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Home > Contents
of Proceedings > Volume 23
Tested Studies for Laboratory Teaching
Volume 23
University of Chicago, June 19-22, 2001
Editor: Michael O'Donnell
Host: Roz Potter
Laboratory Exercises in Cell and Molecular Biology, and
Genetics
1. Fluorescence Microscopy as an Introduction to Cell
Biology by Christopher Schonbaum [abstract]
[full text]
2. A Novel Method to Archive Plant Material for DNA Analysis
by Kathleen A. Nolan, Theodore Gurney, Jr., LaToya Roberts
and Ann Marie White [abstract]
[full text]
3. Blue Plants: Transgenic Plants with the GUS Reporter
Gene by Susan J. Karcher [abstract]
[full text]
4. Bioinformatics, Virtual Labs, and the Human Genome
Project by Anne Cordon and Donna Messersmith
[abstract] [full
text]
5. Detection of Genetically Modified Foods by Diana
L. Brandner [abstract] [full
text]
6. Exploring Important Biological Concepts Using Biology
Workbench by Mary Ball, Stacey Kiser, and Garry Duncan
[abstract] [full
text]
7. The Power of Genetics: Using Classical and Molecular
Genetics to Study "Real" Developmental Phenomena by Leonard
Pysh [abstract] [full
text]
Laboratory Exercises in Ecology, Evolution and Behavior
8. Species Diversity, Island Biogeography, and the Design
of Nature Reserves by K. Greg Murray, Kathy Winnett-Murray,
and Lori Hertel [abstract]
[full text]
9. The Use of the LEGO MINDSTORMS® System in Modeling:
The Foraging Behavior and Strategies of Simple Animals
by Marc Albrecht [abstract]
[full text]
10. Multi-species Interactions: Indirect Effects by
D. Liane Cochran-Stafira, J. Timothy Wootton, and Christine
A. Andrews [abstract] [full
text]
11. Paleoecology: Documenting Long-term Environmental
Variability by Robert K. Booth, Mark E. Lyford, and Jane
M. Beiswenger [abstract]
[full text]
12. Island Biogeography: Students Colonize Islands to
Test Hypotheses by James W. Haefner, Donald E. Rowan,
Edward W. Evans, and Alice M. Lindahl [abstract]
[full text]
13. Eutrophication: A Project Lab for Multi-section Lab
Courses by Virginia Bennett [abstract]
[full text]
Laboratory Exercises in Physiology and Biochemistry
14. Exercise Physiology: The Response of Metabolic Rate
to Physical Activity by Thomas F. Colton and Eric Larsen
[abstract] [full
text]
15. Teaching Reaction Equilibrium Using Stella Modeling
Software by Bob Kosinski [abstract]
[full text]
16. Using Bromelain in Pineapple Juice to Investigate
Enzyme Function by William V. Glider and Mark S. Hargrove
[abstract] [full
text]
Instructional Materials
17. Digital Photography in Biology Lab Teaching by
Theodore Gurney, Jr. [abstract]
[full text]
18. Using Handheld Wireless Computers to Increase Interactivity
and Collaborative Learning in Large Classes by Betty Black,
Marianne Niedzlek-Feaver, and Hal Meeks [abstract]
[full text]
19. Effective Methods of Training Biology Laboratory
Teaching Assistants III: Grading Consistently by Rudi
Berkelhamer and Anne Cordon [abstract]
[full text]
20. A Guided Inquiry in a Computer-based Biology Lab
by Phyllis S. Laine and Linda J Heath [abstract]
[full text]
Appendix A: Abstracts of Mini Workshops [titles]
Appendix B: Abstracts of Additional Major
Workshops Presented at the 23rd ABLE Conference
Appendix C: Abstracts of Additional
Mini Workshops Presented at the 23rd ABLE Conference
Abstracts (Vol. 23)
Laboratory Exercises in Cell and Molecular Biology, and
Genetics
1 -- Fluorescence Microscopy as an Introduction
to Cell Biology
Christopher Schonbaum [full
text]
Key Words: cytoskeleton, Golgi, green fluorescent protein, GFP,
immunofluorescence, mitochondria, mitosis, organelle.
