Home > Past and Future Conferences > ABLE 1996

BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Boston, Massachusetts

The 18th Annual ABLE Workshop/Conference will be held at Boston University from June 11-15, 1996. At ABLE meetings biologists present interesting and innovative laboratory exercises. This year's meeting provides 20 hands-on workshops, each approximately 3 hours in duration, including participation at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, field trips, and mini workshops. Each conferee can participate in up to six major and some mini workshops, and will receive written materials for all major workshops. Field trips, social events, and tours of local attractions are also planned.

• Conference Highlights
• Membership in ABLE
• About ABLE
• Transportation and Parking
• Accommodations
• Weather

• Major Workshops
• Mini Workshops
• Field Trips and Special Events
• Plan Your Own Extended Activities and Trips

• About this page.

The 18th annual ABLE conference will be held on the campus of Boston University, the third largest independent university in the U.S. It is coeducational and nonsectarian. Founded by Methodist lay leaders, Boston University was the first institution of higher learning in Massachusetts to grant degrees to women, and it graduated the first African American woman M.D. and the first woman Ph.D. The university comprises 15 colleges including the College of Liberal Arts, the Graduate School, the Schools of Engineering, Business, Law, Medicine, Social Work, Education, Public Health, Theology, and Allied Health. The campus extends over 71 acres from the historic Back Bay along the south bank of the Charles River and includes the townhouses of Bay State Road with peaceful parks and esplanades to the city life of Commonwealth Avenue.

Monday, June 10

• ABLE Board Meeting: 7:00-10:00 p.m., Room SCI352, Metcalf Center, 590 Commonwealth Ave.

Tuesday, June 11

• ABLE Board Meeting continued: 8:30 a.m.-noon
• Registration:11:00 a.m.-6:30 p.m. (Lounge, Metcalf Center, 590 Commonwealth Ave.)
• Tours: All hosted Tuesday tours will leave from the Metcalf Center Plaza, 590 Commonwealth Ave.
  • Harvard Museums
  • Duck Tour of Boston
  • Art Museums
  • Freedom Trail
  • Science Museum
• Welcoming Reception for conferees: 6:30-8:30 p.m. at THE CASTLE, 225 Bay State Rd. Sponsored by the College of Arts and Science and other patrons.

Wednesday, June 12

• Registration: 8:00-10:00 a.m., SCI 301, Metcalf Center, 590 Commonwealth Ave.
• Major Workshops: 8:30-11:30 a.m. and 2:00-5:00 p.m.
• Box lunch: 11:30 a.m. Metcalf Lounge (sponsored by University of Minnesota/R. Peifer)
• Multimedia presentation by Rick Peifer: 11:45 a.m.-12:40 p.m., Stone B50, 675 Commonwealth Ave.
• Mini Workshops: 12:50-2:00 p.m.
• Intertidal Environment of Rocky Coast Workshop: Board bus 1:00 p.m. at Warren Towers
• ABLE's First East Africa Summer Safari: A Recap (slide show) at 5 p.m. in SCI 107
• Shear Madness: Board T at 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, June 13

• Major workshops: 8:30-11:30 a.m. and 2:00-5:00 p.m.
• Board of Directors Photo: 11:15 a.m. Atrium of Metcalf Center
• A Group Photo will be taken promptly at 11:30 a.m. Atrium of Metcalf Center
• Mini Workshops: 12:00 noon -2:00 p.m.
• Business Meeting for all conferees: 5:15 p.m. (SCI 107) Plan to ATTEND.
• Red Sox vs. Texas Rangers: 7-minute walk to Fenway Park. Game begins at 7:05 p.m.

Friday, June 14

• Workshops requiring travel:
  • Woods Hole: Board buses 6:15 a.m. at Warren Towers
  • Whale Watch: 8:15 a.m. Take T to Aquarium stop: Check in at Voyager II Dock 9:30 a.m.
  • Boston Harbor Ecosystem: 12:45 p.m. Take T to JFK/UMass stop. From here bus delivers to pier.
  • Avian Niche Partitioning: Meet in SCI 305
• Conference Dinner: The entire New England Aquarium has been reserved exclusively for ABLE. Board buses at Warren Towers at 6:05 p.m. Cash bar.

Saturday, June 15

Field Trips

• All Day: New Eng Barrier Island, with a stop at Salem (Home to Whalers & Witches) and dinner-by-the-sea at Gloucester.
• Mayflower, Plymouth Rock; Plimouth Plantation; Lexington, Concord, Brattle St., Walden Pond

Space to attend the conference workshops is limited to approximately 155 participants. Space will be assigned in the order that Registration Forms are received, with priority given to ABLE members. Please return the registration form as soon as possible, but no later than April 15, 1996.

