Rebecca S. Rivard, Maria Winters, Stacey Lettini, M. K. McEliece
As educators at a small university, we are constantly trying to find new and innovative ways of getting high school students interested in a degree in Biology at our school. Thus, we designed an outreach program to draw interested high school students to our campus and participate in a day-long outbreak investigation. The investigation is composed of six distinct activities, each taking between 15 min and 1 h of active time. These activities can be used in conjunction or individually to engage students with basic epidemiology and microbiology. The modules included in this recruitment event are outbreak interviews, DNA fingerprinting analysis, Gram staining, examination of microbial diagnostic tests, use of high-performance liquid chromatography to analyze toxins, and examination of potential food preparation contamination. Our first event was a success, with all participants reporting that they enjoyed their time at the University and found the faculty and staff helpful. One of the students even said, “I wish all school was like this.” The goal of this event was to increase potential student interest and enrollment in our program. We hope that in sharing our experience here we can provide other instructors with a menu from which to pick and choose inexpensive, easy, and engaging activities for high school and introductory college students.
{"title":"A customizable series of microbiology lab activities exploring a foodborne outbreak to enhance student recruitment to a biology program","authors":"Rebecca S. Rivard, Maria Winters, Stacey Lettini, M. K. McEliece","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00086-23","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00086-23","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 As educators at a small university, we are constantly trying to find new and innovative ways of getting high school students interested in a degree in Biology at our school. Thus, we designed an outreach program to draw interested high school students to our campus and participate in a day-long outbreak investigation. The investigation is composed of six distinct activities, each taking between 15 min and 1 h of active time. These activities can be used in conjunction or individually to engage students with basic epidemiology and microbiology. The modules included in this recruitment event are outbreak interviews, DNA fingerprinting analysis, Gram staining, examination of microbial diagnostic tests, use of high-performance liquid chromatography to analyze toxins, and examination of potential food preparation contamination. Our first event was a success, with all participants reporting that they enjoyed their time at the University and found the faculty and staff helpful. One of the students even said, “I wish all school was like this.” The goal of this event was to increase potential student interest and enrollment in our program. We hope that in sharing our experience here we can provide other instructors with a menu from which to pick and choose inexpensive, easy, and engaging activities for high school and introductory college students.","PeriodicalId":517003,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":"20 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139893307","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rebecca S. Rivard, Maria Winters, Stacey Lettini, M. K. McEliece
As educators at a small university, we are constantly trying to find new and innovative ways of getting high school students interested in a degree in Biology at our school. Thus, we designed an outreach program to draw interested high school students to our campus and participate in a day-long outbreak investigation. The investigation is composed of six distinct activities, each taking between 15 min and 1 h of active time. These activities can be used in conjunction or individually to engage students with basic epidemiology and microbiology. The modules included in this recruitment event are outbreak interviews, DNA fingerprinting analysis, Gram staining, examination of microbial diagnostic tests, use of high-performance liquid chromatography to analyze toxins, and examination of potential food preparation contamination. Our first event was a success, with all participants reporting that they enjoyed their time at the University and found the faculty and staff helpful. One of the students even said, “I wish all school was like this.” The goal of this event was to increase potential student interest and enrollment in our program. We hope that in sharing our experience here we can provide other instructors with a menu from which to pick and choose inexpensive, easy, and engaging activities for high school and introductory college students.
{"title":"A customizable series of microbiology lab activities exploring a foodborne outbreak to enhance student recruitment to a biology program","authors":"Rebecca S. Rivard, Maria Winters, Stacey Lettini, M. K. McEliece","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00086-23","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00086-23","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 As educators at a small university, we are constantly trying to find new and innovative ways of getting high school students interested in a degree in Biology at our school. Thus, we designed an outreach program to draw interested high school students to our campus and participate in a day-long outbreak investigation. The investigation is composed of six distinct activities, each taking between 15 min and 1 h of active time. These activities can be used in conjunction or individually to engage students with basic epidemiology and microbiology. The modules included in this recruitment event are outbreak interviews, DNA fingerprinting analysis, Gram staining, examination of microbial diagnostic tests, use of high-performance liquid chromatography to analyze toxins, and examination of potential food preparation contamination. Our first event was a success, with all participants reporting that they enjoyed their time at the University and found the faculty and staff helpful. One of the students even said, “I wish all school was like this.” The goal of this event was to increase potential student interest and enrollment in our program. We hope that in sharing our experience here we can provide other instructors with a menu from which to pick and choose inexpensive, easy, and engaging activities for high school and introductory college students.","PeriodicalId":517003,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139897115","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mary Miller, Tammy Tobin, David P. Aiello, Pamela Hanson, Erin Strome, Stephen D. Johnston, Laurie Issel-Tarver, David B. Kushner, Jill B. Keeney
Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) can reduce barriers to research opportunities while increasing student knowledge and confidence. However, the number of widely adopted, easily transferable CUREs is relatively small. Here, we describe a CURE aimed at determining the function of poorly characterized Saccharomyces cerevisiae genes. More than 20 years after sequencing of the yeast genome, nearly 10% of open reading frames (ORFs) still have at least one uncharacterized Gene Ontology (GO) term. We refer to these genes as “ORFans” and formed a consortium aimed at assigning functions to them. Specifically, over 70 faculty members attended summer workshops to learn the bioinformatics workflow and basic laboratory techniques described herein. Ultimately, this CURE was adapted for implementation at 34 institutions, resulting in over 1,300 students conducting course-based research on ORFans. Pre-/post-tests confirmed that students gained both (i) an understanding of gene ontology and (ii) knowledge regarding the use of bioinformatics to assign gene function. After using these data to craft their own hypotheses, then testing their predictions by constructing and phenotyping deletion strains, students self-reported significant gains in several areas, including computer modeling and exposure to a project where no one knows the outcome. Interestingly, most net gains self-reported by ORFan Gene Project participants were greater than published findings for CUREs assessed with the same survey instrument. The surprisingly strong impact of this CURE may be due to the incoming lack of experience of ORFan Project participants and/or the independent thought required to develop testable hypotheses from complex data sets.
