A peptide-based hydrogelation strategy has been developed that allows homogenous encapsulation and subsequent delivery of C3H10t1/2 mesenchymal stem cells. Structure-based peptide design afforded MAX8, a 20-residue peptide that folds and selfassembles in response to DMEM resulting in mechanically rigid hydrogels. The folding and self-assembly kinetics of MAX8 have been tuned so that when hydrogelation is triggered in the presence of cells, the cells become homogeneously impregnated within the gel. A unique characteristic of these gel-cell constructs is that when an appropriate shear stress is applied, the hydrogel will shear-thin resulting in a low-viscosity gel. However, after the application of shear has stopped, the gel quickly resets and recovers its initial mechanical rigidity in a near quantitative fashion. This property allows gel/cell constructs to be delivered via syringe with precision to target sites. Homogenous cellular distribution and cell viability are unaffected by the shear thinning process and gel/cell constructs stay fixed at the point of introduction, suggesting that these gels may be useful for the delivery of cells to target biological sites in tissue regeneration efforts.hydrogel ͉ self-assembly ͉ stem cell

The authors performed a cluster analysis using observational data from 269 class periods and including 73 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty from 28 research universities. They used eight of the 25 Classroom Observation Protocol in Undergraduate STEM codes to produce 10 clusters of instructional styles across a range of Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol scores. A description of the clusters and their distribution across various STEM courses are provided.

Peer instruction is an evidence-based pedagogy that has been extensively studied in various science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. In this essay, the authors review and summarize the research literature on the effectiveness and intricacies of implementation of peer instruction. A research-based how-to guide and suggestions for future research investigations are provided.

Postsecondary chemistry instructors typically have received little pedagogical training as graduate students and postdoctoral research assistants. Moreover, professional development opportunities are often limited at their own institution. This lack of training has resulted in a gap between the instructional strategies enacted in chemistry courses and the results of discipline-based education research. Members of the Cottrell Scholars Collaborative initiated the New Faculty Workshop (CSC NFW) program in 2012 in order to address this gap. This annual, two-day workshop provides newly-hired chemistry assistant professors from research-intensive universities with training on evidence-based instructional practices. This article presents the results of a longitudinal, quasi-experimental design study that evaluates the short and long-term impacts of the workshop. Online surveys were collected immediately before and after the workshop, as well as one year later from CSC NFW participants and a control group that consisted of newly-hired chemistry faculty who did not participate in the workshop. Surveys measured faculty's awareness and use of evidence-based instructional practices, teaching self-efficacy, and beliefs about teaching. Classroom video recordings were also collected during the fall semester following the workshop and two years later. These data were triangulated with the Student Evaluation for Educational Quality (SEEQ) survey, which was collected from students in the observed classrooms. Findings indicate that, in the short-term, the CSC NFW was successful in raising workshop participants' self-efficacy, shifting their teaching beliefs toward student-centered teaching, and increasing their use of interactive teaching. Longitudinal data demonstrate that further pedagogical support is required in order for these impacts to be sustained.

The Cottrell Scholars Collaborative New Faculty Workshop (CSC NFW) is a professional development program that was initiated in 2012 to address absences in the preparation of chemistry faculty at research universities as funded researchers and educators (i.e., teacher-scholars). The primary focus of the workshop is an introduction to evidence-based teaching methods; other topics including mentoring, work-life balance, time management, and grant writing are also addressed. A longer-term aim of the workshop is to develop lifelong teacher-scholars by encouraging workshop participants to engage with teaching-focused faculty learning communities through the CSC NFW and at their institutions. The workshop also provides a platform to investigate the adoption of student-centered pedagogies among new faculty, and a study of that process was initiated concurrently. Thus, the aim of the workshop program is to address professional development needs as well as understand the efficacy of that effort. ) is a professional development program that was initiated in 2012 to address absences in the preparation of chemistry faculty at research universities as funded researchers and educators (i.e., teacher−scholars). The primary focus of the workshop is an introduction to evidence-based teaching methods; other topics including mentoring, work−life balance, time management, and grant writing are also addressed. A longerterm aim of the workshop is to develop lifelong teacher−scholars by encouraging workshop participants to engage with teachingfocused faculty learning communities through the CSC NFW and at their institutions. The workshop also provides a platform to investigate the adoption of student-centered pedagogies among new faculty, and a study of that process was initiated concurrently. Thus, the aim of the workshop program is to address professional development needs as well as understand the efficacy of that effort. Keywords