The Impact of a Semester-Long, Cell Culture and Fluorescence Microscopy CURE on Learning and Attitudes in an Underrepresented STEM Student Population.

Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) is an access institution with a diverse student body, located in metro Atlanta. To strengthen research skills, teach employer-valued cell biology laboratory techniques, and increase student engagement, a semester-long, inquiry-based CURE was developed and implemented in Cell Biology with Laboratory (BIOL3400K), a sophomore-level course, which serves as a "gateway" to all upper-level biology courses. This CURE centers on the investigation of a student-chosen experimental factor on the viability of cultured, mammalian cells. Through participation in this CURE, students gain experience in cell culture, fluorescence microscopy, and viability assays, and strengthen important research skills, such as literature searches, graphing, and data analyses. The impact of this CURE on student learning gains and attitudes was assessed using pre-/post-content exams and the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS). Our data show that all students made significant content gains. Female students made larger learning gains than male students. Additionally, minority students performed better than majority students in some content areas. Student attitudes did not change, or in some cases were slightly more negative after the CURE. Overall, this CURE had a positive impact on students by engaging them in an inquiry-based laboratory experience.

Bridging the undergraduate curriculum using an integrated course-embedded undergraduate research experience (ICURE).

The traditional undergraduate program of study incorporates a selection of classes that represent a broad spectrum of subdisciplines. Unfortunately, few curricula successfully integrate concepts in all subdisciplines, giving undergraduates the misconception that there is a lack of application or connectedness between class subjects. An integrated course-embedded research experience (ICURE) was initiated to redress this problem by bridging classes within one discipline in an effort to engage undergraduates in a long-term analysis of biodiversity. The approach was both inclusive and longitudinal: 1) the ICURE bridge brought students from different classes and levels of instruction together with faculty members in a research project with a common goal-chronicling the changing face of the local environment in biological terms; and 2) research data collected were maintained and supplemented each semester and year in an online biodiversity database. Analysis of content and attitudinal gains suggested the integrated research protocol increased student comprehension and confidence. Results are discussed in terms of future amendments to instructional design and potential research applications. Though this program was concentrated on one discipline, there is no reason to assume other disciplines could not take advantage of similar research connections.

Zebrafish development and genetics: introducing undergraduates to developmental biology and genetics in a large introductory laboratory class.

We have taken advantage of the strengths of the zebrafish model system to introduce developmental biology and genetics to undergraduates in their second semester of the Introductory Biology course at Emory. We designed a 6-week laboratory module based on research being undertaken by faculty in the department, and incorporated experiments that used current research methods including bioinformatics. Students undertook a range of experiments including direct observation of live wild-type zebrafish at different stages of embryogenesis, whole-mount in situ hybridization of mutant and wild-type embryos, vital dye staining of mutant and wild-type embryos, and pharmacological treatments to perturb normal development. These laboratories engaged the students by providing a hands-on, research-centered experience, while also enhancing their written (worksheets and laboratory reports) and oral (group presentation) communication skills. We describe the proceedings of each lab and the logistics of preparing and running these labs for 400-500 students (120 students taking lab each day), and provide a preliminary assessment of the success of the laboratories data based on student evaluations.

The Drosophila ramshackle gene encodes a chromatin-associated protein required for cell morphology in the developing eye.

We have identified ramshackle (ram) as a dominant suppressor of hedgehog loss-of-function in the developing Drosophila eye. We have characterized the gene and it encodes a double bromodomain protein with eight WD40 repeats. The Ram protein is localized predominantly to polytene chromosome interbands and is required for the transcription of some genes. ram is an essential gene and null mutants die during larval life. In the developing retina, ram mutant cells have morphological defects including disrupted apical junctions, disorganized actin cytoskeletons and mislocalized nuclei, which are followed by delays in cell-cycle transitions and the expression of differentiation markers. ram is a conserved gene: its vertebrate homolog (WDR9), which lies in Down's Syndrome Critical region 2 (DCR2) is also known to be associated with Brahma-Related-Gene 1 (BRG1).

Looking up: regional patterning in the fly eye.

The Drosophila compound eye includes a dorsal domain specialized for the detection of the plane of polarized light. Two new papers show that this domain is controlled by graded Wingless signals acting through the homeodomain transcription factor Homothorax.