August 2009 news
Aug. 29, 2009
Lesa Beamer's lab
Recent publication
Crystallization and initial crystallographic analysis of phosphoglucosamine mutase from Bacillus anthracis. Mehra-Chaudhary R, Neace CE, Beamer LJ. Acta Crystallogr Sect F Struct Biol Cryst Commun. 2009 Jul 1;65(Pt 7):733-5
Bill Folk's lab
The second Maps in Medicine Summer Institute for high school science teachers was held July 27-31, 2009. This Institute is an important element of the HHMI-funded Maps in Medicine program (http://mapsinmedicine.missouri.edu) focusing on the Missouri and National high school curriculum standards/objectives in biology, health, environmental science, technology, and societal issues.
This year's Summer Institute's primary focus was the MiM Mapping Cell Fate curriculum module and professional development activities in developmental biology and stem cells, but, given the importance of the recent influenza H1N1 pandemic, a portion of the Institute was dedicated to Mapping Health, that includes influenza detection, mapping and means to mitigate spread and prevention.
The teachers participated in laboratory investigations and hands-on modeling activities. Participants in the course included fourteen teachers from Missouri partner districts (Normandy, Columbia, Parkway) and from five other districts (St. Joseph, Cole R-1, Blue Springs, St. Charles, and North Kansas City). Dr. Steven Farber of the Carnegie Institution of Washington was an invited speaker, sharing creative methods of engaging students interest in science education using zebrafish from the highly successful programs he developed in Philadelphia and Baltimore. (http://www.ciwemb.edu/labs/farber/index.php).
Teachers made significant gains in their understanding of the scientific concepts and readiness to teach the module.
Marcelle Siegel's lab
Recent grant
Top Notch Teachers with Dual Degrees at the University of Missouri (T2D2@MU) Goal: double the number of secondary science teachers graduating from MU’s undergraduate science teacher education program PI: Patricia Friedrichsen Co-PIs: Marcelle Siegel, Mark Volkmann, Alan Whittington, John Adams Funding: National Science Foundation, Noyce, $891,000