Biology Commons^™

Exploration Of Student Biodiversity Knowledge And Decision-Making For A Wildlife Conservation Socioscientific Issue, Ashley R. Alred

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Global biodiversity, a foundation for ecosystem function, is diminishing at a rate unprecedented in the last 50 years. Biodiversity loss and ecosystem services deterioration is linked to increased food insecurity, reduced water quality and availability, decreased energy security, higher economic losses and human suffering (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005). Consequently, educators should invest in supporting students in their development of ecological understanding and formal decision-making skills so they are equipped with meaningful tools they can use as scientifically literate citizens. To contribute to that mission, this study seeks to explore student 1) comprehension and explanation of biodiversity concepts and 2) decision-making …

Graduate Studies Newsletter, Graduate Studies Office

Newsletters

THIS ISSUE

Welcome P.1

Spotlight on Dr. Chris Aberson P .2

Digital Commons @ HSU P.3

Upcoming Events & Resources P.4

Student Success Stories P.5,6

Minority Middle And High School Students' Interest In Science: An Exploration Of Teachers' Perceptions, Caroline Makere

Dissertations

A high school teacher conducted a study about minority middle and high school students’ interest in science. The problem was to find out why African American and Hispanic students were showing very little interest in science. The researcher used four middle school science teachers and nine high school science teachers, all from inner city schools in a big city of the Midwest United States except for one middle school teacher from a nearby suburb. The participants answered a survey questionnaire followed with a face-to-face recorded interview. The findings of the study confirmed that students showed little interest in science due …

Comparing Game Simulation To Concept Models For Student-Centered Learning In Biology, Margaurete Romero

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Science education research continues to demonstrate improved learning with active-learning techniques compared to lectures. However, the question of which active-learning methods are the most effective for learning complex scientific principles in various context still remains. Models are commonly used in activities that allow students to simplify complex systems and understand how components interact. I investigated the outcomes for student learning and engagement of two model-based activities - concept models and game simulations. The activities were conducted in an introductory biology course in sixteen discussion sections. Eight sections were assigned to the concept model activity and eight to the simulation activity. …

Guidelines To Avoid Typical Difficulties According To The Rubric For Experimental Design (Red), Annwesa Dasgupta, Nancy Pelaez

PIBERG Publications

Experimental design is an important component of undergraduate biology education as it generates knowledge of biology. Despite its importance, there is limited information about what students actually learn from designing experiments. Dasgupta et al (2014) reported on the development and validation of a Rubric for Experimental Design (RED), informed by a literature review and empirical analysis of thousands of undergraduate biology students’ responses to three published assessments. The RED is a useful probe for five major areas of experimental design abilities: the variable properties of an experimental subject; the manipulated variables; measurement of outcomes; accounting for variability; and the scope …

Quantifying Life: A Computational Approach To Teaching Mathematics To Biology Students, Dmitry Kondrashov

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Designing And Mentoring In A Research Experience For Undergraduates, Alex Capaldi

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Primary Literature Across The Undergraduate Curriculum: Teaching Science Process Skills And Content, Emily S.J. Rauschert, Joseph Dauer, Jennifer L. Momsen, Ariana Sutton-Grier

Emily Rauschert

No abstract provided.

Using Discussion To Promote Learning In Undergraduate Biology, Ariana E. Sutton-Grier, Emily S.J. Rauschert, Jennifer Momsen

Emily Rauschert

Summary and Comments from Workshop 40: “Looks Who's Talking! Using Discussion as an Effective Learning Tool” presented at the 100th Ecological Society of America Meeting

Perceptions Of Active Learning Between Faculty And Undergraduates: Differing Views Among Departments, Lorelei E. Patrick, Leigh Ann Howell, William Wischusen

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

There have been numerous calls recently to increase the use of active learning in university science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) classrooms to more actively engage students and enhance student learning. However, few studies have investigated faculty and student perceptions regarding the effectiveness of active learning or the barriers to its implementation. Previous work surveying a single class in a single department has suggested that faculty and students have different perceptions of the effectiveness of active learning strategies and the barriers faculty face when implementing these teaching strategies. We expand on these previous findings by surveying a larger and more …

Active Learning Outside The Classroom: Implementation And Outcomes Of Peer-Led Team-Learning Workshops In Introductory Biology, Philip Kudish, Robin Shores, A. Mcclung, Lisa Smulyan , '76, Elizabeth Ann Vallen, Kathleen King Siwicki

Biology Faculty Works

Study group meetings (SGMs) are voluntary-attendance peer-led team-learning workshops that supplement introductory biology lectures at a selective liberal arts college. While supporting all students’ engagement with lecture material, specific aims are to improve the success of underrepresented minority (URM) students and those with weaker backgrounds in biology. Peer leaders with experience in biology courses and training in science pedagogy facilitate work on faculty-generated challenge problems. During the eight semesters assessed in this study, URM students and those with less preparation attended SGMs with equal or greater frequency than their counterparts. Most agreed that SGMs enhanced their comprehension of biology and …

The Explorations Program: Benefits Of Single-Session, Research- Focused Classes For Students And Postdoctoral Instructors, Jeremy L. Hsu, Anna M. Wrona, Sarah E. Brownell, Waheeda Khalfan

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

We present an update to Explorations, a program at Stanford University that allows undergraduates in an introductory biology course to explore specialized topics in the biological sciences while providing graduate students and postdoctoral scholars the unique opportunity to develop and teach single-session, research-focused classes. We provide an assessment of eight iterations of the program, using program attendance, student and instructor evaluations, senior exit surveys, course grades, and completion of undergraduate honors theses to assess the impact of our program on students and instructors. Students rated their experiences highly, and most reported that the program had a positive impact on their …

Examining Students’ Expectations For Laboratory Learning In A Majors’ Introductory Biology Course, Matthew Crewse

Ursidae: The Undergraduate Research Journal at the University of Northern Colorado

No abstract provided.

Evaluating College Biology Laboratory Accommodations For Students With Blindness And Visual Impairments, Barbara Rae Heard

All Theses And Dissertations

Studies show that active participation in science laboratory activities promotes student learning. However, students with blindness and visual impairments (BVI) often confront obstacles to active participation in the required activities of the college biology laboratory. Legislation requires institutions of higher education to provide accommodations for students with disabilities, yet the institutions must also maintain the academic integrity of their courses and programs. While college biology instructors provide specific accommodations, such as tactile models and audible devices, to enable active participation by students with BVI, they do so without research-supported guidelines for best practices. This mixed methods study sought to evaluate …

Supplemental Action Learning Workshops: Understanding The Effects Of Independent And Cooperative Workshops On Students’ Knowledge, Kathryn M. Morris

Dissertations

Community colleges enroll more than half of the undergraduate population in the United States, thereby retaining students of varying demographics with extracurricular demands differing from traditional four-year university students. Often in a collegiate lecture course, students are limited in their abilities to absorb and process information presented by their instructors due to content-specific cognitive gaps between the instructor and the student (Preszler, 2009). Research has shown implementation of instructor-facilitated action learning workshops as supplemental instruction may help bridge these cognitive gaps allowing better student conceptualization and dissemination of knowledge (Drake, 2001; Fullilove & Treisman, 1990; Preszler, 2009; Udovick et al., …

Population Dynamics Based On Resource Availability & Founding Effects: Live & Computational Models, Samuel Potter, Rebecca M. Krall, Susan Mayo, Diane Johnson, Kimberly J. Zeidler-Watters, Robin L. Cooper

Biology Faculty Publications

With the looming global population crisis, it is more important now than ever that students understand what factors influence population dynamics. We present three learning modules with authentic, student-centered investigations that explore rates of population growth and the importance of resources. These interdisciplinary modules integrate biology, mathematics, and computer-literacy concepts aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards. The activities are appropriate for middle and high school science classes and for introductory college-level biology courses. The modules incorporate experimentation, data collection and analysis, drawing conclusions, and application of studied principles to explore factors affecting population dynamics in fruit flies. The variables …

Lungs Of The Planet Presentation, Virginia Raguin

Documentation

This slide presentation traces the creative process of Lungs of the Planet, a tile mural depicting line drawings on individual 6 x 6 inch tiles, as well as larger color images of blossoms, fruit, and birds to symbolize the cycle of life.

The mural was created as a collaborative art project by students in the Natural World Cluster of the Monserrat First Year Program at the College of the Holy Cross. The project was led by Virginia Raguin, Distinguished Professor of Humanities at the College. Particpants included students, faculty, staff and community members.