The registration fee is $130 for ABLE members ($150 for non-members) and covers attendance in workshops, supplies for workshops, printed laboratory materials, an on/at sea workshop experience, a reception, Wednesday lunch, and refreshment breaks. The Warren Towers Residence check-in desk will be open at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 11 and at 1:00 p.m. daily on other days. Check-out is by 11:00 a.m. Conference registration will take place Tuesday, June 11 (10:00 a.m.-6:30 p.m.) in the Metcalf Lounge (SCI), 590 Commonwealth Ave. Late arrivals may register Wednesday, June 12 in SCI 301 at 8:00 a.m.

Membership is not a prerequisite to attend the Annual Workshop/Conference, however members are given priority. The membership fee is $35 US per year and includes the annual conference proceedings and the newsletter Labstracts.

To join ABLE or renew your membership contact:

Nancy Rosenbaum
ABLE Membership Chair
Biology Department, PO Box 208104, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8104
nancy.rosenbaum@yale.edu or (203) 432-3864; fax:(203) 432-3854

More information about membership.

ABLE was founded in 1979 to promote information exchange among college educators actively concerned with teaching biology in a laboratory setting. The focus of ABLE is to improve the undergraduate biology laboratory experience by promoting the development and dissemination of interesting, innovative, and reliable laboratory exercises. Each workshop/conference brings together a group of selected presenters with about 155 participants from university and college biology departments throughout the United States and Canada. The workshop presenters provide all of the essential information and experiences that the potential users of the laboratory would require in order to "take it home" and use the protocol in their own teaching programs. Workshops will appear in Volume 18 of Tested Studies for Laboratory Teaching, the conference proceedings published by ABLE.

Boston University, located one block west of Kenmore Square, is served by Logan International Airport. Cab fare from the airport to Boston University is about $20. At the airport you may also take a Massport bus, marked "T Station" or "Subway ." Change to the blue line "Train" to Govt. Center. Transfer to green line outbound "B" car. After leaving Kenmore Square, get off at Boston University East (2nd stop above ground). You are able to buy T tokens at designated areas, however you may also use change above ground. Bring lots of change as T drivers do NOT make change.

Directions to the Charles River Campus:

From South or West: Take the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) East to Exit 18, Allston/Cambridge. Exit left. Follow signs to Cambridge to the second set of lights. Turn right at the lights on Soldiers Field Road/Storrow Drive. Exit Storrow Drive at the Kenmore exit. Follow Local Directions below.

From Southeast: Take I-93/Route 3 (Southeast Expressway) North to Boston. Exit onto Storrow Drive (Exit 26). Continue on Storrow Drive to the Kenmore exit. Follow Local Directions below.

From North: Take I-93 or Route 1 South to Boston. Exit onto Storrow Drive (Exit 26). Continue on Storrow Drive to the Kenmore exit. Follow Local Directions below.

From North Shore/Logan Airport: Take Route 1-A through the Sumner Tunnel. Follow signs onto the Expressway North. Take the Back Bay/Storrow Drive exit (Exit 26), and follow signs onto Storrow Drive. Continue on Storrow Drive to the Kenmore exit. Follow Local Directions below.

Local Directions from the Kenmore Square/Commonwealth Avenue exit of Storrow Drive: At the first set of traffic lights, turn right onto Beacon Street. At this point, the road forks; the right fork is Bay State Road. The left fork will take you into Kenmore Square. In the Square, bear right onto Commonwealth Avenue. Parking

Unless you are a workshop presenter or unless you plan to stay in a hotel, which provides parking, we strongly encourage you not to bring a car to Boston. Twenty-four hour parking ($10/night) is available. Drive to parking lot at 766 Commonwealth Ave. next to the Guitar Center. When you give your name, the attendant will give you your pass. Rolling luggage will help you transport it from the lot to Warren Towers. If you are a presenter, directions will be forthcoming for unloading equipment.

Campus accommodations are available at Warren Towers, 700 Commonwealth Ave., one block west of the Metcalf Science & Engineering Center (site of the conference). Single occupancy is $47.00 and double occupancy is $40.00/person (tax free). This rate includes buffet breakfast, bed linens, bedspread, blanket, pillow, towels, and bath items. You may exchange towels at the front desk. The residence has a coin-operated laundry. You may choose to supply your personal alarm clock, small reading lamp, and clothes hangers. Breakfast will be served in Warren Towers. The Melville Room eating area is set aside for ABLE conferees. There is a charge of $75 for a lost key and $10 for a lost entry ID.

