Initial Goals My initial goals were to learn more about biotech applications I can use with students in the classroom and to increase my lab skills and comfort zone in relaying information and techniques to my students.
Knowledge/Skills Acquired. The course has helped me understand lab techniques and equipment used in biotechnology. An example was the hematoxylin and eosin staining of sectioned heart tissue and eye tissue lab. I can envision having my students preparing cell tissue and staining the tissue in our lab. I think students can handle working under a hood and using the different solutions and then the permount to seal tissue samples. How great would it be for students to be able to grow tissue and then create their own slide collections.
Learning about protein purification and extraction was fun. I had never done Luciferase and Bradford assays. I didn't really understand the data analysis. Honestly, I need to run through these labs a couple of times before I can really absorb and understand everything we are doing - but it's a start for me :^). I'm looking forward to the Western Blot lab as this is a technique commonly used by biotech teachers, but new to me :^)
Impact on Teaching. The course has impacted my teaching already. I am much more keen to learn about biotechnology. Amy can vouch for this. I've been running up and down the stairs to her classroom asking to borrow equipment and having her guide me through my first DNA crime scene investigation with students. Thanks Amy! I actually instructed a small group of students today on creating and pouring our agarose gels. Sounds trivial, but to me it is a start, the instruction went well, it was really easy, students had fun and are excited to move into the next stage of the DNA mystery lab, and I'm glad the biotech equipment is being used. It has been sitting in the lab I am using for three years. I'm the first to unwrap it and start using it. Amy wasn't aware that we had some of this equipment, so she's excited to know of it's existence and I've been moving some of the equipment up to her lab. None of this would have happened if I hadn't been taking the JABSOM biotech workshop.
Impact on Goals My goals are being met. I'm learning more about biotech, I'm in a lab familiarizing myself with equipment and having the opportunity to use the equipment with guidance from experts in the field. What a fabulous experience! I have applied for the Ag494 course in Hilo this summer and am waiting to hear if I get accepted. I think the JABSOM workshop will make me more marketable in the workplace and help me become a more qualified teacher in the area of biology and biotech. I also really enjoy the online lessons and tutorials. I can see how I can use the online information in my lesson plans with students. I'm thinking of using the micropipette online demonstration with students, before I give them a hands on lesson on micropipette use, which I need to do before they start injecting our simulated DNA samples into the agarose gels for our DNA mystery. Little steps, but steps, and I am grateful for every step along this biotech journey.
Ok, I started writing the reflection and it became really long - 3 pages long so I am going to only share my initial goals and impact on the blog.
My initial goals for participating in the Summer Research Experience Program were to a. Learn new biotechnology laboratory skills and refine the ones that I already practice. b. Get some research ideas for myself and my students. c. Network with colleagues and scientists building bridges for future projects.
Impact of the knowledge and skills I acquired during my Summer Research Experience is going to be “immediate.” Especially with the funding of $1000 for lab supplies, I am able to practice what I learned immediately in my classroom. I am going to perform all of the laboratory exercises that we performed at the workshop next school year with little variation. I really like the way the lectures online were laid out as well. I am going to use a similar format to organize my class next school year – Basic Lab Skills, Nucleic Acid, and Protein. Keeping things simple is really important especially when teaching high school students.
I also love the fact that we had experts from different areas of the research group. Jen, a Postdoc, had a wealth of information and was able to answer all theoretical aspects. Marie had so much practical laboratory knowledge and skills. I was constantly picking her brains. Cindy, a graduate student who was a classroom teacher, was an excellent bridge between the teachers and JABSOM staff. She understood our needs and our questions. What an awesome team! I am going to utilize the practical knowledge I gained from them (not found in textbooks) and apply to my practice.
The program delivered more than my initial expectations. I learned new laboratory protocols (i.e. plasmid preparation, luciferase assay, and mammalian cell staining & mounting, etc) and reviewed the ones I already practice (i.e. pipetting, DNA analysis, and protein analysis). I obtained some research ideas (i.e. Bacterial identification via Genomics Core service and plant tissue culture, etc.). In addition, I was able to network with colleagues and scientists.
This workshop was one of the best workshops I have attended. I was always excited to start each day and was constantly looking forward to what we were going to do next. It was very well organized so no time was wasted while we were the workshop. I loved the online materials, too. I am planning to incorporate some of them into my curriculum next year. It contains links to excellent online biotechnology materials.