In this exercise, students use fluorescence microscopy to look at
organelles (mitochondria, Golgi apparatus, endoplasmic reticulum)
and the cytoskeleton in PtK2 cells. In both cases, DNA stains allow
students to observe changes in organelle and cytoskeleton morphology
as the cell undergoes mitosis. In addition to revealing the cellular
structures in a dramatic fashion, the exercise shows students that
the distributions, sizes, and shapes of the structures are not always
as they imagine them. Finally, observation of tobacco cells with
green fluorescent protein (GFP) targeted to mitochondria demonstrates
the use of GFP reporters for tracking cellular structures in living
cells.
2 -- A Novel Method to Archive Plant Material
for DNA Analysis
Kathleen A. Nolan, Theodore Gurney, Jr., LaToya Roberts and Ann
Marie White [full
text]
Key Words: DNA, polymerase chain reaction.
In this exercise, students isolate and analyze DNA from food plants
in a supermarket, or from common backyard plants. Extracting plant
DNA is often difficult using conventional means because undesirable
material including PCR inhibitors often co-purifies with the DNA.
The novel approach used in this exercise is simple and quick, and
also avoids the use of dangerous organic reagents. Students crush
plant material (spinach leaves in this exercise) onto special cards
originally used to archive blood samples. Then they cut small pieces
of the cards to treat with reagents to isolate the spinach DNA for
PCR. Other methods of archiving and isolating DNA from plant material
are discussed, and applications for the method are also considered.
3 -- Blue Plants: Transgenic Plants with the
GUS Reporter Gene
Susan J. Karcher [full
text]
Key Words: transgenic plants, Arabidopsis, reporter gene,
GUS-beta glucuronidase, cold stress, drought stress, abscisic acid,
investigative laboratories.
An investigative laboratory developed for the introductory
biology curriculum using transgenic plants is presented in
this chapter. The transgenic Arabidopsis plants we
use contain the GUS reporter gene under the control of the
cor15a gene promoter, which responds to cold stress. Following
induction by cold or other environmental signals, the gusA
gene will respond by producing the enzyme beta-glucuronidase
(GUS). When plant tissue is incubated with the chromogenic
substrate X-gluc, those tissues that produce GUS turn blue.
Using investigative experiments, students monitor both the
physiological response of plants to these signals, as well
as the induction of gene activity as reflected by GUS activity.
The GUS assay is highly visible, safe for the undergraduate
laboratory, easy to conduct, and relatively inexpensive. Blue
Plants, developed at Purdue University with support from NSF-DUE
grant #9354721, are one of the Research Link 2000 systems
(http://www.researchlink.ferris.edu/).
4 -- Bioinformatics, Virtual Labs, and the
Human Genome Project
Anne Cordon and Donna Messersmith [full
text]
Key words: bioinformatics, BLAST, ClustalW (multiple sequence alignment),
genomics, 16S rDNA, pathogenic bacterial identification, polymerase
chain reaction, DNA sequencing.
This session introduces bioinformatics using a case study of pathogenic
bacterial identification via a Howard Hughes Medical Institute's
virtual lab and NCBI web database searches. Another goal is to get
the students thinking, writing and talking about the impact of the
human genome project. Our students do the exercise independently
coming together in the laboratory to present and discuss their findings--this
feature makes the exercise feasible for large or small classes with
limited laboratory computer resources. The sub-theme of this session
is the use of virtual laboratories (vlabs) re-enforcing scientific
concepts and methods to supplement lectures, tutorials or "wet"
labs.
5 -- Detection of Genetically Modified Foods
Diana L. Brandner [full
text]
Key words: genetically modified organism, polymerase chain reaction.
Genetically modified foods are often in the news and widely grown
in the United States. Three US government agencies (USDA, FDA, and
EPA) work to regulate the introduction and production of genetically
modified foods. These crops can provide agricultural, ecological
and nutritional benefits, but there are also potential risks to
the environment and consumers. As consumers and public interest
groups around the world have become aware of these risks, there
has been a call for more explicit product labeling and reliable
methods for the detection of genetic modification in the foods we
eat. This lab activity explores these issues by taking students
through a three-part process to detect the presence of genetic modification
in corn (maize) or soy food products. This lab uses one of the two
methods for detection of genetic modification currently approved
by the European Union.
6 -- Exploring Important Biological Concepts
Using Biology Workbench
Mary Ball, Stacey Kiser, and Garry Duncan
[full text]
Key Words: DNA sequencing, protein sequencing, bioinformatics.
This set of three activities uses Biology Workbench, a website that
brings together sequence databases and online software for searching
databases, aligning sequences, and creating inferred phylogenetic
trees. The first two activities explore the diversity of preproinsulin
sequences across species. Students use the Student Version of Biology
Workbench and search databases by keyword in the first activity,
while, in the second, students use the actual Biology Workbench
and search the databases using a sequence. The third activity illustrates
how an alignment created with Workbench can be used to color-code
a 3-D model of a protein using the online software Protein Explorer.
7 -- The Power of Genetics: Using Classical
and Molecular Genetics to Study "Real" Developmental Phenomena
Leonard Pysh [full
text]
Keywords: genetics, molecular mapping, PCR, DNA, Arabidopsis
thaliana.
The goal of this laboratory exercise is to provide a laboratory
experience for undergraduates, in which they apply fundamental genetic
principles to the study of a complex developmental process, specifically,
root cell shape determination in the simple plant Arabidopsis
thaliana. In this exercise, students identify putative root
cell shape mutants, analyze an F2 segregating population, and finally
use molecular techniques to determine where a specific mutation
in located within the genome. This exercise can be adapted to study
any fundamental developmental process than can be perturbed in Arabidopsis.
Laboratory Exercises in Ecology, Evolution and Behavior
8 -- Species Diversity, Island Biogeography,
and the Design of Nature Reserves
K. Greg Murray, Kathy Winnett-Murray, and Lori Hertel
[full text]
Key Words: species diversity, island biogeography, reserve design,
arthropods, leaf litter, communities, biodiversity.
This field and laboratory investigation is an open-ended exercise
designed to test predictions from island biogeography theory using
various-sized fragments of leaf litter arthropod communities as
"island" systems. Litter islands are constructed in a deciduous
forest and students collect samples of leaf litter and extract arthropods
using the Berlese Funnel technique. After arthropods are collected,
students learn identification techniques, compute diversity indices,
construct dominance-diversity and species area curves, and draw
conclusions about the effects of fragment size and insularity on
arthropod community diversity.
9 -- The Use of the LEGO MINDSTORMS® System
in Modeling: The Foraging Behavior and Strategies of Simple Animals
Marc Albrecht [full
text]
Keywords: LEGO MINDSTORMS®, simulation, foraging behavior, foraging
strategies, adaptation, robots.
The LEGO MINDSTORMS® system provides a rich simulation environment
for evolutionary adaptation and animal behavior. It includes both
hardware and software that may be considered analogous to anatomical
features and behavioral repertoire respectively. The system is off-the-shelf
which minimizes set-up and preparation time. Conversely, its components
are capable of considerable customization and expansion if desired.
The MINDSTORMS system makes clear that form, function, and behavior
of animals are inextricably linked. The MINDSTORMS package also
indirectly introduces students to technologies such as object-oriented
computer programming, infrared data transmission, and basic mechanical
principles such as gear ratios and levers.
10 -- Multi-species Interactions: Indirect
Effects
D. Liane Cochran-Stafira, J. Timothy Wootton, and Christine A.
Andrews [full
text]
Key words: ecology, multispecies interactions, indirect effects,
communities, foraging, predator-prey interactions.
Ecologists often study the dynamics of single-species populations
or the interactions between two species, but real ecological systems
comprise multiple species. Unique effects arising from the complexity
of having more than two species present are termed indirect effects:
effects of one species on a second species that arise only in the
presence of one or more other species. In this laboratory, we will
observe guppies foraging on Daphnia in the presence and absence
of aquatic plants to test for indirect effects of the plant species
on the predator-prey interaction.
11 -- Paleoecology: Documenting Long-term
Environmental Variability
Robert K. Booth, Mark E. Lyford, and Jane M. Beiswenger
[full text]
Key words: paleoecology, environment, plant macrofossils, wetlands.
The objectives of this lab are to 1) provide students with an overview
of paleoecological techniques, 2) illustrate how these techniques
are used to document local changes in peat-accumulating wetlands
over long time-scales (centuries to millennia), and 3) illustrate
how long-term perspectives on environmental variability aid in the
interpretation of recent environmental changes. Students actively
create and interpret a hypothetical plant macrofossil and charcoal
record spanning the last few thousand years. The macrofossil record
places human-caused changes within the context of long-term natural
variability. Interpretation of the record also reveals interrelationships
among climate, vegetation, hydrology, and fire.
12 -- Island Biogeography: Students Colonize
Islands to Test Hypotheses
James W. Haefner, Donald E. Rowan, Edward W. Evans, and Alice
M. Lindahl [full
text]
This highly interactive field biology exercise requires students
to colonize islands on an outdoor lawn or indoor carpet with model
species. The islands are squares of different sizes made from string.
Students colonize the islands by throwing marked plastic petri plates
at the islands from the "mainland." Extinctions of species on islands
result when one plate lands on another. From their data, students
estimate species immigration and extinction rates and obtain colonization
curves for each island. They go on to develop a model for island
colonization that is tested with additional data in a second lab
session. When they have completed the exercise, students can solve
quantitative problems in biogeography and conservation biology relating
to the design of nature reserves. The goal of this exercise is to
improve reasoning-level thinking and quantitative problem-solving
using mathematical models closely tied to data collection.
13 -- Eutrophication: A Project Lab for Multi-section
Lab Courses
Virginia Bennett [full
text]
Key words: eutrophication; project-based; nutrient loads; poster
session; water quality.
This lab is designed to simulate the process of eutrophication over
an eight to ten week period. Students use a water-soluble fertilizer
(similar to Miracle Grow) to determine the effects of nutrient loads
on both terrestrial and aquatic environments. By using three aquariums,
Elodea, and radish plants, students can examine the ongoing
process of eutrophication by taking weekly measurements of water
quality and looking at plant growth. Students become "experts" on
such equipment as dissolved oxygen meters, conductivity meters,
pH meters, and spectrophotometers. The project culminates in a student
and teacher evaluated poster session.
Laboratory Exercises in Physiology and Biochemistry
14 -- Exercise Physiology: The Response of
Metabolic Rate to Physical Activity
Thomas F. Colton and Eric Larsen [full
text]
Key words: exercise, physiology, metabolic rate, oxygen consumption,
investigative.
In this lab, students measure their heart rate, oxygen consumption,
and carbon dioxide production in various physical activities on
a treadmill or cycle ergometer. After learning the techniques in
the first lab period, each group of 3-4 students designs an independent
investigation that is performed during the second lab period. To
measure metabolic rate, students collect expired air in a Douglas
bag, then measure the volume, the temperature, and the concentration
of oxygen and carbon dioxide. With this technique, students can
investigate the energetic cost of walking and running, effects of
going uphill and downhill, efficiency of muscles, effect on muscle
efficiency of varying force and velocity of shortening, relative
amounts of fats and carbohydrates metabolized at different activity
levels, and many other topics.
15 -- Teaching Reaction Equilibrium Using
Stella Modeling Software
Bob Kosinski [full
text]
Key words: model, equilibrium, reaction, biochemistry, glycolysis,
thermodynamics, simulation.
Equilibrium of biochemical reactions is seldom taught in introductory
biology labs. However, equilibrium is an excellent topic for the
introduction of simple mathematical modeling into the lab curriculum.
When properly done, modeling can allow an exploratory, hands-on
approach to equilibrium, as well as teach a valuable application
of mathematics. Stella modeling software facilitates the exercise
by allowing students to construct sound models without dwelling
on mathematical details. This exercise illustrates a modeling approach
to reaction equilibrium and some aspects of thermodynamics. We use
this exercise in introductory biology laboratories at Clemson University.
16 -- Using Bromelain in Pineapple Juice to
Investigate Enzyme Function
William V. Glider and Mark S. Hargrove [full
text]
Key Words: enzyme, bromelain, enzyme assay, pineapple enzyme, rate
of enzyme activity.
