I am primarily interested in biology education in the college classroom, especially in developing major curricula that are both horizontally and vertically integrated, and in developing course material for undergraduate biology labs. I am currently focused on four specific areas of this project:

I. Electronic classroom initiatives.
Powerpoint, science movies and animations, and interactive student response systems (“clickers”) are all becoming integral to instruction in the biology classroom. There is a real need to determine how such technologies can be introduced to the students and consistently used inside and outside across the curriculum. I am interested in studying the way in which such technological aids can be a help or a hindrance to learning in the classroom.

II. Outreach to Primary and Secondary Schools.
The next generation of scientists are learning about science right now in elementary school, middle school and high school. How can we ensure that students with an interest in science have the opportunity to explore science as a career option? I work with the MAP project (which brings Native American high-school students to MSU in the summer to learn about scientific research in faculty laboratories), visit high schools through the MSU for a Day program, and am currently working on developing educational outreach projects for middle schoolers with other TBI faculty.

III. Flies in the Classroom.
Drosophila melanogaster (the fruit fly) is a model organism that has been used for experiments in genetics as well as embryo development and behavior studies. Fruit flies are easy to culture, have a fast (2-week) generation time. Males and females are also easy to distinguish, and cultures are available with a number of easily distinguishable characteristics that allow students to see autosomal and sex-linked inheritance with simple breeding experiments. Currently, students at MSU do not have the opportunity to work hands-on with Drosophila in the biology laboratory classroom. I am working on inquiry-based laboratory exercises, and will inaugurate “flies in the classroom” in Fall, 2007. 

IV. Addition of Quantitative Elements into Biology
Quantitative analysis, and the ability to bring statistical methods to bear on biological problems, are important skills for today’s biology graduate. I am working in collaboration with other MSU faculty to incorporate quantitative and statistical methods into biology laboratory exercises, and to track the effectiveness of teaching statistics through biology.

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