Education

Twenty-five Teachers Attend APS Science Teaching Forum

2004-2005 Porter Physiology Fellows Announced

APS and Physiology Department at Mississippi Sponsor Undergraduate Symposium

Twenty-five Teachers Attend APS Science Teaching Forum
For the week of July 26-August 1, 25 Research Teachers (RTs) from this year’s Frontiers in Physiology and Explorations in Biomedicine Fellowship programs gathered at the Airlie Center in Warrenton, VA. During this intensive workshop week, the teachers explored inquiry- and equity-based teaching strategies, how to integrate technology into their classroom and the use of animals in teaching and research. The RTs participated in numerous hands-on laboratory and web-based activities, shared their summer research experiences, evaluated their current teaching techniques, and collaboratively developed strategies to implement teaching methods promoted by the National Science Education Standards. The RTs also started developing their own hands-on, inquiry-based science activities. The teachers left the Airlie Center exhausted but thrilled with all that they had learned and the vibrant collegial network that had formed over the week.
The 2004 RTs spent the majority of the summer conducting research in APS-member host laboratories, learning first-hand how the research process works. Over the last 14 years, the APS has partnered with many of the nation’s leading biomedical academic, private, and government research facilities to provide research opportunities for over 300 teachers.
Traveling from points as diverse as Texas, New Hampshire and Washington, the 25 2004 Research Teachers gathered in Virginia for an intensive week long workshop.

The Frontiers in Physiology and Explorations in Biomedicine Professional Development Fellowship programs seek to build on-going connections between science instructors and the biomedical research community. The summertime workshop and research experience are components of the competitive yearlong Fellowships.

In April the RTs will attend the International Union of Physiological Scientists meeting in San Diego, CA, to further their science experiences and learn about the latest life-science research findings. Many RTs will present their own research findings and/or activities at poster sessions.

The Frontiers Fellowship awardees teach at middle and high schools across the United States. Frontiers in Physiology is a program of APS, and is sponsored by APS, the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) Science Education Partnership Awards (SEPA), and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) at the National Institutes of Health. 
The Explorations in Biomedicine Fellowship is sponsored by APS and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)/Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) Program. Explorations RTs teach primarily Native American students at middle and high schools, and tribal colleges on Indian reservations.

Workshops included hands-on physiology lab activities from the APS online unit “The Sense of Touch.” John Hall tests Betsy Scarborough's tactile receptor fields with a two-point discrimination tester.

Mentors and Curriculum Development: Deepening the Learning
Another vital component of the weeklong Professional Development Workshop is the guidance provided by the Mentor/Instructor team composed of former RTs and Physiologists-in-Residence. During the summer workshop, the Mentor/Instructors facilitated sessions using APS curriculum units and worked with the RTs one-on-one as they developed their own lab/lessons. The Mentor/Instructors work with the 2004 RTs throughout the Fellowship year via email and online activities.
Returning for their second time as Mentor/Instructors were: Isabelle Camille, Coral Gables High School in Miami, FL; Kris Clements, Caddo Parish Magnet High School in Shreveport, LA; and Kolene Krysl, Oakdale Elementary School in Omaha, NE. Joining the team were Terri DeCresie, A.G. Cox Middle School in Winterville, NC; Diana DeSpain, Putnam City High School in Oklahoma City, OK; and Randy Dix, Olathe North High School in Olathe, KS. 

The 2004 Physiologists-in-Residence and Mentor/Instructors. From left to right: Barb Goodman, Karma Rabon-Stith, Kolene Krysl, Terri DeCresie, Isabelle Camille, Diana DeSpain and Randy Dix.

APS Member and Minority Travel Fellow Serve as Physiologists-in-Residence
During the 2004 Science Teaching Forum, two dynamic physiologists served as Physiologists-in-Residence: Barb Goodman, Professor of Physiology and Director of Special Programs and Science Education at the University of South Dakota’s School of Medicine in Vermillion, SD, and Karma Rabon-Stith, a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Maryland-College Park Department of Kinesiology & University of Maryland-Baltimore Department of Medicine. Goodman also serves as an Associate Editor of Advances in Physiology Education. Rabon-Stith recently received an APS NIDDK Minority Travel Award to attend the 2004 “APS Translational Research Conference on Integrative Biology of Exercise.”

As the 2004 Physiologists-in-Residence, Goodman and Rabon-Stith actively and effectively fielded the RTs’ numerous questions related to science content, the use of animals in research, and classroom equity issues. Goodman and Stith-Rabon also provided assistance to teachers as they began developing science labs and activities to use in their classrooms. 

Applications for the 2005 Professional Development Fellowships are available on the APS website at http://www.the-aps.org/education/edu_k12.htm. For additional information about the summer research programs, email the APS Education Office at education@the-aps.org, or call 301-634-7132. 

2004-2005 Porter Physiology Fellows Announced
     The APS and Porter Physiology Development Committee congratulate the 2004-2005 APS Porter Physiology Fellows:
Christina Bennett, Univ. of Michigan
Adrienne Bratcher, Univ. of Louisville School of Medicine
Jessica Clark, Univ. of Arizona
Alfredo Garcia III, Wright State Univ.
Damon Jacobs, Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Walson Metzger, Univ. of Dentistry and Medicine, NJ
Gary Morris, Eastern Virginia Medical School
Stefanie Raymond-Whish, Northern Arizona Univ.

The Porter Physiology Fellowships for minorities are one-year fellowships that provide a stipend of $18,000. The fellowships are open to underrepresented ethnic minority applicants (African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Native Alaskans, or Pacific Islanders) who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its territories. Applicants must have been accepted into or currently be enrolled in a graduate program pursuing an advanced degree in the physiological sciences. For more information, see the APS website at http://www.the-aps.org/education/minority_prog/porterfell.htm or contact Melinda Lowy in the APS Education Office at education@the-aps.org or 301-634-7132. The deadline for 2005-2006 applications will be January 15, 2005 and June 15, 2005.

APS and Physiology Department at Mississippi 
Sponsor Undergraduate Symposium
     The APS, along with the Department of Physiology at the University of Mississippi Medical School, sponsored an undergraduate research symposium and luncheon on July 29, 2004. 

Joey P. Granger conceived of and hosted the event as a result of having a 2004 Undergraduate Summer Research Fellow, Lyndsay K. Roberts from Mississippi State University in Starkville, working in his laboratory. As a research host, Granger received a grant from APS for his use. Rather than apply the funds toward lab supplies or other things, he decided to utilize the funds to have a department-wide undergraduate research symposium. 
The event allowed all the undergraduate students working in physiology laboratories to present their research results from the summer to the department faculty and the other students, giving them valuable experience at explaining their research. The luncheon also gave everyone the opportunity to converse and discuss their research in a less formal atmosphere. All those who participated in the event felt it was time well spent. 

APS thanks Dr. Granger for his efforts on behalf of the undergraduate students.
Back Row, Left to Right: Dr. John Hall, Matt Dukes, Chaz Seyfarth, William Johnson, Geoffrey Ferril, Latoya Bullock, Paul Brown, Ben Hodnett, Leigh Bailey, Dr. Joey Granger. Front Row, Left to Right: Ameila Bailey, Toni Peters, Lyndsay Roberts, Leslie Granger, Jennifer Dearman, Alissa Willis, Elizabeth Fowler.

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