Ralph Rascati
Candidate for the Position of Member-at-Large

Present Academic Position

• Chair, Department of Biological & Physical Sciences & Professor of Biology
  Kennesaw State University
  1000 Chastain Road
  Kennesaw, GA 30144

Academic Background

• B.S. Biology, (1969) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
• Ph.D. Biochemistry, (1975) University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

ABLE Service/Activity

• This is my first year as an ABLE Member. I have attended one conference.

Personal Statement

While I have only recently become a member of ABLE my interest in science and laboratory education is longstanding. I was a charter member of a steering committee within the American Society for Microbiology that was instrumental in establishing a division of that society devoted specifically to Microbiology Education. I have attended numerous workshops to learn new laboratory techniques that I employ in the courses that I teach. I am currently organizing a conference on Novel Approaches to Teaching Science. This conference has been funded by a competitive grant from the University System of Georgia Professional Development Fund and is tentatively being scheduled for April or May, 2001. My attendance at the ABLE 2000 conference at Clemson University provided new insights into the teaching of biology laboratory exercises. I have already incorporated many of the ideas that I learned there and have provided additional ideas from that conference to other faculty members in my department for use in their courses. The ABLE conferences provide the best forum available for disseminating new, innovative laboratory approaches.

My goals, if elected are:

• Look for ways to incorporate and integrate multimedia approaches to the laboratory setting.
• Encourage the incorporation of practical, real-world issues in the laboratory environment.
• Encourage the development of additional major and mini workshops for presentation at future ABLE meetings.
• Serve effectively in all of the committee positions required of a Member-at-Large.
• Promote electronic dissemination of laboratory exercises that have been presented at ABLE conferences.
• Recruit additional workshop presenters by inviting presenters observed in other forums to submit proposals to ABLE.
• Explore ways to disseminate the materials presented in the mini workshops in a more comprehensive format.