The Poster Session was held in conjunction with lunch on the Friday of the conference. Posters are intended to complement Major and Mini workshops by providing a distinctive venue for novel techniques, pedagogical research, and new modalities on laboratory teaching. Attendees viewed posters each day of the conference (Wednesday and Thursday, 8:00am-4:30pm, Cunn first floor hallway), but presenters were only available to discuss their topics during the Friday Poster Session (12:30-2:00pm). Attendee feedback was provided anonymously on short evaluation forms, which are passed on to the presenters along with editor feedback before publication in our proceedings, Advances in Biology Laboratory Education.
1. Fruit Flies in Central Virginia: Capstone Research Projects at a Community College & Partnership with a University Genomics Lab
J. Vondrasek, D.Hoefner, A. Bergland, A. Allison, A. Blackburn, K. Crow, K. Scott, C. Vasquez-Caballero, J. Nunez, T. Nystrom, R. Porter, and A. Lenhart; Piedmont Virginia Community College
Biology capstone research students at Piedmont Virginia Community College have partnered with a University of Virginia lab studying the evolutionary biology of fruit flies living in orchards. PVCC students pursuing an A.S in Science are required to complete a semester-long independent mentored research project prior to graduation. These independent projects require students to develop a hypothesis, plan a research study, collect and analyze data, and present their findings within an academic semester. PVCC students interested in biological sciences have the option to design a study in which the primary focus is collecting fruit flies at a local apple orchard. Students have control over the framing of the study: unique questions are posed, and students develop methodologies for collection allowing them to address their research question. Once PVCC students have collected fruit flies and analyzed the flies for the purpose of their capstone project, the flies are preserved and shared with the university researchers. Fly samples are incorporated into a larger collection effort around the state aimed at identifying evidence of rapid adaptation across seasons and between habitat types. Genome sequencing will be performed, and the data will be incorporated into a large database of fly genomes from samples collected around the globe for over ten years as part of a worldwide consortium. This partnership has allowed for an extension of field biology opportunities at the community college, increased the breadth of the university lab’s collection efforts, while also enhancing opportunities for the community college students to establish connections at the university. Given the simple mechanics of collection in these studies, this type of student project could easily be adapted to other institutions that have nearby orchards or other locations where Drosophilidae are prevalent. Methodologies for collection and examples of capstone projects will be presented.
2. A hands-on ecology experiment at home: the benefits of a take-home experiment post-pandemic
M. Lepage, A. Sawyer, M. Forgues, A. Baksh; University of Alberta
Online learning became the staple during the Covid-19 pandemic, reducing the opportunity for hands-on learning that enhances students’ engagement, curiosity, and critical thinking. This motivated us to redesign a simple and fairly inexpensive ecology abiotic factors experiment that students could complete safely at home. The new design had students study the effect of three experimental groups and a control group on Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus, a commercially available Daikon variety of radishes. Students were responsible for choosing the general theme of their project according to their individual interests and the supplies readily available at home. Their experimental design was submitted for evaluation via a detailed research proposal where instructors assessed the feasibility and the safety of the project. Before starting the procedures and manipulations at home, the students had to complete a full hazard assessment of their experiment and complete a short quiz that confirmed and acknowledged that the experiment would be safely conducted and completed under the conditions mentioned in an institutional legal document and their research proposal. Germination and stem length were the main quantitative observations that were compiled but leaf color, root length, and stem tonus were also frequently observed. Students presented their findings in a scientific poster on a forum of our course management system. The originality of the projects were found to be far superior than the ones usually completed in the lab, as the students were not limited by a fixed temperature, light cycle, and water uptake.
3. The Find Your Park Lab for Ecology Students during a Pandemic
K. A. Nolan, St. Francis College, Brooklyn, NY
During the fall of 2020 and, following a resurgence of Covid-19 cases in New York City and State, we were forced to conduct the Ecology lab course online. However, in order to expose the students to some ecological concepts through hands-on activities, we required them to participate independently in a lab in which they got to choose a local park/habitat to study. Students chose a variety of parks that were planted with native species such as the High Line in Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge Park, a botanical garden on Long Island, and wild chaparral by a student who remained in California. Activities included taking pictures of and identifying plants using iNaturalist, researching whether the plants were native or invasive, learning about the range of the plants and any medicinal uses, determining rates of soil settling in a cup or jar (and thus learning more about porosity and permeability of soils), measuring seed dispersal, setting up a Winogradsky column, and calculating a species diversity index. They had to revisit the park over the semester and note any changes. They then compiled their data into tables and charts and presented their findings in both the form of a lab report and a poster that they presented to the class online over Zoom.