INITIAL GOALS Initially, I hoped to learn new biotech lab techniques, and thereby develop more confidence about incorporating increased lab opportunities with students. I also wanted to strengthen connections with fellow science teachers around the state, and build new relationships. And ultimately, I really wanted to learn about UH JABSOM CCR, and build bridges to help our students cross over into med school and higher education in general.
KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS ACQUIRED I was very fortunate for several summers in a row a few years ago to be able to take summer biotech courses provided by DOE/Bio-Rad. However, I still did not have enough confidence to incorporate more than the simplest procedures with my students, and even then, only while assisting Amy. This course gave me more opportunities to practice lab skills already learned (micropipetting, PCR, agarose gel electrophoresis, bacterial transformation, DNA extraction), then built on that and gave me a deeper understanding of each procedure, and why it was effective in each case. In addition, I got to learn new techniques and procedures, like the Bradford and Luciferase assays, hematoxylin and eosin staining of sectioned heart tissue, and Western blotting. Also, being able to work in the lab with actual researchers and lab technicians really strengthened this experience because they were able to share their extensive knowledge and expertise.
Learning about UH JABSOM and the CCR itself really opened my eyes to new possibilities and opportunities for students. Previously I did not even know the CCR existed! I was thrilled to find out the acceptance rate of Hawaii students into JABSOM was so incredibly high - that is fantastic news for our students! I was also fascinated being able to tour the vivarium, and see the actual research being done on the mice. What an awesome opportunity!
Another fantastic aspect of this course, which came as a complete surprise to me, are the "Meet the Scientist" talks. On the original flyer for this course, one of the listed expectations for the course was, "Meet Hawaii's top scientists." Little did I know that we were actually going to have weekly seminar-type presentations by these top scientists, where we would be exposed to the cutting-edge research and techniques. WOW! What an incredible opportunity! I am still amazed at the slide we looked at where we could see the heart cells beating! So, so cool! And the coolest of all: the ventricular myocardial band! WOWEE!!! This is so incredibly intriguing and fascinating to me! I could not wait to share this with my students! I LOVE the heart, and want them to love it too!
IMPACT ON TEACHING The impact on teaching was immediate. After the first session, I went back to my health service pathway students and told them all about my experience. Thereafter, following each session I gave a brief overview of the weekly lab procedure and the "Meet the Scientist" talk. The students clearly saw my excitement to be able to learn and enthusiasm in sharing what was learned. I hope I have been able to pass on the joy of continuing ones education, at whatever level. These are the students who are interested in careers in the health service field, so it has been great to share some of the JABSOM opportunities and possibilities.
Another impact has not been felt yet, but will next year and thereafter, when hopefully Brian, Amy and I are able to work together in the lab to utilize some of the equipment for which we pooled our lab equipment $$$. Rather than purchase equipment for my class which would only get used from time to time, I thought it best to have Amy spend the $$$ on equipment and supplies that could get used regularly, including when Brian and I bring our students over to her lab to work. I think this use of $$$ will have a greater impact on more students and increased student learning.
IMPACT ON GOALS Being a teacher is an evolving practice, an active verb. I am always looking for ways to be better. This program has offered an incredible opportunity to continue honing the craft of teaching. All of the initial goals I had have been met and surpassed through participation in this professional development program. New lab techniques have been learned and will be incorporated into the courses I teach, my confidence level in the lab has increased, new relationships have been built and familiar ones strengthened, and knowledge of UH JABSOM CCR has been obtained and shared.
One impact connected to the weekly labs which provided growth possibilities was the very intentional changing-up of lab partners weekly. This meant working with new people each session. This offered new challenges in working with other teachers with different styles and approaches, as well as alike. It also presented opportunities to learn about each other, and to build new friendships and professional relationships. Brian and I discussed how great it was to be able to "talk story" with so many other science teachers, and that they were all so willing to share what they were doing, and how they were doing it. This course has definitely strengthened the collegial relationships between the four of us at Baldwin who have been fortunate to participate, and also among all of the teachers who have been a part of this valued experience.
As a result of this professional development opportunity, I will definitely encourage students to seriously consider UH JABSOM, as this course really opened my eyes to UH JABSOM as a very viable and excellent option for Hawaii's students.
