Gene Expression Into Undergraduate Laboratory Courses.” Using databases of raw data generated by the Genome Consortium for Active Teaching (GCAT; http://www.bio.davidson.edu/biology/gcat), Ewing developed exercises to help students learn the tricks and tools of analyzing the large data sets generated by microarray technology. For those interested in incorporating microarray experiments and analysis into research with undergraduates and undergraduate courses, GCAT offers a variety of resources ranging from inexpensive access to microarray chips to clustering and analysis tools.

Paul Twigg, associate professor of biology at the University of Nebraska–Kearny, presented a poster on “Use of Glutamine Synthetase Gene Sequences as a Tool for Learning About Plant Phylogeny at the Molecular Level.” Twigg and his students are obtaining glutamine synthetase sequence information from many species and using this molecular information to determine the correct phyogenetic placement of species within the Fabaceae. This project has been the focus of undergraduate research projects and used in undergraduate and graduate plant taxonomy courses.

Other posters presented pedagogical innovations in undergraduate plant biology education, including peer evaluation of oral presentations, textbook reviewing as an educational experience, and web-based learning modules in introductory biology and for using the Digital Plant Biology Compendium (http://www.photobiology.info). A variety of laboratory exercises were presented, including those involving medicinal plants, C-Fern, and horticultural plants.

These posters represent a small sampling of the many innovative and creative ways ASPB members are developing and implementing novel approaches to plant biology education. The education posters are a great way to disseminate ideas. Look for the Call for Abstracts for Plant Biology 2004 (see the November/December 2003 issue of the ASPB News or visit http://www.aspb.org/abstract) and consider presenting a poster highlighting your accomplishments in the area of education. And remember to include the education posters as a stop on your itinerary. You will walk away inspired and impressed by the efforts of your fellow ASPB members.

Mary E. Williams
mwilliams@thuban.ac.hmc.edu

Revised ASPB Education Web Page

ASPB’s education web page was recently given a major overhaul, thanks to the efforts of Education Committee Chair Larry Griffing and ASPB webmaster Wendy Sahli. The purpose of the new format is to provide ASPB members, educators, and students easier access to resources for teaching and learning science using plants and plant science.