If you prefer to stay in a hotel, you may call Howard Johnson's at 617-267-3100 to make your own arrangements (ABLE rates are $99 + tax/night; 575 Commonwealth Ave. across from the conference center). The Eliot Hotel (617-267-1607), a lovely restored hotel (+$195 + tax/night), is about 3/4 mile from the campus. Please remember in planning your visit that Boston is the fourth most expensive city in U.S.

In June, Boston temperatures can range from a nighttime low of 55 to a daytime high of 90 degrees F. If you anticipate field trips near/on water, waterproof poncho, layers, rubber soled shoes, bug-off, sea-sick remedy, sun glasses, and sunscreen are required. Temperatures can be 15 degrees cooler on the water.

Abstracts and a Presentation Schedule are given below:

Wednesday, June 12

Thursday, June 13

Friday, June 14

Summary:

Herbivory and Anti-Herbivory

Phenotypic Variation in Plants

Identification of T Lymphocytes

Cell Fractionation in Tetrahymena

Preparation of Mammalian Germ Cells

Olfaction and Chemical Communication

Intertidal Environment of the Rocky Coast

Behavior and Ecology of Humpback Whales

On-Board Ecosystem Study of Boston Harbor

Pigment Granule Transport in Chromatophores

DNA Fingerprinting with PCR and a Single Hair

Avian Foraging and Niche Partitioning at a Feeder

Isolation of Myosin and Actin from Chicken Muscle

Fish Acoustic and Electric Communication (at Woods Hole)

Integrating Computer-Based Problem-Solving with Organisms

Purification of a Maltose Binding Protein from E. coli Periplasm

Orientation of Marine Invertebrates to Odor Sources (at Woods Hole)

Integrating Intro Bio & Chem Laboratories: Human Metabolism of Vitamin C

Lighting Up: Analysis of Yeast RAS Genes Using a Chemiluminesent Southern Blot

Measurement of Nitrogenase Activity by H2 Evolution from Nodulated Roots of Legumes

Workshops: Wednesday, June 12

A. Herbivory and Anti-Herbivory

Lori Hertel (Hope College)
Both field and laboratory components are used to explore some consequences of the chemical arms race between plants and insect herbivores in this open-ended investigation. Participants will quantify herbivore damage on different individuals of a given tree species (e.g., Red Oak, Quercus rubra). This will form the basis for individual hypotheses to determine the relation between leaf damage and the production of defensive toxins in the same individuals. Participants will prepare chemical extracts from leaves collected from individual plants sustaining varying degrees of insect damage. The toxicity of these extracts is evaluated in a bioassay based upon brine shrimp survival over a 24-hour period.

B. Preparation of Mammalian Meiotic Chromosomes from Spermatozoa/

Obtaining Early Mammalian Embryos and Preovulation Oocytes
Frank Dye (Western Connecticut State University)
The objectives of this workshop are to: (a)introduce participants to a method for obtaining spreads of chromosomes from mammalian testes (which will include both mitotic and meiotic chromosomes), (b) reinforce the participants' knowledge of meiosis and spermatogenesis by critical interpretation of what is seen through the microscope, (c) obtain oocytes from mouse ovaries, (d) obtain living embryos from oviducts of the mouse, and (e) note the dynamics of the oviduct, including smooth muscle contraction of the oviduct and movement of embryos within the lumen of the living oviduct.

C. Measure of Nitrogenase Activity by H2 Evolution from Nodulated Roots of Legumes

Stephen Hunt (Queen's University)
During N2 fixation, H2 gas is evolved as an obligate by-product of the nitrogenase reaction, and the rate of H2 production from nodulated roots can therefore be used as a measurement of nitrogenase activity. In this laboratory, students use an H2 sensor to measure the relative allocation of electrons between H2 production and N2 fixation in the nitrogenase reaction occurring in intact nodulated roots of soybean. They also use this non-invasive method to assess the effects of temperature on nitrogenase activity. All data are collected and displayed in real time using an analog to digital acquisition system.

D. Pigment Granule Transport in Chromatophores

Sally E. Nyquist and Kathryn B. Toner (Bucknell University)
This laboratory investigates factors regulating migration of pigment granules within the cytoplasmic extensions of fish scale melanocytes, a process which results in darkening or lightening of the fish. The fish scale is removed, permeabilized, and viewed via microscopy to detect aggregation/dispersion. Using this system, pairs of students design and execute experiments testing the effect of potential regulatory factors (neural and hormonal) on dispersion/aggregation of pigment granules. Intracellular second messenger compounds may also be investigated. The importance of controls and critical analysis of experimental results are emphasized.

