By Mary Chellis Austin

Come August, undergraduate biology students will share the old Northside Branch of the Lexington Public Library, located on Russell Clave Road, with a UK outreach program.

The P-12 Math and Science outreach unit of the Partnership Institute for Math and Science Education Reform provides outreach groups and training for administrators and teachers in the areas of math and science.

No permanent residence exists for the unit of PIMSER.

“We used to use local churches. We’ve used a lot of hotels,” said Kim Zeidler-Watters, director of the program.

For those who travel far, “the space allows for easy access,” Zeidler-Watters said. “Many come from western or eastern Kentucky for the outreach program.”

Parking will be available, and everything is on one level so educators won’t have to haul materials up stairs. It is also close to the interstate, so campus traffic can be avoided.

Zeidler-Watters said she hopes to eventually have an expansion on the back for a larger training space with a capacity of 70-150.

Bought by the university in 2008, the Northside building is now part of the ecological research facility. It sits aside a 55-acre field, home to animals that aid in ecological research, UK Provost Kumble Subbaswamy said.

For the biology department, “it was natural to acquire the building,” Subbaswamy said.

According to their website, the biology department will have a “30-seat teaching laboratory with prep room, office and computer labs, and access to shared classroom space in this building.”

Plans for the renovation began last week and include the restructuring of internal walls and storage spaces.

Subbaswamy said it will cost $2.3 million, but not all of the money is coming from the university.

For its 20 anniversary last year, Lexmark gave $1 million toward the renovation.

“We’re very excited about our role in helping the university transform the former Northside Library into a resource center for science, technology, engineering and math education,” Sheri Evans Depp, director of Talent Management for Lexmark, said in an email to the Kernel. “Our goal is to encourage more students to pursue careers in math and science and help fuel growth and innovation in our community.”

Not only do biology and education students benefit, but the building is also an opportunity for the “pipeline of high school students,” Subbaswamy said. “It’s a win-win-win situation.”

Originally posted here:
UK to use former Northside Branch of Lexington Public Library for outreach, research

BANGALORE, India--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Avesthagen Limited – India’s leading systems biology biotechnology company, has signed a MOU with CosmosID™, a U.S. based company for collaborating to correctly diagnose and therapeutically manage Tuberculosis treatment.

Tuberculosis or TB is a tropical disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a bacterium. Bacteria, in general and M. tuberculosis, in particular, can mutate into various forms called strains. Strains may be infectious or non-infectious and may vary in their disease causing abilities or virulence. Traditionally, TB patients are treated with antibiotics without an analysis of the strain involved. This generic approach may cause problems as the strain involved may not be virulent or may have developed resistance to a particular antibiotic.

Avesthagen and CosmosID will pool their expertise to identify the particular TB strain and thereby support proper treatment. The collaboration is expected to result in a new method for developing diagnostic kits for rapid screening of patient samples.

According to Dr. Villoo Morawala-Patell, Founder & CMD of Avesthagen Limited, “Tuberculosis is a serious infectious disease and the efficacy of its treatment lies in accurate and rapid identification of the TB strains. Avesthagen has been working on TB for some time and has developed a genomic data pool. In CosmosID we have found a leader and strong partner, developing rapid pathogen identification methods, MetaSeq™ Genomics, to facilitate more precise diagnostic screening of infectious disease in a single, rapid, and accurate test. The collaboration will help in improving the healthcare in developing and lesser developed countries where it is needed the most.”

Dr. Rita Colwell, Founder and Chairman of CosmosID said, "We are proud to be associated with Avesthagen on this important project. Our collaboration will provide significant benefits for TB patients worldwide and demonstrates a new paradigm for medical diagnostic screening of infectious disease.”

About Avesthagen Limited:

Avesthagen is India’s leading integrated systems biology platform company that focuses on achieving convergence of food, pharma and population genetics leading to predictive preventive and personalized healthcare. Avesthagen partners include multiple top 10 global companies in each of its fields of research. Since its inception Avesthagen has grown into one of India’s leading healthcare biotech companies. Avesthagen has developed clinically validated botanical bioactives and has a strong pipeline of bio-similars.

http://www.avesthagen.com Contact anilram@avesthagen.com

About CosmosID™, Inc.:

CosmosID™, Inc. is a privately owned company based in College Park, MD that provides pathogen diagnostic software solutions for rapid identification of pathogens, antibiotic resistant determinants, and virulence factors. The Company works with customers in the fields of microbial detection, product safety, biosecurity, bioforensics, and medical diagnostics. Based on NextGen sequencing, software, and reference databases, it develops applications to identify environmental microbial hazards, biothreat agents that endanger public health, and pathogens that cause infectious disease.