4 comments:
Initial Goals
My initial goals were to learn more about biotech applications I can use with students in the classroom and to increase my lab skills and comfort zone in relaying information and techniques to my students.
Knowledge/Skills Acquired. The course has helped me understand lab techniques and equipment used in biotechnology. An example was the hematoxylin and eosin staining of sectioned heart tissue and eye tissue lab. I can envision having my students preparing cell tissue and staining the tissue in our lab. I think students can handle working under a hood and using the different solutions and then the permount to seal tissue samples. How great would it be for students to be able to grow tissue and then create their own slide collections.
Learning about protein purification and extraction was fun. I had never done Luciferase and Bradford assays. I didn't really understand the data analysis. Honestly, I need to run through these labs a couple of times before I can really absorb and understand everything we are doing - but it's a start for me :^). I'm looking forward to the Western Blot lab as this is a technique commonly used by biotech teachers, but new to me :^)
Impact on Teaching. The course has impacted my teaching already. I am much more keen to learn about biotechnology. Amy can vouch for this. I've been running up and down the stairs to her classroom asking to borrow equipment and having her guide me through my first DNA crime scene investigation with students. Thanks Amy! I actually instructed a small group of students today on creating and pouring our agarose gels. Sounds trivial, but to me it is a start, the instruction went well, it was really easy, students had fun and are excited to move into the next stage of the DNA mystery lab, and I'm glad the biotech equipment is being used. It has been sitting in the lab I am using for three years. I'm the first to unwrap it and start using it. Amy wasn't aware that we had some of this equipment, so she's excited to know of it's existence and I've been moving some of the equipment up to her lab. None of this would have happened if I hadn't been taking the JABSOM biotech workshop.
Impact on Goals
My goals are being met. I'm learning more about biotech, I'm in a lab familiarizing myself with equipment and having the opportunity to use the equipment with guidance from experts in the field. What a fabulous experience! I have applied for the Ag494 course in Hilo this summer and am waiting to hear if I get accepted. I think the JABSOM workshop will make me more marketable in the workplace and help me become a more qualified teacher in the area of biology and biotech. I also really enjoy the online lessons and tutorials. I can see how I can use the online information in my lesson plans with students. I'm thinking of using the micropipette online demonstration with students, before I give them a hands on lesson on micropipette use, which I need to do before they start injecting our simulated DNA samples into the agarose gels for our DNA mystery. Little steps, but steps, and I am grateful for every step along this biotech journey.
Ok, I started writing the reflection and it became really long - 3 pages long so I am going to only share my initial goals and impact on the blog.
My initial goals for participating in the Summer Research Experience Program were to
a. Learn new biotechnology laboratory skills and refine the ones that I already practice.
b. Get some research ideas for myself and my students.
c. Network with colleagues and scientists building bridges for future projects.
Impact of the knowledge and skills I acquired during my Summer Research Experience is going to be “immediate.” Especially with the funding of $1000 for lab supplies, I am able to practice what I learned immediately in my classroom. I am going to perform all of the laboratory exercises that we performed at the workshop next school year with little variation. I really like the way the lectures online were laid out as well. I am going to use a similar format to organize my class next school year – Basic Lab Skills, Nucleic Acid, and Protein. Keeping things simple is really important especially when teaching high school students.
I also love the fact that we had experts from different areas of the research group. Jen, a Postdoc, had a wealth of information and was able to answer all theoretical aspects. Marie had so much practical laboratory knowledge and skills. I was constantly picking her brains. Cindy, a graduate student who was a classroom teacher, was an excellent bridge between the teachers and JABSOM staff. She understood our needs and our questions. What an awesome team! I am going to utilize the practical knowledge I gained from them (not found in textbooks) and apply to my practice.
The program delivered more than my initial expectations. I learned new laboratory protocols (i.e. plasmid preparation, luciferase assay, and mammalian cell staining & mounting, etc) and reviewed the ones I already practice (i.e. pipetting, DNA analysis, and protein analysis). I obtained some research ideas (i.e. Bacterial identification via Genomics Core service and plant tissue culture, etc.). In addition, I was able to network with colleagues and scientists.
This workshop was one of the best workshops I have attended. I was always excited to start each day and was constantly looking forward to what we were going to do next. It was very well organized so no time was wasted while we were the workshop. I loved the online materials, too. I am planning to incorporate some of them into my curriculum next year. It contains links to excellent online biotechnology materials.