4. Worms Galore! Undergraduate Research Experiences in Extra Large Classes [canceled]
H. Harjoe, S. Wasala, L. Kayes, K. Miazgowicz, and C. Baxter; Oregon State University
5. Biochemistry Authentic Scientific Inquiry Lab (BASIL) provides flexible course-based undergraduate research experience with computational and wet-lab approaches to studying protein function.
A. Goodman, and P. A. Craig; California Polytechnic State University
Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) can broaden access to undergraduate research experiences for all students, and the pedagogy of an effective CURE remains a much-needed area of exploration. Learning through mentored undergraduate research does not easily scale to the classroom due to time and staffing constraints. The Biochemistry Authentic Scientific Inquiry Lab (BASIL) is a community of faculty working on CURE implementation, curriculum development, and pedagogy of biochemistry CUREs. We have developed an undergraduate biochemistry lab curriculum that combines computational and wet lab approaches to study proteins of known structure but unknown function. Students use a combination of sequence and structure alignment tools to study these structures with the goal of identifying possible enzymes. Students can produce the target enzymes in the lab using standard wet-lab biochemistry techniques for expression and purification, and they then perform kinetic assays with model substrates selected from their docking studies. The curriculum is modular and can be used as a whole or individual parts may be incorporated into an existing course – either lecture or lab. The course modules are freely available via GitHub (https://basilbiochem.github.io/basil/ ). We welcome new collaborators who are interested in adopting the curriculum in full or in part. We can offer synchronous support via virtual meetings and asynchronous support via Slack. This project was supported in part by NSF IUSE #1710538 and #1709170.
6. Transformation of a Biotechnology Laboratory to Introduce Critical Components of Authentic Research
S. Bohlson, M. Cuerpo, and C. Hong; University of CA Irvine
Authentic engagement in research provides students with skills in scientific inquiry and experimental design that are not easily obtained through traditional pre-developed laboratories. The goal of this work was to transform a twenty-week traditional laboratory experience for first year MS students in a biotechnology program into an authentic research experience. The original goal of this biotechnology teaching laboratory offered to first year MS students was to provide experiential learning opportunities in foundational biotechnology techniques in order to prepare students to enter research labs in their second year in the program. This goal was previously met with pre-designed laboratories that focused on molecular cloning, protein expression and purification, and cell culture. In the re-design, the curriculum focused on a new publication involving a signal transduction cascade in leukemia stem cell self-renewal. In the first ten weeks of the course, students critically evaluated the publication. They developed methods presentations to introduce modern techniques in biotechnology, they identified gaps in knowledge in the newly proposed molecular mechanism, and they designed experiments to address those gaps in the form of an NIH-style research proposal. Simultaneously, the students engaged in wet labs in molecular cloning to generate protein expression constructs required to address their research questions. In the second ten weeks of the course, the students conducted their proposed experiments using protein purification and cell culture techniques. During this quarter they presented their lab results weekly and developed a final poster presentation to showcase their final work. Students were exposed to multiple learning modalities including individual and group work, knowledge-based quizzes, experimental design, data analysis, and presentation. In the future, we would like to determine (1) if students are acquiring experience that facilitates their entry into research labs and (2) if faculty mentors perceive these students as well prepared when they enter the research space.
7. The CRISPR in the Classroom Network: A Support System for Instructors to Bring Gene Editing Technology to the Undergraduate Classroom
D. Pattison, and M. Santisteban; University of Houston
CRISPR-Cas9 technology represents a once-in-a-generation advance in molecular biology that allows precise gene editing and has become a mainstream technique in research. However, as is often the case with new technology, most undergraduate laboratory instructors do not have the training or support to integrate CRISPR-Cas9 into their courses. To remedy this, we have formed the “CRISPR in the Classroom” Network and are facilitating a series of workshops and mentoring activities designed to provide instructors, postdocs, and graduate students the skills, support, and confidence needed to introduce and implement CRISPR-Cas9 technology in undergraduate laboratory classrooms (NSF RCN-UBE #2120417). Our summer workshops provide participants with flexible, easily-adapted curriculum and start-up kits to overcome the hurdles associated with implementing a new technology. Assessment data from a previous online workshop and two NSF-sponsored in-person workshops (Awards #1823595 and 1916486) show most workshop participants develop the skills and confidence necessary to implement CRISPR-Cas9 modules into their laboratory courses within one year of the workshop. The CRISPR in the Classroom Network represents a dynamic community of practice dedicated to providing undergraduate life science instructors with the tools and support needed to integrate CRISPR-Cas9 technology in their courses and across model systems.