This investigation introduces students to the structure and function
of the proteolytic enzyme, bromelain, which is present in large
quantities in the fruit, leaves, and stems of pineapple. In this
lab exercise, students study the rate at which bromelain catalyzes
the hydrolysis of gelatin (substrate) at different temperatures
and pHs. Strips of developed black and white photographic film are
placed in freshly squeezed pineapple juice under different experimental
conditions. The time it takes for the film to clear is used as an
indicator of the rate at which bromelain catalyzes the hydrolysis
of the substrate (gelatin), which binds the black silver grains
to the plastic backing of the film. This lab exercise has been used
in traditional non-majors and mixed majors/non-majors General Biology
labs and can easily be adapted to an investigative approach.
Instructional Materials
17 -- Digital Photography in Biology Lab Teaching
Theodore Gurney, Jr. [full
text]
Key words: digital photography, biometry, photomicrographs.
This workshop is designed for biology lab teachers who are not yet
using digital photography. My focus will be on the simplest equipment
that will do the job, not on the best or latest equipment. I will
cover the basics of color and gray scale digital photography, biometry,
closeups, and photomicrographs with or without a trinocular head
on the microscope. We will make a little time-lapse movie with a
still camera. Computers will be garden variety PC's or Macs. For
software I will use mainly the freeware Scion/NIH Image.
18 -- Using Handheld Wireless Computers to
Increase Interactivity and Collaborative Learning in Large Classes
Betty Black, Marianne Niedzlek-Feaver, and Hal Meeks
[full text]
Key words: handheld computer, collaborative learning, wireless internet.
We conducted a pilot study to determine the effectiveness of wireless,
handheld computers in fostering active and collaborative learning
in lecture-based teaching. We compared the capabilities of the largest
type of handheld, the Jornada 820, to that of the smallest, a Handspring
Visor "personal digital assistant." This article describes our use
of the handhelds in a variety of classroom exercises, emphasizing
wireless internet access. We explain our successes, problems, and
proposed solutions. Although the initial pilot study involved only
two classes, its success will justify the introduction of handhelds
into a number of additional courses.
19 -- Effective Methods of Training Biology
Laboratory Teaching Assistants III: Grading Consistently
Rudi Berkelhamer and Anne Cordon [full
text]
Key words: TA preparation, grading rubrics, holistic rubrics, numeric
rubrics.
This workshop is a continuation of a dialogue on training teaching
assistants that began as a major workshop in Lincoln (1999, ABLE
Proceedings Vol. 21) and continued at Clemson (2000, ABLE
Proceedings Vol. 22). This year we focused on training TAs to
grade more consistently by comparing the use of holistic and numeric
rubrics for grading papers.
20 -- A Guided Inquiry in a Computer-based
Biology Lab
Phyllis S. Laine and Linda J. Heath [full
text]
Key words: guided inquiry, cooperative groups, computer as laboratory
notebook, concept mapping, Microsoft Excel, Inspiration software,
internet searching.
Computer technology is used by the research teams of 3-4 students
to search for background information for the guided inquiry, organize
this information into a concept map, complete an electronic template
(the TLNB: Team Lab Notebook), and analyze data with Microsoft Excel.
A computer projection system is used to present their findings to
the other teams. This format can be adapted to do open and guided
inquiry laboratories in biology for both the major and non-major
student. In addition it can be used to introduce the students to
science journal writing for a class electronic journal. An entire
course and laboratory manual was developed using this approach with
funds from NSF Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement grant
DUE # 9950373.
Mini Workshops
- Post-it NOTE® SCIENCE: DNA Replication, Transcription
and Translation by Lois Kreitzer-Housler [full
text]
- "Assume Nothing, Expect Everything": Teaching Students How
to Write a Scientific Paper by Christie J. Howard and Alan
A. Gubanich [full
text]
- Minds on Microscopy: A Forensics Approach by Cynthia
A. Surmacz [full
text]
- Investigating Your Watershed: Using Benthic Macroinvertebrates
as a Measure of Water Quality by Karin Readel
[full text]
- Making Graphs in Excel by Karin Knisely
[full text]
- "The Case of the Pilfered Plants": Biotechnology (and More)
Using an Interactive CD-ROM by Steven D. Clark, Deborah M.
Langsam, and Linda M. Simpson [full
text]
- Student-selected Biology Lab Activities by Martha J.
Jack [full text]
- Freshwater Sponges as Indicators of Water Pollution: An Investigative
Undergraduate Lab by Malcolm S. Hill and April L. Hill
[full text]
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