E. DNA Fingerprinting with PCR and a Single Hair

A. Malcolm Campbell (Davidson College)
As a student once commented, "PCR is the sliced bread of molecular biology." We use the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), a process that allows an investigator to amplify a portion of a single piece of DNA into over one billion copies, with our Introductory Biology students to generate a simple "DNA fingerprint." This exercise will outline all the steps required to generate a DNA fingerprint for each student during two lab meetings. Participants in the workshop will isolate their own DNA from a single hair follicle, pour and load an agarose gel, prepare their DNA for PCR, and analyze prepared DNA samples.

F. Lighting Up: Analysis of Yeast RAS Genes Using a Chemiluminescent Southern Blot

Karen Armstrong-Malatesta and Linda Cholewiak (Princeton University)
Genomic and plasmid-encoded RAS2 genes from Baker's and brewing yeast strains will be analyzed using a shortened Southern Blot procedure utilizing chemiluminescence. Unique parts of this procedure are the gravity-driven "upside-down" transfer and rotisserie-like hybridization oven. These greatly facilitate shortening the transfer and hybridization times. Chemiluminescence obviates the problems associated with radioisotopes without sacrificing sensitivity: the plasmid-borne RAS gene can be visualized within 15 seconds and the single-copy genomic RAS gene, within a minute. Take-home lessons can include concepts of RFLPs and sequence conservation throughout evolution.

G. The Intertidal Environment of the Rocky Coast (p.m. only)

Elaine Senechal-Brown & Harlan K. Dean (Brandeis University; Johnson and Wales University)
Rocky shores predominate along the Atlantic coast of the US and Canada north of Cape Cod. The rugged intertidal of this coast is a harsh environment, alternately exposed and submerged with each tide, pounded with the force of the waves; yet here is found a rich diversity of marine life with a unique adaptations to tolerate a wide variety of environmental conditions. Because of its accessibility from land at low tide, the rocky intertidal is uniquely suited for students to investigate the ecology of its marine life. In this workshop we will explore the rocky intertidal coast and introduce several field studies that can be used in this environment. Visit Northeastern U. Marine Science Center.
Notes: Wear shoes that can get wet and have traction. Board bus at 1:00 p.m. at Warren Towers.

Workshops: Thursday, June 13

A. Cell Fractionation in Tetrahymena

Nancy Rosenbaum (Yale University)
To illustrate cell fractionation, nuclei are isolated from the ciliated protozoan, Tetrahymena thermophila. A table-top clinical centrifuge is used for the fractionation steps and the procedure is monitored microscopically using a differential stain. To determine the efficiency of the procedure, cell and nuclear counts are determined with a hemacytometer. To quantify DNA, the Diphenylamine Reaction is carried out and the amount of DNA per nucleus is calculated.

B. Purification of Maltose Binding Protein from E. coli Periplasm

Judy Levin (Goucher College)
By correlating the protein concentration of various fractions from E. coli with the appearance of samples on a gel, this procedure introduces beginning students to the quantitative "bookkeeping" involved in protein purification. A periplasmic fraction is isolated by osmotic shock and affinity chromatography using amylose resin is used to purify maltose binding protein. Visualization of fractions by SDS-PAGE allows students to evaluate the qualitative success of the purification and to estimate the molecular weight of purified protein.

C. Integrating Computer-Based Problem-Solving with Organisms

Bruce Fall and Mark Decker (University of Minnesota)
For a large introductory biology laboratory course, which focuses on evolution and ecology, we developed a laboratory curriculum that integrates computer simulation software and live organisms. Students are involved in group problem-solving activities, hypothesis testing, and presentation of results. During a two-lab sequence on variation and inheritance, problem sets, created on genetics simulation software, are used to explore basic principles of Mendelian Inheritance. Skills developed analyzing the computer crosses are then used as a basis for solving an actual but more complex cross involving Drosophila melanogaster.

D. Olfaction and Chemical Communication

James Traniello (Boston University)
This laboratory examines olfactory communication in humans, ants, and termites. The study of the relationship between molecular structure and odor perception in insects and human response to different odorants is followed by an experimental analysis of chemical signaling in ants and termites. These latter exercises demonstrate the role of the physical properties of chemicals in pheromone communication and the measurement of factors important to the analysis of the biological properties of pheromones.

E. Identification of T Lymphocytes

James M. Bader (Case Western Reserve University)
In a clinical setting, it is often necessary to examine the cells of the immune system, especially in patients with immune deficiencies. One method takes advantage of the fact that lymphocytes will bind foreign red blood cells to form rosettes which can be enumerated microscopically. Specifically, the Ox49/50 antigen on the rat T lymphocyte surface has been identified as the probable binding site of the sheep red blood cells. In this exercise, we will show that the number of antigen-binding lymphocytes increases after immunization.

