From Honeybees to Pond Water....Elvis and Chickens....

Montana Local Outreach Teams Present Workshops in Physiology

Two Local Outreach Teams (LOTs) developed through the American Physiological Society's Frontiers in Physiology program presented workshops in physiology to Montana middle and high school teachers and tribal college faculty in October and November of 1999. LOTs disseminate physiology resources and physiology education through local inservice workshops. Each LOT will host informal follow-up sessions for workshop participants in Spring 2000.

Dull Knife Memorial LOT
The Dull Knife Memorial LOT is a joint effort by the Dull Knife Memorial College and Little Big Horn College to improve the quality of science education at tribal schools and the surrounding communities in southeastern Montana. Both colleges serve as training sites for continuing education of middle and high school science teachers, provide K-12 outreach services through the High Plains Rural Systemic Initiative (HPRSI), and have resource centers which provide inquiry-based teaching materials to area schools.

Under the direction of team leader, APS member Robert G. Carroll, of East Carolina University, APS Education Committee Chair Barbara Goodman, of the University South Dakota School of Medicine, and Explorations in Biomedicine summer research teacher Robert Madsen, of Dull Knife Memorial College, Lame Deer, presented workshops on October 18th and 22nd that included information on education resources and materials available through the APS and modeling of hands-on, inquiry-based classroom activities.

Teachers explored the "Elvis Experiments," a component of the APS unit, Physiology of Fitness, highlighting cardiovascular and respiratory functions. Students participating in the Elvis Experiments "re-discover" Poiseuille's Law by constructing experiments on factors that contribute to flow resistance.

Science activities developed by local teachers, also former participants in the APS Explorations in Biomedicine program, were also presented. Robert Madsen presented "Bee Cool," an investigation of honeybee thermoregulation. Don Hutson, of F. Brattin Middle School, Colstrip, presented "Pond to Cup," where students learn what causes growth and death in microorganisms in pond water. Carol Baker, of Ashland Public School, Ashland, presented "Move Chicken Move," where students learn about the movement and structure of muscles. Martin Old Crow and Shane Doyle of Lodge Grass Elementary School, Lodge Grass, and John Pilch, of Lodge Grass Jr. High School, Lodge Grass, also presented activities. Billie Foote, of Dull Knife Memorial College, Tony Kilyanek, of Lame Deer High School, and Bruce Dudek, of St. Labre High School also presented activities.

Finally, participants explored diabetes using "Charting Your Blood Glucose Level" (.pdf) a student exercise from the APS Women Life Scientists: Past, Present, and Future book (1997).

University of Montana LOT
The University of Montana LOT team, led by Delbert L. Kilgore, Jr., Ph.D., Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, and William R. Galey, Jr., University of New Mexico School of Medicine, presented a workshop to middle and high school teachers on November 6, 1999 at the Salish Kootenai College, a tribal college located about 60 miles north of the University of Montana Campus.

LOT team members, Dave Fitzpatrick, Charlo High School, Kathy Knudson, Polson Middle School, Robert Madsen, Dull Knife Memorial College, and Mary Alice Thomas, Polson High School modeled components of the Physiology of Fitness unit including the "Elvis Experiment," and an exercise exploring the effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system.

Participants were also presented teaching materials and resources developed by APS, as well as teacher-designed and tested science activities developed by former summer research fellows in the Explorations in Biomedicine program.

Teachers received copies of Robert Madsen's "Bee Cool," Carol Baker's "Move Chicken Move," "Charting Your Blood Glucose Level" a student exercise from the APS Women Life Scientists: Past, Present, and Future book, and Kathy Knudson's "Learning About Absorption," activities, and instruction in inquiry-based pedagogy.

Practicing how to record blood pressure

Left to right: Missi Probst, Linda Jones, Bill Galey (APS
Physiologist), Marvin Todd, Betsy Spivey, Beverly
Schallock, Millie Nesladek (foreground)

Checking pulse rate before exercising

Left to right: Millie Nesladek, Effie Clairmont, Kathy Knudson (LOT Team Member), Beverly Schallock,
Polly Dupuis

Checking blood pressure and pulse
rate after exercising

Left to right: Shawnda Zindler, Linda Jones (hidden),
Kathy Knudson (LOT Team Member), Missi Probst, Bill Galey (APS Physiologist), Marvin Todd

 
Checking the school nurse's

blood pressure

Left to right: Mary Alice Thomas (LOT Team Member), Millie Nesladek

Checking the results of

the 'Elvis' experiment

Left to right: Cindy Templer (back to camera),
Betsy Spivey, Jeff Kelch, Peggy Mattson

Determining if length of tubing affects
flow in the 'Elvis' experiment

Left to right: Bob Madsen (LOT Team Member)(background), Effie Clairmont, Polly Dupuis,
Bill Galey (APS Physiologist), Millie Nesladek

Carefully timing flow rates in the
'Elvis' experiment

Left to right: Peggy Mattson (foreground looking away
from camera), Jeff Kelch, Cindy Templer