8. Building better labs through pandemic teaching: first-year lab course changes that could work for you
E. Steves, M. Barker, A. Becalska, and M. Fernando; Fraser International College, Burnaby, BC
The transition to online learning was a major challenge for post-secondary instructors. Rapidly shifting biology labs to an online format was daunting, and finding relevant, appropriate content was challenging. Our team of lab instructors took this opportunity to redevelop and shift our first-year lab towards inquiry-based learning, to promote higher order thinking and build research skills in our students (Parappilly et al., 2013). Here we present four major changes we made to our first-year labs that could work for any biology lab, online or during the transition back to in-person learning. Labs were synchronous: four students video conferenced and worked together in a shared document on the cloud weekly. Teaching team members interacted with the students, providing feedback. Group work allowed students to build community, and most students reported enjoying lab overall. During labs, we focused on experimental design and results interpretation (via data given to them on-the-fly based on their design). This gave them the chance to see an experiment through and work with quantitative data. Building on this, we developed a group project component: students designed and carried out their own experiments, doing hands-on science at home. Students then wrote their own scientific abstracts and presented their findings with slides in a conference style format. Lastly, we found using online simulations helped students understand complex processes that may be difficult to recreate in the in-person lab space, giving students a deeper understanding of specific concepts. Lab exams were held at the end of term, with the focus shifting away from memorization to data analysis and interpretation, and experimental design. In this poster, we will share student feedback, our compiled resources, course logistics, and our overall findings.
9. Creating artificial beans for bean beetles, Callosobruchus maculatus, using a mechanical pill press
L. S. Blumer and W. C. Whitfield; Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA
The bean beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae), has become a widely used insect species in undergraduate laboratory education. This species is particularly suitable for course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) due to its short generation time, ease of handling and culturing in the laboratory, and sexual dimorphism in its sedentary phase. Bean beetles complete their growth and development inside a host seed (bean) with at least eight different host species. However, conducting manipulative experiments with bean beetles would be enhanced if it were possible to readily prepare artificial beans on which the beetles could complete their lifecycle. Here, we report on the use of a mechanical pill press (LFA Machines Model TDP-0) to make artificial beans. We prepared artificial beans by making whole blackeye pea flour (Vigna unguiculata) using a coffee grinder. That flour was used in the pill press to make 8mm diameter x 5-9mm thick disk-shaped pills with and without additives. Adult female bean beetles readily laid fertilized eggs on the surface of these artificial beans. Offspring emerged 4-5 weeks later at 25°C, the same development time that would have occurred in natural intact blackeye pea seeds. No special treatments of the artificial beans were required to induce females to lay eggs on them nor for the pills to remain intact during the period of larval and pupal development. This mechanical pill press can produce 30-50 pills per minute, so artificial beans can be produced rapidly in sufficient numbers to conduct meaningful experiments. This simple and effective method for making artificial beans creates the opportunity to conduct studies that have been difficult or impossible in the past. For example, future studies may evaluate treatments such as plant secondary compound concentrations, nutrient content, and antibiotic exposure on bean beetle life history and microbiome communities.
10. Gateway Group Verbal Quizzing To Improve Understanding of Cardiovascular Anatomy
S. Reardon, Culver-Stockton College, Quincy, IL
It is common practice to dissect organs such as the heart, brain, and kidney in human anatomy and physiology laboratory classes. Students who do not have a good understanding of organ anatomy before the dissection do not fully appreciate the dissection and have a difficult time identifying structures on the specimen. They also have a more difficult time connecting anatomical structures to physiological functions. Lab manuals used in most classrooms use practices such as labeling figures or sketching models as a way of preparing students for dissections. This practice does not promote group work or verbal communication. This approach uses verbal gateway quizzes administered before the specimen dissection in the anatomy and physiology laboratory. Students are split into groups of 3-4 and given an anatomical model and a list of structures to identify. Students must work together to identify and learn the structures and state its function. Verbal graded identification quizzes are administered by the professor and must be passed by the entire group in order for the students to begin the dissection. The use of verbal gateway quizzes creates a collaborative learning environment that engages students and promotes mastery of the anatomy and physiology of the given specimen.
11. Skateboards, Roundabouts & Blood – An Investigative Case Study of Human ABO Blood Types: Does a CSI Context Improve Learning and Engagement?