F. Isolation of Myosin and Actin from Chicken Muscle

Richard H. Racusen and Katerina V. Thompson (University of Maryland)
Using differential precipitation and centrifugation, participants will isolate the two major components of muscle tissue, myosin and actin, from a frozen chicken breast. The proteins are further characterized by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). The relative mobility of each protein band on the resultant gels will be measured and compared with known molecular weight standards to estimate the sizes of the isolated proteins and to speculate on their identities.

G. Phenotypic Variation in Plants

Lawrence S. Blumer (Morehouse College)
Phenotypic variation in natural populations results from a combination of environmental and genotypic influence. The causes for variation in one species will be evaluated by manipulating environmental conditions for three varieties of rapidly growing Brassica rapa. Physical and biochemical traits of plants grown under different conditions can be quantified to determine the causes of observed trait variation.

Workshops: Friday, June 14

For all workshop field trips on water see recommendations under "Weather."

The workshops at Woods Hole (#A) and the Whale Behavior workshop (#B) will each function as a whole-day unit.

A. Workshops at Woods Hole (6:15 a.m. - 5:15 p.m.)

Pick up boxed breakfast outside dining room. All-night Campus Convenience, 700 Commonwealth Ave. has good coffees. Board bus at Warren Towers at 6:15 a.m.

A1. Orientation of Marine Invertebrates to Odor Sources

Jelle Atema (Boston University)
This workshop will demonstrate two major phenomena: flow visualization techniques and orientation of marine invertebrates to odor sources. Several techniques allow visualization of flow patterns in the marine environment. We will examine the dispersal of odors under various flow and release regimes and visualize information and breathing currents generated by various invertebrates. Effects of odor on sampling strategies and control of the environment by the animal will be demonstrated. Several experimental modifications will be tested in a straight flume to determine the orientation behavior of several marine invertebrates.

A2. Fish Acoustic and Electric Communication

Phillip Lobel (Boston University)
This workshop will examine underwater bioacoustics and electric fields and the use of sound and electricity in communication by fish. Basic topics will include dissection of otolith bones and swim bladder, use of simple computer software to analyze bioacoustics and electrical recordings of fish in aquaria.

A3.Tour of the Marine Biological Laboratory and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute

Kerry Guilfoyle, Boston University
Observe these world famous institutions first hand.

B. Behavior and Ecology of Humpback Whales (8:15 a.m.-3:00 p.m.)

William Dolphin (Boston University)
The goals of this at-sea laboratory are to help students understand (a) the relationships between physics (abiotic systems), physiology (biotic systems), and behavior, and (b) the susceptibility of ecological systems to perturbation. At the summer feeding grounds we will study (a) general oceanographic principles (ocean circulation, upwellings, and their relationship to physical features), (b) the relation of the physiological measures of ventilation and diving patterns to behaviors, and (c) incorporating the observed behaviors, physiology, and oceanography into the natural history of whales.
Notes: 8:15 a.m. board inbound T. If trolley does not say "Govt. Center," change at Park St. to Govt. Center. At Govt. Center, change to blue line (Wonderland T) to the Aquarium stop. Follow the fish signs to the pier next to the aquarium. Check in at the Voyager II dock at 9:30 a.m. Reminder: we cannot control whales or weather.

C. Avian Foraging and Niche Partitioning at a Feeder (8:30-11:30 a.m.; 2:00-5:00 p.m.)

Frederick Wasserman (Boston University)
The purpose of this workshop is to help students examine differences in competitive ability among avian species at bird feeders. Differences in methods to obtain resources and in ability to fight and to exclude other species are observed. The laboratory is designed to run on either an urban or rural campus. In Boston we take public transportation to the field site and return within a 3-hour laboratory period.
Note: Meet at SCI 305 dressed for field trip.

D. Integrating Introductory Biology and Chemistry Laboratories:

Human Metabolism of Vitamin C and Fruit Juice Analysis as an Example (a.m. only)
Sapna Ramakrishnan and Patricia Samuel (Boston University)
Using the study of Vitamin C as an example, this workshop addresses a method by which first-year biology and chemistry laboratory sections can be integrated. The modular laboratory program is presented from the perspective of biologists and chemists. Emphasis is placed on the design of human studies and attention to titration accuracy. Human metabolism of Vitamin C and analysis of Vitamin C content of fruit juices will be quantitated.

