Using a combination of online tools (discussion board, submission of reports, grading with rubrics) and scaffolded low stakes writing, we designed a comprehensive writing assignment that teaches first and second year undergraduates a basic scientific skill: written communication in the form of a laboratory report. Scaffolding of the assignment into small sections helps students concentrate on topics and writing technique, and ensures the instructor can grade the reports quickly while still providing valuable feedback. Hence, students get a chance to practice lab report writing consistently throughout the semester, simultaneously learning how to do it and improving their results. The assignment prepares students for the lab report in advanced courses or writing scientific reports in their later career. The assignment was used in biology courses, but can be used in other science courses where lab report preparation is required. This system was well received by students.
The history of fungal diversity of the Northeastern United States is currently fragmentary and restricted to particular functional groups or limited geospatial scales. Here, we describe a unique by its size, lifespan and data originators dataset, to improve our understanding of species occurrence and distribution across the state and time. Between the years 2007 to 2019, over 30 parks and nature preserves were sampled during forays conducted by members of the New Jersey Mycological Association (USA), a nonprofit organization of fungi enthusiasts. The dataset contains over 400 000 occurrences of over 1400 species across the state, made up mostly of the phylum Basidiomycota (89%) and Ascomycota (11%), with most observations resolved at the species level (>99%). The database is georeferenced and openly accessible through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) repository. This dataset marks a productive endeavor to contribute to our knowledge of the biodiversity of fungi in the Northeastern United States leveraging citizen science to better resolve biodiversity of this critical and understudied kingdom.
The positive role of fatty acids in the prevention and alleviation of non-human and human diseases have been and continue to be extensively documented. These roles include influences on infectious and non-infectious diseases including prevention of inflammation as well as mucosal immunity to infectious diseases. Cholera is an acute intestinal illness caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It occurs in developing nations and if left untreated, can result in death. While vaccines for cholera exist, they are not always effective and other preventative methods are needed. We set out to determine tolerable concentrations of three fatty acids (oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids) and cholera toxin using mouse BALB/C macrophages and human intestinal epithelial cells, respectively. We solubilized the above fatty acids and used cell proliferation assays to determine the concentration ranges and specific concentrations of the fatty acids that are not detrimental to human intestinal epithelial cell viability. We solubilized cholera toxin and used it in an assay to determine the concentration ranges and specific concentrations of cholera toxin that do not statistically decrease cell viability in BALB/C macrophages. We found the optimum fatty acid concentrations to be between 1-5 ng/μl, and that for cholera toxin to be< 30 ng per treatment. This data may aid future studies that aim to find a protective mucosal role for fatty acids in prevention or alleviation of cholera infections.
With curriculum by The American Physiological Society (APS), the Local Outreach Team (LOT) in New Jersey conducted multiple workshops for science high school and middle school teachers. These workshops, entitled "Neural Networks" contained content in line with the National Science Standards and covered neurophysiology topics such as reflexes and responses. Workshops engaged the teachers (who were instructors of chemistry, biology, physics, health, or physical education) in role‐play as students, in active, inquiry‐based learning with hands‐on lab activities and associated concept mapping exercises. The Neural Networks, Active Learning Module for Middle & High School Science Classes workshop was chosen by the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) Public Education department as an exhibitor workshop at the 56th Annual National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Conference on Science Education (2008, Boston MA). Two workshops (What is a neural network? and Neural Networks in the Body) were conducted at the 32nd Annual NJ Science Convention (2008, Somerset NJ). LOT continues to be a ready reference for the teachers as they bring the materials learned back to their own classrooms, as seen in results of evaluations and feedback surveys given to the workshop attendees. Workshop funding was provided by APS and SfN.
This case study is applicable to a flipped classroom and is intended for undergraduate students enrolled in genetics, cell physiology, neuroscience or related courses. The case is divided into four parts that explore the etiology of Huntington disease while focusing on an actual patient with the juvenile‐onset form of the disease. The purpose of this case study is for students to integrate their prior knowledge of DNA replication with the more advanced genetics topics of trinucleotide repeat errors during DNA synthesis, which can lead to neurological and genetic disorders, in particular Huntington disease. The case is intended to encourage students to apply knowledge to practice as they learn about genetic mutations and disease, alongside novel therapeutic strategies using RNA interference, through the use of free online teaching tools from HHMI Biointeractive by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The case study along with teaching notes, answer key, and original video introducing Auggie, the real life child with Huntington disease detailed in the case, were recently accepted for publication in the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science.
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