For further information, contact Bob Evans, bob.evans@cosmosid.net or http://www.cosmosid.com.

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Avesthagen Signs MOU with CosmosID™ for Improving Diagnosis and Management of Tuberculosis

Tuur van Balen gives a provocative how-to presentation at the Next Nature Power Show, showing how to use the Synthetic Biology Parts Registry to engineer yogurt bacteria to produce prozac:

Van Balen is a designer whose work explores the boundary between art and science in synthetic biology. From his website:

Tuur Van Balen (Belgium, 1981) uses design to explore the political implications of emerging technologies. Through designing and experimenting with new interactions, he constructs thought-provoking new realities. Both the process of creating these objects, interventions and narratives as the resulting physical presence aim to confuse, question and confront different publics with the possible (and impossible) roles of technologies in our everyday lives.

I couldn’t find BioBricks in the Parts Registry for the production of prozac, but you can learn more about engineering the yogurt bacteria Lactobacillus to produce new colors and flavors from the 2007 Edinburgh iGEM team and making your own incubator and other lab supplies from the 2010 ArtScience Bangalore iGEM team. More about Van Balen’s other projects can be found on his website, including Pigeon d’Or, which imagines using BioBricks that produce grease-digesting lipases to engineer bacteria that live in the pigeon digestive tract, turning this urban pest into a helpful city cleaning system.

While getting DNA into a (well-studied, culturable) bacterial cell might be easier than you think, the task of designing and optimizing a functional, useful, and safe gene system is a lot more complicated, providing both the excitement and challenge of synthetic biology. Work at the interface of design and synthetic biology can ask important questions about how new technologies are created, used, applied, and sold, helping us figure out what is good design.

(via Cathal Garvey, via Massively Networked)

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How To Genetically Modify Yogurt

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press Passes Available for Experimental Biology 2012 in San Diego

Newswise — Bethesda, Md. (Feb. 13, 2012)—The American Physiological Society (APS) is one of six scientific societies who will hold their joint scientific sessions and annual meetings, known as Experimental Biology (EB), from April 21-25, 2012 at the San Diego Convention Center. The other participating societies are the American Association of Anatomists (AAA), American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP), American Society for Nutrition (ASN) and the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET).

In past years, Experimental Biology has attracted more than 14,000 attendees, the vast majority of whom were scientists. Individual topics addressed each day are as diverse as the communication of science, drug development, adult stem cells, sustainable food systems, translational physiology, and investigative pathology.

For EB 2012, more than 2,100 abstracts have been programmed for the APS meeting. In addition to the abstract presentations there will be a variety of symposium covering topics such as:

• Hypertension and chronic kidney diseases
• Nuclear receptors in liver disease
• Novel advances in cystic fibrosis research and drug discovery
• Neurovascular mechanisms and targets in stroke, and
• Regulation of water and electrolyte balance in diabetic nephropathy.

Registration
Free registration is available to credentialed representatives of the press, and an onsite newsroom will be available. Detailed instructions for individuals who wish to request press passes are available on the website at http://bit.ly/vZ2dEh or by emailing Media@FASEB.org.

The press room will be open Saturday, April 21, through Wednesday, April 25. Pre-registration for press passes is strongly encouraged and will be accepted through April 16. A press kit with highlights of scientific research will be available on an embargoed basis prior to the meeting. Members of the media will have easy access to six society meetings in one location, more than 60 concurrent scientific sessions spanning the disciplines of the sponsoring societies, attendees from all over the world, and more than 400 company exhibit booths.

***
Physiology is the study of how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function to create health or disease. The American Physiological Society (APS; http://www.the-APS.org/press) has been an integral part of the discovery process for 125 years. To keep up with the science, follow @Phyziochick on Twitter.

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Press Passes Available for Experimental Biology 2012 in San Diego

It may be early February, but 10th-grade biology students at Heathwood Hall Episcopal School already have their hands in the dirt, planting trays of dill and peppers that will be ready in early spring.

“Believe it or not guys,” says science teacher, Jim Morris “together you’ve planted almost 100 seed trays.”