E. On-Board Ecosystem Study of Boston Harbor (p.m. only)

Berit Solstad and Rick Schmidt (U. Massachusetts at Boston)
Board the Envirolab III to study areas of biological, physical, and chemical oceanography. Participants will utilize otter trawls and Peterson grabs for collections to study; perform water quality tests with salinometer, secci disk, and dissolved oxygen meter, and sample core from harbor floor. Study meteorological and navigational systems.
Notes: At 12:45 p.m. board inbound T to Park St. Change to red line south to UMASS/JFK Library T stop. UMASS Shuttle bus will take you to Envirolab III pier. Boat leaves at 2:00 p.m.

A variety of 30-minute or 60-minute mini workshops will be presented on:

Wednesday (12:50 - 2:00 p.m.) and

Thursday (12 noon - 2:00 p.m.).
Participants sign up for the mini workshops during Registration on a first-come basis.

A preview of some mini workshops to expect:

Crickets: Sounds, Videos and Living Specimens (Robert Anderson, Idaho State University)

Nonmajors Environmental Biology (Ruth Beattie, University of Kentucky)

Cellular DNA Repair (Glenn Bauer, St. Michaels College)

Human Nutrition: How Well Do You Eat? (Wayne Silver, Wake Forest University)

Species Identification and Systematics (Linda Collins and Charles H. Nelson, University of Tennessee)

Using the World Wide Web in Introductory Biology (Mark Decker, University of Minnesota)

Fractals in Biology (Peter Garik, Boston University)

Renal Function: What's Wrong with this Patient? (Catherine Teare-Ketter, University of Georgia)

Teaching Elementary Biology Laboratories (Denise Martin, St. Michaels College)

Starch Printing (Carol Reiss, Cornell University)

An Interactive Lab Manual: To Enrich, Improve and Expand Learning and Teaching in the Wet Lab (Gabriela Weinhausen, University of California, San Diego)

Retrieval and Analysis of DNA and Protein Sequences (Tongjia Yin, SUNY-Genesco)

Microcosmos (Douglas Zook, Boston University)

Boston and New England are renown for their historical, cultural, and natural attractions. Please note the Friday workshops and dinner at the aquarium as you plan your optional activities for Tuesday and Saturday. On Wednesday we have reserved a block of seats for an evening at an audience participation murder mystery play, Shear Madness, and Thursday we invite you to enjoy the Red Sox around the corner at Fenway Park. Advance payment for these events is required. We encourage you to submit your registration early as there is a late registration fee. Note that tours/trips may be altered or canceled if the minimum number of participants per event is not obtained. All tickets and T fares will be distributed at registration. If you are a AAA/CAA member, you might request a specific city map of Boston/Cambridge. On foot, by T, or by car, these maps can be very helpful when navigating the city.

Summary (details given below):

Tuesday, June 11

• Tours:
  • Harvard Museums
  • Duck Tour of Boston
  • Museum of Fine Arts
  • Freedom Trail Walking Tour (Self-guided)
  • Museum of Science (Self-guided)
• Reception for Conferees at THE CASTLE (6:30 p.m.)

Wednesday, June 12

• Multimedia Presentation: Integrating Digital Multimedia, Computer-Based Instruction and the World Wide Web into an Introductory Biology Curriculum, by Rick Peifer, University of Minnesota (11:45 a.m.)
• Slide Show: "ABLE's First East Africa Summer Safari: A Recap" (5:00 p.m.)
• Play: Shear Madness (8:00 p.m.)
• Boston Pops at Symphony Hall

Thursday, June 13

• Baseball: Red Sox vs. Texas Rangers (7:05 p.m.)

Friday, June 14

• Field-trip workshops: Whale Watch, Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratories, Harbor Envirolab, and Avian Niche Partitioning
• Dinner at the New England Aquarium: The Capstone Event of the Conference! (6:05 p.m.)

Saturday, June 15

• New England Barrier Island (8:15 a.m. - 8:15 p.m.)
• Mayflower II, Plymouth Rock, Plimouth Plantation, Lexington, Concord (7:45 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.)

Tuesday, June 11

Tours will assemble in the plaza in front of the Metcalf Center, 590 Commonwealth Ave.

You need exact change ($0.85) or T tokens for trolley and T tokens for subway entrance.

Tour 1: Harvard Peabody Museum of Comparative Zoology & Glass Flowers; Harvard Square

1:00-4:30 p.m. (Host: Melissa Hamel)
Includes showplace of Garden in Glass, accurate models of 700+ plant species; exhibits ranging from the earliest fossil invertebrates through mammals. Attached to Museum of Archeology and Ethnology (outstanding collection of Mayan, & other artifacts) and Geological and Mineralogical Museum entrances (26 Oxford St. and 11 Divinity Ave.). Wander back through Harvard Yard past the famous Bullfinch architecture. The Sackler and Fogg art museums and the Carpenter Center display vast collections of the world's art.
Fee: $7.00 includes entrance fee and T tokens
Directions: Board inbound T to Park St. Go downstairs and take line to Alewife. Get off at Harvard. From Harvard Square proceed north on Mass. Ave. (Harvard Yard is on your right behind a wall.) Turn right on Cambridge St. Go left on Kirkland St. Turn immediately on Oxford St. and go one block to the University Museums.