{"title":"CURE on yeast genes of unknown function increases students' bioinformatics proficiency and research confidence","authors":"Mary Miller, Tammy Tobin, David P. Aiello, Pamela Hanson, Erin Strome, Stephen D. Johnston, Laurie Issel-Tarver, David B. Kushner, Jill B. Keeney","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00165-23","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00165-23","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) can reduce barriers to research opportunities while increasing student knowledge and confidence. However, the number of widely adopted, easily transferable CUREs is relatively small. Here, we describe a CURE aimed at determining the function of poorly characterized\u0000 Saccharomyces cerevisiae\u0000 genes. More than 20 years after sequencing of the yeast genome, nearly 10% of open reading frames (ORFs) still have at least one uncharacterized Gene Ontology (GO) term. We refer to these genes as “ORFans” and formed a consortium aimed at assigning functions to them. Specifically, over 70 faculty members attended summer workshops to learn the bioinformatics workflow and basic laboratory techniques described herein. Ultimately, this CURE was adapted for implementation at 34 institutions, resulting in over 1,300 students conducting course-based research on ORFans. Pre-/post-tests confirmed that students gained both (i) an understanding of gene ontology and (ii) knowledge regarding the use of bioinformatics to assign gene function. After using these data to craft their own hypotheses, then testing their predictions by constructing and phenotyping deletion strains, students self-reported significant gains in several areas, including computer modeling and exposure to a project where no one knows the outcome. Interestingly, most net gains self-reported by ORFan Gene Project participants were greater than published findings for CUREs assessed with the same survey instrument. The surprisingly strong impact of this CURE may be due to the incoming lack of experience of ORFan Project participants and/or the independent thought required to develop testable hypotheses from complex data sets.\u0000","PeriodicalId":517003,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":"63 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140478844","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
We present a weeklong curricular module for high school biology students that promotes knowledge of phytohormones, the circadian clock, and the Central Dogma. The module, which relies on easily accessible items and requires minimal space, integrates a hands-on experiment that guides students through replicating research examining circadian entrainment in postharvest cabbage from groceries. This work found that plants have cyclical, circadian expression of genes that produce phytohormones, and that such cyclical expression influences herbivory by caterpillars. Such cyclical patterns were found in plants both in situ and in postharvest cabbage. This work thus provides an ideal platform to shape student conceptions of circadian rhythms, gene expression, and plant herbivory by having students use light timers to entrain postharvest cabbage to alternating light and dark cycles and then measuring herbivory in these plants. The results should replicate previous work and demonstrate less herbivory when both plant and caterpillar are entrained to the same light and dark cycles since the expression of phytohormones involved in plant defense will be greatest when caterpillars are active. The module then concludes with a discussion of gene regulation and how this influences phytohormones. This module was field tested at four public schools, reaching over 600 students, and we present data demonstrating that the module led to learning gains and likely increases in interest in plant biology and self-efficacy.
{"title":"Promoting student interest in plant biology through an inquiry-based module exploring plant circadian rhythm, gene expression, and defense against insects","authors":"Jeremy L. Hsu, H. Atamian, Kate Avendano-Woodruff","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00166-23","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00166-23","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 We present a weeklong curricular module for high school biology students that promotes knowledge of phytohormones, the circadian clock, and the Central Dogma. The module, which relies on easily accessible items and requires minimal space, integrates a hands-on experiment that guides students through replicating research examining circadian entrainment in postharvest cabbage from groceries. This work found that plants have cyclical, circadian expression of genes that produce phytohormones, and that such cyclical expression influences herbivory by caterpillars. Such cyclical patterns were found in plants both\u0000 in situ\u0000 and in postharvest cabbage. This work thus provides an ideal platform to shape student conceptions of circadian rhythms, gene expression, and plant herbivory by having students use light timers to entrain postharvest cabbage to alternating light and dark cycles and then measuring herbivory in these plants. The results should replicate previous work and demonstrate less herbivory when both plant and caterpillar are entrained to the same light and dark cycles since the expression of phytohormones involved in plant defense will be greatest when caterpillars are active. The module then concludes with a discussion of gene regulation and how this influences phytohormones. This module was field tested at four public schools, reaching over 600 students, and we present data demonstrating that the module led to learning gains and likely increases in interest in plant biology and self-efficacy.\u0000","PeriodicalId":517003,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":"108 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140477902","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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