The mural was installed on the west …

Implementation Of Flipped Classrooms In A Non-Major Biology Course, Leah Good

Scholars Week

With major calls for reform in STEM education from professional organizations (e.g. AAAS, NIH, NSF), studies have found that faculty in higher education can improve student learning by changing their teaching from teacher-centered to student-centered. Change in teaching practice can be difficult, however, especially without significant training. One method of introducing student-centered teaching practices into the classroom is through the use of a flipped classroom model, where students engage in learner-centered activities within the classroom and receive passively-transmitted information outside the classroom. The focus of my study was two-fold, (a) to determine if the flipped classroom method affects student learning …

Functional Complementation Of Z-Ring Regulation By Alleles Of Hetp In Anabaena, Christina Khour, Loralyn Cozy, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Poster presentation abstract.

Use Of A Glutathione S-Transferase (Gst) Tag For Isolation Of The Bche Encoded Protein Of Rhodobacter Capsulatus In Rhodobacter Capsulatus, Dorota Kulikowska, David Bollivar, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Poster presentation abstract.

Genetic Analyses And Annotations Of Two Newly Discovered C1 Mycobacteriophages, Robert Shafer, Julia Lennon, Megan Dolan, Morgan Braun, Richard Alvey, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Poster presentation abstract.

Expression And Isolation Of The Bche Protein From Dinoroseobacter Shibae In Rhodobacter Capsulatus, Abigail Brown, David Bollivar, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Photosynthetic bacteria rely on photosynthesis to get energy. Bacteriochlorophylls harvest the light energy in photosynthesis and are important to these bacteria, but several enzymes used to synthesize this macromolecule are not completely understood. The gene bchE, from the marine bacterium Dinoroseobacter shibae, has been proposed to code for a protein used to help catalyze the formation of the bacteriochlorophyll structure. Isolation of polypeptide encoded by the bchE gene was performed to better understand this enzyme. Using conjugation, ST18 E. coli cells with plasmids containing the bchE gene were mated with a Rhodobacter capsulatus strain lacking functional BchE to …

Predicting Incubation Period: A Case Study Of The North Island Brown Kiwi (Apteryx Australis Mantelli) And The Elephant Bird (Aepyornis Spp), Meaghan Mormann, Tess Kelley, Jennifer Altman, William Jaeckle, Faculty Advisor, Given Harper, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Poster presentation abstract.

Isolation And Characterization Of Previously Undiscovered Bacteriophages, Ellen Stumph, Daniel Walski, Samridh Gupta, Richard Alvey, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Poster presentation abstract.

Phage For Thought: Investigating The Ingestion And Assimilation Of Viruses Into Rotifer (Brachionus Plicatilis) Tissues, Brittany Straznickas, William Jaeckle, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Rotifers are a group of suspension-feeding aquatic invertebrate animals that range from approximately 50–2,000 micrometers in size. The typical food sources for rotifers (i.e., unicellular algae, 2-10 micrometers in diameter) are visible with light microscopy. Bacteriophages (viruses that use bacteria as hosts) are too small (30-110 nanometers in diameter) to be seen using light microscopy, but are present in great abundance (~ 10³⁰ in the world’s oceans). If or how particles as small as bacteriophages are consumed as food is incompletely known; Sorenson ('15) reported that rotifers ingest water containing the fluorescently-labeled (Dichlorotriazinylamino fluorescein, DTAF) bacteriophages. We exposed the …

Elucidating A Mechanism Of Growth Cessation In Heterocysts Of (Anabaena), Blake Beehler, Loralyn Cozy, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Oral presentation abstract.

Isolation And Characterization Of Six Novel Rhodobacter Capsulatus Bacteriophages, Addison Ely, Alexandria Paradis, Brook Koebele, Richard Alvey, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Poster presentation abstract.

Restoration Of Heterocyst Production To A ∆Hetp Strain Of Anabaena, Megan Smeets, Loralyn Cozy, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Poster presentation abstract.

A New Technique For Imaging Real-Time Cytokine Secretion, Sydney Muchnik, Brian Walter, Faculty Advisor, Ramesh Ramji, Faculty Advisor, Kathryn Miller-Jensen, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Poster presentation abstract.

Functional Analysis Of A Putative Homing Endonuclease, Nikhilesh Thapa, David Bollivar, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Endonucleases are enzymes that cleave phosphodiester bonds within polynucleotide chains such as DNA and RNA. A subgroup, homing endonucleases (HEase) are also able to propagate their encoding genes by transforming host genes to incorporate the homing endonuclease gene (HEG). This process is initiated by the expression of the HEase from the HEG, which then cleaves a homolog. The homolog subsequently undergoes a homologous recombination event as a repair mechanism, and in the process integrates a copy of the HEG. Based on predicted sequence, gene product (gp126) from the mycobacteriophage Gizmo is thought to encode for a HEase. Previous work constructed …