Tour 2: Duck Tour of Boston

1:15-4:30 p.m. (Host: Tom Symancyk)
Board an authentic WWII amphibious vehicle at the wharf. As the best of Boston unfolds before your eyes, your conDUCKtor will be giving you lots of little known facts about and interesting insights into our unique city. Just when you think you've seen it all, you drive right into the Charles River for a breathtaking waterside view of Boston. A great orientation to Boston.
Fee: $20 includes tour and T tokens
Directions: Board inbound T to Govt. Center. If your trolley does not read "Govt. Center", change at Park St. to Govt. Center and then change to take the blue line for Aquarium. Disembark and follow signs to aquarium. Go to the wharf. Board an authentic WWII amphibious vehicle.

Tour 3: Museum of Fine Arts

1:30-4:30 p.m. (Host: Elaine Senechal)
Discover the myths and magic in the art of the Egyptian pharaohs, Buddhist deities, and Gods and goddesses from India. See how generations of painters from Rembrandt and El Greco to Sargent, van Gogh, Renoir, Monet, Gauguin, and Picasso have captured the light of Venice, the nightlife of Paris and the personalities of their day. Watch current artists creating today's moods. At every turn, something is waiting to surprise and inspire you. Cross the street to Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum displaying art in a Venetian Palace-Courtyard Setting.
Fee: $17/person includes entrance fees to two museums and T tokens

Tour 4: Freedom Trail Walking Tour

(Self-guided)
Board inbound T to Boylston. Begin at the kiosk on Boston Common at Tremont St. Choose walks by Louisburg Square on Beacon Hill, Paul Revere's House, USS Constitution (oldest commissioned US navy vessel), Bunker Hill Monument and Faneuil Hall, etc.
T fare: $0.85 one way

Tour 5: Museum of Science

(Self-guided)
Board inbound T. When boarding, note sign over driver. If sign reads "Lechmere" get off at Science Park. If sign reads anything else, change at Park St. for E line to Science Park. Participatory exhibits and displays on physical science, natural history, medicine, and astronomy. Planetarium/laser show.
Fee: Pay $8.00 at Museum entrance; T fare $0.85 one way

6:30 p.m. Reception for Conferees at THE CASTLE

Don your business clothes and take a one-minute walk across the trolley tracks toward the Charles River to 225 Bay State Road for an evening with new and old friends at a graceful, vine-covered Tudor Revival mansion.

Wednesday, June 12

Multimedia Presentation: (11:45 a.m.)
Integrating Digital Multimedia, Computer-Based Instruction and the World Wide Web into an Introductory Biology Curriculum

Rick Peifer (University of Minnesota)
During the past six years the General Biology Program at the University of Minnesota has been exploring the use of computer-based multimedia to create an image library of approximately 3500 computer graphics, animations, and digital video sequences. We have also produced the software to present and manage this library. For the past three years, in our evolution and ecology undergraduate course, students have used computers for modeling, simulation, and problem-solving activities. Most recently, we have begun to use the World Wide Web in a variety of ways. This presentation will demonstrate the comprehensive way in which our Program has integrated this "new" information technology into our introductory biology curriculum.
Note: Pick up a boxed lunch at the Metcalf Lounge. Cross Commonwealth Ave. Walk outbound 1 block. Just past the red trolley turn right. Enter a long cement building by the side street. Stone B50 is downstairs.

Slide Show: ABLE's First East Africa Summer Safari: A Recap (5:00 p.m.)

Hosted by Vin Lawrence (Washington and Jefferson College)
ABLE's 1st East Africa Summer Safari: A recap ABLE members who visited East Africa in August 1995 were rewarded by excellent views of large predator behavior. They will show slides and narrate their experiences with cheetahs and leopards.
Location: Room SCI 107, Metcalf Center, 590 Commonwealth

Play: Shear Madness (Curtain time: 8:00 p.m.)

ABLE conferees will be part of the "detective force" to help solve the murder in Boston's 16-year longest running play, Shear Madness. Bostonians go back many times to see this hilarious whodunit. The play is filled with up-to-the minute spontaneous humor in which the audience can be part of the plot.
Fee: $20.00 (includes admission and T fare)
Directions: At 7:05 p.m. board the inbound T to Arlington. With Shreve, Crump & Low on your right, walk south on Arlington to Stuart St. Go left on Stuart St. walking on the right side of the street 4 blocks. After the New England School of Law, turn right on Warrenton St. to Stage 2 at the Charles Playhouse.