Students file out of the classroom and take a spiral staircase down to the school’s Robert Clark Greenhouse, where they will be filling more plastic trays with dirt and making tiny indentations in the soil — all part of the effort to get ready for Heathwood Hall’s April 12 spring plant sale.

Both the sale and the greenhouse lessons are part of a larger “green” initiative at the private school, called School Environmental Education, or SEED.

“The school has always had a deep commitment to environmental education,” said Morris, SEED’s co-director. “But it’s been each individual teacher doing their own project. SEED was created to be an umbrella group to pull all of these activities together.”

Launched last spring, the initiative uses a multipronged approach to coordinate what had become a long list of green projects or ecologically-minded programs, a focus for the school founded in 1951.

A team of 25 — including faculty, administration, student council officers and parents — representing seven subcommittees helps direct the program’s goals and ensure there aren’t redundancies.

“We operate on the premise that everyone takes ownership,” Morris said. “So it’s a bottom-up approach rather than a top-down approach.”

Projects have included conventional green programs, such as community cleanups, compost bins and vegetable and shade gardens. But the SEED team also has employed the unconventional, marrying environmental initiatives with other school programs.

“A huge number of people here have a classic land ethic to protect the environment,” Morris said. “So we have always looked for opportunities to tie all of our programs in together with environmental science.”

Case in point: The spring plant sale not only serves as a lesson in photosynthesis and seed germination — something biology students were studying recently — but also raises funds for those same students to take part in their senior trip to rehabilitate homes on Johns Island in South Carolina’s Lowcountry. The money raised from the sale will go toward paint and building materials.

Biology Buddies, which pairs preschoolers with high school students, is another example of a Heathwood program doing double, even triple, duty.

“Little kids can play in the dirt till the cows come home,” Morris said. “But older kids will get bored after awhile. So we’ve found the combination, with older and younger students together, works well. It’s very productive.”

The kids, Morris said, not only receive a science lesson but gain important socialization skills in the process. It’s a holistic approach that’s become a hallmark of how the school approaches education.

“We do that in various forms here,” Morris said.

The approach seems to be working.

Sophomore Thomas Smith said he didn’t think he would enjoy biology class. The 15-year-old, who tends to lean more toward history and English as his favorite subjects, said he’s since changed his mind.

“I’ve gotten into medicinal plants,” he said. “Like herbal remedies. So this (class) has got me interested in that.”

While Morris and Todd Beasley, the program’s other director, say some of the initiative’s goals may be lofty, ultimately they may prove beneficial to the community as well.

“Jim and I always like to think big,” said Beasley, who teaches fifth-grade science. “So we sometimes have to remind ourselves this has only been the first year.”

In addition to encouraging students to take behaviors such as recycling and planting gardens home to their families, the program helps students rediscover the world around them, Beasley said.

“It’s this idea more or less of a ‘green hour’ to get them outside for an hour,” he said. “One of our goals is to not necessarily say ‘you need to put down the video game’ but just get them thinking about other ways of entertaining themselves and get them reconnected to the outdoors.”

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Heathwood Hall planting seeds of change

BRANFORD, Connecticut, February 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Roche and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, DC announced today a collaboration agreement to use Roche's GS Junior benchtop sequencing system for research in SCBI's Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics. SCBI's state-of-the-art genetics laboratory, based at the National Zoo in Washington, DC, will house the next-generation sequencing instrument and will use its deep DNA sequencing powers for a variety of research projects in areas of animal disease resistance, population genetics and molecular ecology.

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute plays a key role in the Smithsonian's global efforts to understand and conserve species and train future generations of conservationists, while specializing in areas of animal ecology, management, health and breeding. Researchers at SCBI plan to use the GS Junior System's DNA sequencing technology to gain deeper insight into the genetics of dangerous pathogens that threaten animal species. Specific projects include:

Sequencing strains of the deadly amphibian chytrid fungus that has devastated amphibian populations worldwide. Sequencing highly pathogenic strains of the elephant endotheliotropic herpes virus (EEHV1). Sequencing invasive avian malaria strains that are devastating most species of native Hawaiian birds.

"The power of next-generation sequencing is remarkable," said Rob Fleischer, head of SCBI's Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics. "We are thrilled to work with Roche to bring the GS Junior System into our laboratory. The system is perfectly sized for our research and the long read lengths are critical to our particular areas of focus in pathogen detection and viral/bacterial comparative genomics."

"We are honored to support the Smithsonian Institution and the National Zoo's animal conservation projects, which are vital to the future health of our planet," said Thomas Schinecker, President of 454 Life Sciences, a Roche Company. "This collaboration demonstrates the tremendous potential of our sequencing technology to broaden understanding of all species on earth - from humans to plants and animals."

About Roche

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is a leader in research-focused healthcare with combined strengths in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Roche is the world's largest biotech company with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, virology, inflammation, metabolism and CNS. Roche is also the world leader in in-vitro diagnostics, tissue-based cancer diagnostics and a pioneer in diabetes management. Roche's personalized healthcare strategy aims at providing medicines and diagnostic tools that enable tangible improvements in the health, quality of life and survival of patients. In 2011, Roche had over 80,000 employees worldwide and invested over 8 billion Swiss francs in R&D. The Group posted sales of 42.5 billion Swiss francs. Genentech, United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche has a majority stake in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information: http://www.roche.com.

Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute plays a key role in the Smithsonian's global efforts to understand and conserve species and train future generations of conservationists. Headquartered in Front Royal, Va., SCBI facilitates and promotes research programs based at Front Royal, the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., and at field research stations and training sites worldwide.

For life science research only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

454, 454 LIFE SCIENCES, 454 SEQUENCING, and GS FLX are trademarks of Roche.

All other product names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

For further information please contact:

Roche Diagnostics 454 Life Sciences Corporation, a Roche Company

Dr. Burkhard Ziebolz
Phone: +49-8856-604830
Email: burkhard.ziebolz@roche.com

Katie Montgomery
Phone: +1-203-871-2300
Email: katie.montgomery@roche.com
Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute

Lindsay Renick Mayer
Phone : +1-202-633-3081
Email: RenickMayerL@si.edu

Original post:
Roche Supports the Smithsonian's National Zoo with Next-Generation Sequencing Instrument for Animal Conservation ...

William Atkins
Sunday, 12 February 2012 01:22

Science - Biology

Page 1 of 2

A study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology answers the question as to why zebras have stripes. The answer by these Hungarian and Swedish researchers may surprise you but, at least, it is a step in the right direction to answer the pressing question: Why do zebras have stripes?

The paper in the Journal of Experimental Biology is called “Polarotactic tabanids find striped patterns with brightness and/or polarization modulation least attractive: an advantage of zebra stripes.”

It was authored by:

•    Ádám Egri, Miklós Blahó, and Gábor Horváth (all three from the Environmental Optics Laboratory, Department of Biological Physics, Physical Institute, Eötvös University, Budapest, Hungary);
•    György Kriska (from the Group for Methodology in Biology Teaching, Biological Institute, Eötvös University, Budapest, Hungary);
•    Róbert Farkas and Mónika Gyurkovszky (both from the Department of Parasitology and Zoology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Szent István University, Budapest, Hungary);
•    Susanne Åkesson (from the Department of Biology, Centre for Animal Movement Research, Lund University, Ecology Building, Lund, Sweden).

They state from within their paper: “The characteristic striped appearance of zebras has provoked much speculation about its function and why the pattern has evolved, but experimental evidence is scarce.”

And, they conclude (Here comes the answer!): “… we demonstrate that a zebra-striped horse model attracts far fewer horseflies (tabanids) than either homogeneous black, brown, grey or white equivalents.”

So, the stripes help to confuse horseflies, that is, they would rather bite other animals than striped zebras.

Is that the end of the story? Check out page two to find out.

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Finally an answer: Why do zebras have stripes?

   Two HHS AP biology classes have had two interesting projects recently. The projects consisted of making a mobile and a water molecule.

AP science lead teacher  Patti Meeks  assigned the projects to her students, and she also gave her students specific guidelines to follow.

  The first project was to make A Mobile Without A Spine.  Students had to choose ten invertebrates from a list, each from a different phylum or category.  Once the students chose their ten invertebrates, they had to research to find information about each organism.

Mrs. Meeks gave students instructions to find each invertebrate's binomial name, classification of kingdom, phylum, class, order and family.

The teacher also told students to find specific anatomical, embryological, and symmetrical features present in the organism that qualify it for inclusion in its taxon. Students were also instructed to include one fun fact about each invertebrate.

The second project that AP biblogy students had to create was a water molecule.  Class members were given the instructions to build a 3-D water molecule out of household products. Other information that had to be included with the water molecule was to include all atoms and to put the atoms in the correct location.

 Students also had to include a key that explained the various features and to list the water's properties. Mrs. Meeks also told her students to make sure to model water's polarity.

Many students enjoyed the AP biology projects. Junior Hernan Mondragon stated,  "You learn a lot of stuff doing the research." Another student, Scott Borgognoni,  stated, "The projects were very interesting and easy."

The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of ashleycountyledger.com.

You must register with a valid email to post comments. Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.

Registered users sign in here: Become a Registered User

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AP Biology Students Create Mobiles and Water Molecules

THE science of soil biology is following on the heels of minimum till farming - hailed as the next productivity revolution and a potential source of widespread gains in the cropping sector.

The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) is supporting soil biology research with a major investment in the second GRDC Soil Biology Initiative (SBI-II).

The Initiative and its suite of projects is coordinated by Associate Professor Pauline Mele, Department of Primary Industries Victoria (DPI) and Latrobe University principal research scientist, under the leadership of GRDC manager agronomy, soils and environment, Dr Martin Blumenthal.

A/Prof Mele says the SBI-II will enhance productivity growth in the cropping sector, particularly the high rainfall zone (HRZ), by improving knowledge on a region-by-region basis as to how the quality of soil biology relates to grain productivity and productivity.

"We hope to improve understanding of the role of soil biological communities in crop nutrient availability, suppressive soils, and general soil health," A/Prof Mele said.

"For example, we have a range of projects that will give us greater insight into the role of free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria in crop nutrition.

"We already know that the amount produced will vary from between 10 and 30 kilograms per hectare per year but we don't have in-crop measures and have yet to link how stubble from previous years influences this rate."

A/Prof Mele says the SBI will provide also agronomic management solutions that encourage desirable biological processes and/or suppress undesirable processes.

"We understand that some soils are more able to resist diseases such as bare patch in wheat," she says.

"We also know that the phenomenon is related to soil biology as previous work has shown that if you sterilise the soil and remove the biology, disease strikes with a vengeance.

"The nature of this 'suppressiveness' is largely a mystery so this initiative is looking more deeply into the soil biology to see who is providing the defence and by what means."

Ultimately the hope is to relate these beneficial defence traits to crop management that encourages the development of a disease suppressive soil community.

"It is also building a research capacity in soil biology research, development and extension through national and international integration of science disciplines including genetics, bioinformatics, modelling, geochemistry, agronomy and pathology," A/Prof Mele says.

The SBI-II is underpinned by three key themes:

1. Monitoring soil quality for better decision making;

2. Management systems for enhanced nutrient availability (incorporating rhizosphere); and

3. Suppressive soils: traits and transferability.

In a season when waterlogging has been common across the HRZ, soil health is a hot topic for southern growers.

Under the SBI, GRDC is supporting the national roll-out of a soil quality project initiated in WA (visit http://www.soilhealth.org .au), which brings together tools and information for growers and advisers, including fact sheets on waterlogging, raised beds and non-wetting soils.

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Grain gains from soil biology research

06-02-2012 22:31 General Biology Laboratory

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Biology 1AL - Lecture 3 - Video

13-10-2011 11:01 On December 15, 2010, Renee Reijo Pera spoke to the CIRM Governing Board about her research studies of the human embryo and embryonic stem cells. Using time lapse video of the embryo's initial cell divisions, Pera's lab identified parameters that can accurately predict human embryo viability. These findings could improve the success rate for couples trying to have children through in vitro fertilization as well as reduce the number of embryos used in the procedure. Pera is director of Stanford's Center for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research and Education. She was introduced by Robert Klein, chair of the CIRM Governing Board. Series: "California Institute for Regenerative Medicine" [Science] [Show ID: 21940]

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The Human Embryo and Embyronic Stem Cell Biology - Video

As part of a series of electronic professional development experiences for educators, the NASA Explorer Schools project and the National Science Teachers Association are hosting a 90-minute live professional development Web seminar for educators on Feb. 8, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. EST. The student activity featured in this seminar demonstrates the effects of radiation on living organisms. Participants will learn how sun-screening materials protect live yeast cells from harmful ultraviolet, or UV, radiation and countermeasures for UV radiation and discuss phenotypic changes in yeast as a result of radiation damage. Participants will learn how different sun protection materials may be used to expand the range of items tested in this lab. See how you can bring a real-world connection between science and education to your students.

For more information and to register online, visit http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NES2/webseminar11.aspx .

To learn more about the NASA Explorer Schools project, visit http://explorerschools.nasa.gov.

Email any questions about this opportunity to NASA-Explorer-Schools@mail.nasa.gov.

Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.

Continued here:
NASA/NSTA Ultraviolet Radiation and Yeast: Radiation Biology Web Seminar

12-01-2012 08:27 This is a video of my cousin getting caught watching some porno. lol

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Awkward Moment - Biology - Video

03-02-2012 13:07 General Biology Lecture

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Biology 1A - Lecture 8: Regulation of Enzymatic Activity - Video

30-01-2012 12:16 And thus begins the most revolutionary biology course in history. Come and learn about covalent, ionic, and hydrogen bonds. What about electron orbitals, the octet rule, and what does it all have to do with a mad man named Gilbert Lewis? It's all contained within. Like Crash Course on Facebook:...

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That's Why Carbon Is A Tramp - Video

01-02-2012 16:17 Plant Molecular Genetics

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Plant and Microbial Biology 160 - Lecture 7 - Video

Last fall, when Joe Ruhl, a Jefferson High School biology teacher, learned he was one of 30 educators in North America up for a prestigious award, he was surprised.

Now that he is one of three finalists for the Shell National Science Teaching Award, given annually by the National Science Teaching Association to honor innovations in science teaching, he doesn't know how to feel.

"I've been told we may find out next week who the one science teacher is who is going to represent the country and parts of Canada," Ruhl said, "and I'm thinking, 'Come on. You've got to be kidding.' This has kind of blown me away."

Ruhl was nominated last August, which began a process he called "grueling." First came the paperwork -- an assortment of personal information, including his r?sum? and a summary of his teaching philosophy. Then he had to create a DVD of himself.

The process concluded Thursday when Ruhl spent the day being shadowed by a group of judges who observed and conducted interviews with students, parents and colleagues.

Ruhl didn't tell his students about the honor until it came down to the final 10 candidates late last year. Ruhl said the students were almost as ecstatic as he was.

"What warmed my heart the most is how excited the kids have gotten," Ruhl said.

Freshman Joe Ensign said Ruhl's energy and adaptability are what he likes best.

"He's very energetic, no matter what the situation is," Ensign said. "He just goes with the flow."

Ruhl first developed a love of science as a fourth-grader watching the television show "Lost in Space."

"I soon realized science fact is a lot more interesting than science fiction," Ruhl said.

His classroom is a testament to that belief. From the aquariums lining the shelves to the 300-gallon fish tank filled with largemouth bass, his classroom is a biologist's playground.

Principal Jeff Studebaker, whose children had Ruhl as a teacher, said Ruhl "is exactly what we want our teachers to be: Innovative, dedicated and compassionate.

"His strength is in his ability to not only create an amazing learning experience for his students but to get near universal buy-in from his students," Studebaker said. "His students learn and succeed because they want to for him."

As a finalist, Ruhl will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the National Science Teaching Association conference, which this year takes place in Indianapolis.

"They offered to pay for my airfare," Ruhl said with a laugh.

The award comes with $10,000, but Ruhl said he hasn't thought much about that. It's enough, he said, just to be nominated.

"They can't go into every classroom in the country and examine every teacher. We have to keep things in perspective."

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Lafayette Jeff biology teacher 'blown away' by nomination

03-08-2011 09:09 Sophomores Kevin Chau and Lisa Adden describe the advantages of studying biology at Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri.

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Biology at Webster University - Video

Concerns about collaboration efforts with the developing College of Medicine are growing within the university’s Physician Assistant Program and Department of Biology.

As CMED faces a decision based on an evaluation from the Liason Committee on Medical Education for preliminary accreditation, the related academic departments hope to be better incorporated in the university’s decision-making process in the future.

Ahmad Hakemi, director of the Physician Assistant Program, said he will meet to provide input with CMED officials Thursday, the first time in more than two years.

“Recently, there has been an effort for us to be included to see what’s happening and closely collaborate,” Hakemi said. “But we were not included at all in the past two years.”

Hakemi said he was once involved in CMED discussions when former University President Michael Rao’s administration presided over the university.

“Initially, two and a half years ago, we were included and I attended all the meetings and was very involved,” Hakemi said. “I was one of the first people involved that the university and ex-president Rao talked to.”

Hakemi said his department is looking forward to collaborating with CMED programs and faculty, and the shared facilities, simulation labs and standardized patients will help strengthen the PA program.

“LCME’s standards are very high and if they’re going to allow a medical school to proceed, expectations are very high,” Hakemi said. “So this means that you’re going to have top people here, the best resources here, the best minds here and the best researchers here, and I really look forward to collaborating, because we have very limited resources in the PA program.”

CMED Dean Ernest Yoder said he expects collaboration efforts to increase after LCME’s evaluation next week. Recently, Yoder said, a significant amount of work has been dedicated to ensuring CMED will meet the required criteria for accreditation.

“There’s a fair amount of work that was going in regard to LCME which did not invite in folks from other departments,” Yoder said.

As the school continues to develop, Yoder said, he envisions CMED collaborating with the university’s relevant departments, along with the Mount Pleasant community.

“We view ourselves as a community-engaged medical school and we think there’s going to be very substantial collaboration involving all of the departments at CMU, as well as the community we hope to serve,” Yoder said.

Stephen Roberts, chairman of the Biology Department, said the department’s recent endorsement of the Academic Senate’s vote of no confidence against University President George Ross and Provost Gary Shapiro stemmed from issues with CMED, a lack of shared governance and perceived devaluation of faculty during contract negotiations.

“In the deliberations of the motion to endorse the Academic Senate’s vote of no confidence, some Biology faculty members expressed concerns about perceived communication lapses from the administration during the conception and planning of the College of Medicine,” Roberts said in an email.

However, Roberts said development of CMED has already started to make a positive impact on the Department of Biology, including the number of students majoring in biology and biomedical sciences.

“There is little doubt that the creation of the College of Medicine has played a significant role in the growth of the biology and biomedical sciences majors, which combined have grown from 450 students to 725 students in the past three years,” Roberts said. “Historically, the Biology Department has had strengths in field and aquatic biology, but in the past decade or so, has also grown and developed strength in cell biology and molecular genetics.”

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Biology, health departments concerned with university collaboration over CMED

February 2, 2012 Sharon Phillips named Oklahoma Outstanding Biology Teacher 2011

Anonymous The Ada News The Ada Evening News Thu Feb 02, 2012, 07:47 AM CST

Vanoss —  

Sharon Phillips, Vanoss High School biology teacher and science supervisor, is the recipient of the 2011 Outstanding Biology Teacher for Oklahoma.

The OBTA is given each year by the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) to a life science teacher in each state who demonstrates exemplary practice in the teaching of life science.  Phillips has been a science teacher and coach at Vanoss since 2002 and presently teaches anatomy, zoology, and Biology II.  She began her teaching career at Cashion Public Schools in 1984 and has taught at Kellyville and Lexington Public Schools and loves science education.  Her job, she says is to create the interest that will help students learn to think critically and biological science holds the key. Whether in the lab discussing what error was made during an experiment, or discussing the hottest topic in the world, problem solving is critical.

Phillips' enthusiasm and dedication to teaching biology is demonstrated in her following quote: “I believe biological science education is of the greatest importance. Teaching students to connect concepts, compare and contrast areas, and infer on subjects discussed is critical in the life science world.”

“Discussing subjects that arise in our rural community, state or national level, or at home on the personal level can bring out the best conversations and thinking skills in my classes.”  Her essay’s concluding paragraph sums up Sharon’s upbeat teaching philosophy and work ethic, “I love teaching, and I love the life sciences.  The influence I have on my students will affect the outcome of their lives.  Whether I make a difference in one student or a hundred students, it is worth every effort I put forth in the teaching profession,  With all the negativity surrounding the teaching field, each teacher must make a conscience choice to be positive.  I believe in my profession, I believe in my students, and I believe that a positive influence can make a difference.”

While she was Vanoss Teacher of the year for 2008-2009,  Phillips does not actively seek recognition for her enthusiasm and dedication to science education.  She simply believes her role is to bring the best she can to her classroom and be there for her students.   

Phillips credits her success to the support of her colleagues and friends. “Susie Stevens Edens has been a tremendous mentor and go-to person. She has been very supportive and helpful during times I have struggled learning new concepts” said phillips.

“Much of the credit needs to be given to my former superintendent Cheryl Melton, she encouraged me to start a program in the biotechnology field and we haven’t slowed down."

See the article here:
Sharon Phillips named Oklahoma Outstanding Biology Teacher 2011