C. Petersen, and M. Sonnenfeld; Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, BC
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the CSI case-based approach of laboratory instruction by engaging the students as forensic investigators in a particular lab topic for both majors (Bio 2130) and non-majors (Bio 1050) classes. The specific goal was to determine whether integrating a forensic approach with laboratory investigation of a scenario improves student enthusiasm/interest with potentially increased learning of the core concepts of forward and reverse blood typing. The original lab was divided into two parts in the Winter of 2020 (precovid) to provide students with the opportunity to develop their skills in blood analysis in Part 1. In part 2, students apply higher-order skills to give priority to evidence as they collaborate to solve the crime scene. Using a web-based Likert survey, most students (95%; n=42) agreed that the story about a hit-and-run accident helped them to see the real-life value of understanding human ABO blood groups, and 91% reported that the lab was more enjoyable in this context. Many students felt that the case-based scenario helped them to better understand antigen-antibody interactions (78.6%; n=42), while most reported an increase in their general knowledge of the ABO blood groups (92.9%; n=42) and that they were encouraged to think critically about forward and reverse blood typing concepts (90.5%). In support, ALL respondents rated ‘Learning subjects that have a clear meaning with life connections ‘having a serious, important, or useful quality or purpose (this is real world)’ and ‘Learning the subject matter’ as very important/important. Preliminary evaluation of open-ended comments of what students liked about the SRB lab suggests that the crime scene investigation aspect was helpful. With a few modifications, additional data will be gathered from current Winter 2022 classes (majors and non-majors) and presented at ABLE 2022.
12. TA peer observation as “just part of the job” – impacts on confidence, community and mindset in both novice and veteran TAs
C. Debets, and M. Barker; University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB and Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC
Teaching Assistants (TAs) are a cornerstone of many courses, but often have little experience or formal teaching training. Many of our TAs report that they begin a TA role with low confidence and a feeling of isolation. Supporting our TAs on these aspects is incredibly important, but often challenging – particularly with multi-section courses, large teams, and instructor workload constraints. Further, TA training is often opt-in and thus unintentionally excludes those who may most benefit from it.
One effective approach to support TAs in their teaching is peer observation. We investigated how to integrate peer observation and structured feedback directly into their TA role, in a large first-year biology lab course. We scaffolded components of peer observation throughout the semester in our weekly lab prep meetings. We first introduced the concept of supportive, constructive, and goal-directed peer observation. We trained TAs to use an observational protocol (modified from COPUS (Smith 2013) & RIOT (Paul & West, 2018)). We then set two rounds of peer observation, each followed by structured feedback conversations among TAs and as a team.
We assessed the impact on TA confidence, community, and mindset. Data collection included pre/post-surveys (Likert, short-response). Over the semester, TAs reported an increase in their confidence and sense of community. Some were initially hesitant about peer observation, but later saw the value. TAs reported that peer observation helped them feel more connected to their department and peers. They also described more familiarity with resources and supports available to them. From an instructor perspective, this approach built community during TA meetings, and had minimal impact on workload. Thus, we plan to integrate this into future offerings of the course, and hope that using peer observation can advance how we both train and promote community among these essential members of our teaching teams.
13. The Bean Beetle Microbiome Project: The impact of student-autonomy on science identity, project ownership, and abilities to overcome perceived challenges in course-based undergraduate research experiences
A. Zelaya, S. Younge, N. M. Gerardo, L. S. Blumer, and C. W. Beck; Emory University and Morehouse College, Atlanta GA
Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) are an effective means of transforming the learning and teaching of science by involving students in the scientific process. However, the factors that lead to improved student outcomes are not fully understood. To study the effect of varying degrees of student autonomy on the efficacy of CURES, the Bean Beetle Microbiome CURE was implemented across multiple institutions. The degree of student autonomy varied in each implementation, and there were both full-semester and half-semester implementations. Implementations in which students generated their own questions were categorized as high-autonomy, while those with instructor-specified questions were categorized as low-autonomy. The CURE was implemented twice at each institution (one high-autonomy, one low-autonomy). Student perceptions of the CURE were assessed using the Laboratory Course Assessment Survey (LCAS) (Corwin et al., 2017). To examine student perceptions of project ownership and scientific community values, the Persistence in the Sciences Survey (PITS) was used (Hanauer et al., 2016). In addition, to assess how students coped with perceived challenges they experienced during the CURE, five novel open-ended questions were developed and administered to students post-CURE. The LCAS survey responses suggest that students perceived their CURE activities as novel and of interest to the scientific community. The results of the PITS survey showed no significant difference between scores among students in the high-autonomy compared to the low-autonomy implementations for questions pertaining to science identity, scientific community values, project ownership of content, and emotional project ownership. We will use thematic analysis of the responses to the open-ended questions to identify common themes related to overcoming perceived challenges related to course-based research experiences.
14. Professor-Created vs Large Consortium Classroom Undergraduate Research Experiences in Molecular Cell Biology
D. Paetkau, Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN
The Molecular Cell Biology (MCB) Concentration at Saint Mary’s College includes a sophomore level MCB course followed by an upper level Classroom Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) in either molecular (Biotechnology) or cellular biology (Cellular Physiology). MCB has been taught as a fairly traditional course incorporating D. Paetkau’s research into the lab portion (yeast two-hybrid screening for fly protein interactions and development of a yeast-based biosensor for estrogen detection). Cell Physiology and Biotechnology have been developed into stand-alone CURE courses integrating lab and lecture. Cell Physiology focuses on C. Versagli’s ovarian cancer research, while Biotechnology features research projects and curriculum developed through D. Paetkau’s participation in the Genomics Education Partnership (GEP). The GEP is a consortium of over 100 community colleges, colleges, and universities dedicated to bringing genomics research into the undergraduate biology setting. Qualitative comparison of the independent and consortium-based experiences will highlight gains and costs for students (lab skills and attitudes, project ownership and dedication, understanding, resume building, publications, writing ability), professors (project advancement, lab chaos and preparation time, collaborative teaching, publications, advancement, work place satisfaction), and department (curricular options, collaborative teaching, mentorship, expectations) when implementing research into the undergraduate classroom experience.
15. Closing the Gap: Examining the Relationship Between a Research Simulation Case Study and African American STEM Student’s Academic Success.
D. Pabon, and B. Chambers; Spelman College, Atlanta GA
In a few examinations where students partake in authentic research experiences, instructors, and students revealed new science personality arrangements and expanded logical interest in pursuing STEM degrees and professions. (Laursen et al., 2007; Marz-Craig, et al., 2018; Riedinger & Taylor, 2016). Yet, students remain underexposed to true STEM research encounters (ElKhayat, 2018; Purwani, Surdargo, & Surakusumah, 2018) which could assist in combating high attrition rates inside the STEM pipeline. Despite efforts to overcome the STEM diversity deficit, African Americans remain the most underrepresented group pursuing and persisting in STEM majors (U.S Department of Education, 2016). To help resolve the requirement for research exposure, Muldrow, Lamb, Thomas, and Mendenhall (2019) designed a comprehensive research opportunity called a research simulation case study (RSCS) within a Utilitarian Scientific Literacy course for incoming and first year undergraduate STEM majors with 12 inclusive chapters. Providing early African American STEM majors with a virtual, online research experience is unique to the academy. The impact of online interventions in STEM as it relates to students’ success is understudied among African American undergraduates at Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs). The present mixed methods study intends to investigate the relationship between an online virtual RSCS and student’s overall success in the course. Participants will be drawn from a sample of undergraduate STEM majors from a private, liberal arts, HBCU. The researchers expect STEM majors that completed the research simulation case study to correlate with those students who received passing grades within the overall course. Data will be collected from (n = 30) STEM students who participated in the course Fall 2021. As students completed the RSCS, data analytics were captured through an online course tool to show students active participation. Preliminary analysis will involve running descriptive statistics and frequencies to evaluate student’s participation in the RSCS and its impact on students’ overall success in the course.
16. Incorporating lived experience for international students to create a more personalized assignment [canceled]
S. Ruffell, University of Waterloo, Ontario
17. Wavelengths, Particles, and Plants; Exploring the Visible Light Spectrum and the impacts on plant growth
B. Kluthe, Saint Peter’s University
The COVID-19 Pandemic created a unique challenge to laboratory teaching. The students’ need to have hands-on activities that taught them important fundamentals had to be modified for the at-home laboratory classroom. This lab was developed to provide a hands-on experience that incorporated foundational physics knowledge to a multi- week long plant growth experiment. The lab was divided into two parts; the hands-on lab exploration part, equivalent to one lab period and the longer term experimental research component that included weekly data collection. Students wrote a final lab report over their second plant growth experiment and presented them. This lab is adaptable to the classroom or home. Laboratory Part 1: Energy is all around us, we use energy in everything from heating our homes to listening to the radio. Some of that energy is trapped in radioactive elements, thermal sources deep in the earth, and fossil fuels, just to name a few but all of the incoming energy on Earth originates from the Sun. This energy travels away from the Sun and reaches Earth in what is referred to as the Electromagnetic Spectrum. This lab will help you understand the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum through a series of experiments using everyday household materials. Laboratory Part 2 – apply your knowledge: Have you ever wondered why plants are predominately green? They are green because they are reflecting the green wavelength of the visible light spectrum. This reflected wavelength is what your eye detects and views as green. The spectrums of color that the plants use are the red and blue spectrum and what they absorb to carry out photosynthesis. Using your knowledge from the first activities, you will design an experiment using this knowledge to see how different wavelengths of light affect plant growth.