INITIAL GOALS
Initially, I hoped to learn new biotech lab techniques, and thereby develop more confidence about incorporating increased lab opportunities with students. I also wanted to strengthen connections with fellow science teachers around the state, and build new relationships. And ultimately, I really wanted to learn about UH JABSOM CCR, and build bridges to help our students cross over into med school and higher education in general.
KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS ACQUIRED
I was very fortunate for several summers in a row a few years ago to be able to take summer biotech courses provided by DOE/Bio-Rad. However, I still did not have enough confidence to incorporate more than the simplest procedures with my students, and even then, only while assisting Amy. This course gave me more opportunities to practice lab skills already learned (micropipetting, PCR, agarose gel electrophoresis, bacterial transformation, DNA extraction), then built on that and gave me a deeper understanding of each procedure, and why it was effective in each case. In addition, I got to learn new techniques and procedures, like the Bradford and Luciferase assays, hematoxylin and eosin staining of sectioned heart tissue, and Western blotting. Also, being able to work in the lab with actual researchers and lab technicians really strengthened this experience because they were able to share their extensive knowledge and expertise.
Learning about UH JABSOM and the CCR itself really opened my eyes to new possibilities and opportunities for students. Previously I did not even know the CCR existed! I was thrilled to find out the acceptance rate of Hawaii students into JABSOM was so incredibly high - that is fantastic news for our students! I was also fascinated being able to tour the vivarium, and see the actual research being done on the mice. What an awesome opportunity!
Another fantastic aspect of this course, which came as a complete surprise to me, are the "Meet the Scientist" talks. On the original flyer for this course, one of the listed expectations for the course was, "Meet Hawaii's top scientists." Little did I know that we were actually going to have weekly seminar-type presentations by these top scientists, where we would be exposed to the cutting-edge research and techniques. WOW! What an incredible opportunity! I am still amazed at the slide we looked at where we could see the heart cells beating! So, so cool! And the coolest of all: the ventricular myocardial band! WOWEE!!! This is so incredibly intriguing and fascinating to me! I could not wait to share this with my students! I LOVE the heart, and want them to love it too!
*** Had to continue on a second post! :-) ***
IMPACT ON TEACHING
The impact on teaching was immediate. After the first session, I went back to my health service pathway students and told them all about my experience. Thereafter, following each session I gave a brief overview of the weekly lab procedure and the "Meet the Scientist" talk. The students clearly saw my excitement to be able to learn and enthusiasm in sharing what was learned. I hope I have been able to pass on the joy of continuing ones education, at whatever level. These are the students who are interested in careers in the health service field, so it has been great to share some of the JABSOM opportunities and possibilities.
Another impact has not been felt yet, but will next year and thereafter, when hopefully Brian, Amy and I are able to work together in the lab to utilize some of the equipment for which we pooled our lab equipment $$$. Rather than purchase equipment for my class which would only get used from time to time, I thought it best to have Amy spend the $$$ on equipment and supplies that could get used regularly, including when Brian and I bring our students over to her lab to work. I think this use of $$$ will have a greater impact on more students and increased student learning.
IMPACT ON GOALS
Being a teacher is an evolving practice, an active verb. I am always looking for ways to be better. This program has offered an incredible opportunity to continue honing the craft of teaching. All of the initial goals I had have been met and surpassed through participation in this professional development program. New lab techniques have been learned and will be incorporated into the courses I teach, my confidence level in the lab has increased, new relationships have been built and familiar ones strengthened, and knowledge of UH JABSOM CCR has been obtained and shared.
One impact connected to the weekly labs which provided growth possibilities was the very intentional changing-up of lab partners weekly. This meant working with new people each session. This offered new challenges in working with other teachers with different styles and approaches, as well as alike. It also presented opportunities to learn about each other, and to build new friendships and professional relationships. Brian and I discussed how great it was to be able to "talk story" with so many other science teachers, and that they were all so willing to share what they were doing, and how they were doing it. This course has definitely strengthened the collegial relationships between the four of us at Baldwin who have been fortunate to participate, and also among all of the teachers who have been a part of this valued experience.
As a result of this professional development opportunity, I will definitely encourage students to seriously consider UH JABSOM, as this course really opened my eyes to UH JABSOM as a very viable and excellent option for Hawaii's students.
Thank you! I am done now!
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