Boston Pops at Symphony Hall

Team up with your friends, make your own arrangements, and call 617-266-1492 to choose a "Table at Pops" or balcony seating in one of the world's three acoustically-perfect buildings.

Thursday, June 13

Red Sox vs. Texas Rangers (Game time 7:05 p.m.)

Seven-minute walk to Fenway Park. At Kenmore Square go right on Brookline Ave. Watch the enigmatic Sox in one of the smallest, most beloved, original ball parks. Third base line seats.
Fee: $15.00

Friday, June 14

Field-Trip Workshops:

Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratories (#A)

Whale Watch (#B)

Avian Niche Partitioning (#C)

Harbor Envirolab (#E)

Dinner at the New England Aquarium (6:05 p.m.)

The Capstone Event of the Conference!
The entire Aquarium has been reserved exclusively for ABLE participants for the evening. Enter this surreal undersea world and climb up and around the spiral, spectacular four-story high Center Tank Display, an international model for salt-water aquaria. While sampling liquid refreshments, visit 2,000 fish and aquatic animals ranging from penquins to piranhas. Savor a delicious dinner with the sharks. Avoid the noisy, shoving crowds and join us at this private undersea party. Walking shoes. Cost ($40) includes entrance fee, dinner, and bus to the banquet. Following dinner, enjoy Boston at night.
Note: Board buses in front of Warren Towers, 700 Commonwealth Ave.

Saturday, June 15

Tours depart from Warren Towers.

New England Barrier Island (8:15 a.m.-8:15 p.m.)

Host: Marcy Thomas (Wellesley College)
The 4,662 acre Parker River National Wildlife Refuge encompasses two-thirds of Plum Island and salt marshes west to the mainland. 300 species of birds visit Hellcat Swamp. Use your binoculars and cameras from the observation blind and tower. Botanizing, and hiking on beach. Bring layers, bug-off, and sunscreen. In the Age of Reason, there is always a counter force: Stop at Salem Witches Museum and judge for yourself what happened! All day trip fee includes bus, Witches Museum entrance fee, box lunch for the island, and dinner at an inn overlooking the New England Rocky Coast, north of Gloucester, a historic seaport.
Fee: $60.00

Mayflower II, Plymouth Rock, Plimouth Plantation, Lexington, Concord (7:45 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.)

Host: Michael Bonanno (Boston University)
Board a reproduction of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to the New World. Costumed guides portraying passengers and crew, describe life aboard the ship. Plimouth Plantation is a living-history experience of 17th century Plymouth. Costumed interpreters portray planting, house building, harvesting, preparing and preserving foods, and militia drills. Return through historic Concord, past homes of Hawthorne, Alcott, and Emerson to Old North Bridge, where farmers stood and fired the "shot heard round the world"; through Lexington, where 77 Minutemen stood against 700 Redcoats; and down Brattle St. in Cambridge past Harvard Yard -- Paul Revere's Ride in reverse.
Fee: $37.00 includes bus, entrance fees to ship and plantation. It does not include lunch.

For a visit extended beyond the conference, the Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau (800-374-7400) can help you arrange housing and travel options.

Areas, not part of the conference but of interest to biologists, include the Appalachian Trail which curves through the Berkshires, Vermont and New Hampshire, and ends at Mt. Katahdin in Maine; the National Seashore at Wellfleet, Cape Cod with many bike trails; Boston Harbor Cruises; the 6,000-tree Arnold Arboretum (part of the Emerald Necklace around Boston); Ipswich and Manomet Bird Sanctuaries and Mt. Auburn Cemetery (Cambridge) for rare bird sightings among the previously rich and famous.

The Computer Museum, JFK Library/Museum, Children's Museum, and the Boston Tea Party Ship are popular among Boston's visitors. The islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket have always held a special charm. Reservations in advance for lodging and car space on ferries to the islands are required. You might plan to leave your car in Hyannis or Woods Hole and bike once you arrive on the island. From the mansions of Newport, RI, to the seaports of Rockport and Marblehead to Old Sturbridge Village, a restored 19th Century living history experience, there is something for everyone.

Finally, for those who love to shop, Newbury St. with its European outdoor cafes and boutiques is a short walk from your dorm. Fanueil Hall Marketplace has been a national model for transforming a decaying waterfront into upbeat shops and eateries. The original Filene's Basement where shoppers battle over goods, still reigns on Washington St.

Check out these Web sites:

City of Boston Information (Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau)

Boston: Graphic City Guide

The BOSTON Lens (guided tour of Boston)

For additional information contact: