Labstracts Notes

Summer Safaris in East Africa
Vin Lawrence

Vin Lawrence is offering two spectacular safaris in East Africa this summer. His Great Game Parks of Kenya adventure features comfortable travel in Nissan minibus safari cruisers and superb lodge accommodations. It departs various U.S. cities 5 July and returns 21 July. With a group of at least 12, the land cost is $3113 per person for twin accommodations; single-room supplement is $715. The itinerary is designed to maximize opportunities to witness wildebeest crossing the Mara River during the annual migration.

The second adventure is a Southern Tanzania Wilderness Safari with travel in rugged 4-WD Land Rovers and accommodation in small luxury camps in the splendid but remote parks and game reserves of southern Tanzania – Selous, Mikumi, Udzungwa, and Ruaha – that are home to the largest remaining populations of African wild dog. This trip departs 19 July and returns 4 August. With a group of at least eight, the land cost is $4270 per person for twin accommodations; single-room supplement is $840.

The trips may be combined to create a 31-day safari with approximately the same international air fare as either safari by itself. For details, contact Vin.

Developmental Biology Teaching Workshop
Leland Johnson

Leland Johnson, a long-time ABLE member, will be conducting a workshop on the Developmental Biology Teaching Laboratory, at the Darling Marine Center, University of Maine, June 20-23, 2001. This workshop, which has been offered regularly since 1992, is designed to provide college and university faculty, postdocs, and graduate students with basic hands-on experience in working with organisms commonly studied in developmental biology teaching laboratories. The course will be useful both for experienced developmental biology teachers who wish to diversify their laboratory work and for new faculty whose training is outside the field, but who are assigned to teach developmental biology. Work will include teaching lab applications on sea urchins and sand dollars, chick embryos, protists, Hydra, planaria, fresh water oligochaetes, ferns, and flowering plants. The sea urchin/sand dollar work will include a newly developed and simplified lab experience on localized enzyme differentiation in developing larvae. We also expect that Eric Cole from St. Olaf College (MN) who was a past workshop participant will lead a half-day session on fluorescence microscopy techniques in the Developmental Biology teaching lab, with particular applications to study of sea urchin and sand dollar development. We intend as well to spend time exploring a few of the many Web sites, videos, and CD-ROMs that are helpful in teaching Developmental Biology.

In addition to the organized lab sessions, there will be time for sharing of techniques and ideas among the participants and some time for informal socializing, including a traditional New England lobster picnic dinner. While the workshop focus is on Developmental Biology, there would be many potential applications of this material for general biology labs, and instructors in other courses are very welcome as participants. A number of ABLE members have been included among the approximately eighty colleagues from across the U.S. and Canada who have participated in past workshop sessions.

The Darling Marine Center, a marine laboratory of the University of Maine, is located in a beautiful setting on the scenic Damariscotta River estuary on midcoastal Maine, about 60 miles northeast of Portland. The Center is approximately six miles from exposed, open-ocean habitats of the Gulf of Maine. It is close to major shopping areas (e.g. Freeport), and is two hours from Acadia National Park. Workshop participants will be using some of the Darling Center's new waterfront conference facilities which were recently completed as part of the Center's current expansion program.

For further information contact:

Tim Miller, Course Coordinator,
Darling Marine Center
University of Maine
193 Clark's Cove Road,
Walpole, ME 04573.

Phone 207-563-3146
e-mail: temiller@maine.maine.edu
website: HTTP://server.DMC.Maine.edu

Or contact:
Lee Johnson (605) 274-4714 -- e-mail: johnson@inst.augie.edu

(I attended this workshop in June of 1998, and I give it two thumbs up! It is everything a workshop should be: informative, full of good people, in a great location, and just plain fun.---Doreen Schroeder)

Biology Lab Clearinghouse
Doreen Schroeder

At the business meeting in June 2000, Bob Hodson announced his plan to set up an on-line searchable database of laboratory exercises for biology labs in high schools, two-year colleges, and four-year colleges and universities. This database, called the Biology Lab Clearinghouse, has been on-line for several months now and (as of 5 December) has 83 entries in the topic areas of chemistry, cells, genetics, evolution, microbes, plants, and animals. Go to http://www.udel.edu/BLC to investigate this great resource further. Bob is anxious to expand the database and welcomes submissions of methods, exercises, or investigations. Authors should use the styles and word processor application requested at the Clearinghouse website.

Format for Submissions to Labstracts
Doreen Schroeder, Editor

Labstracts is about communication. So, we always need articles in addition to the basic business of the organization. Think about writing book, technique, or software reviews, notes about conferences, opinions, informational articles, original ideas, workshop uses or spin-offs, short notes, notification of conferences, etc. Don't feel that you can't contribute because you do not have the time to write a long article. A short article can be just as interesting as a long one.

If you do decide to submit an article, please include a short bio on yourself. If you have the capability, send a scanned picture, too. Although I will accept articles sent by snail mail or fax, I would prefer them as e-mail attachments (to djschroeder@stthomas.edu) in either Word or WordPerfect. If you created the document on a Mac, please tell me that too, when you send it. Thanks in advance for your contributions.

Doreen Schroeder
Mail# OWS390, University of St. Thomas
2115 Summit Ave.
St. Paul MN 55105
Office: 651.962.5229
Fax: 651.962.5209