From the Editor's Desk:
See You in Virginia!

Mariëlle Hoefnagels, Labstracts Editor
University of Oklahoma
hoefnagels@ou.edu

Want to embarrass a group of teenagers and twenty-somethings? Have them walk into the school bookstore and request a book called Dung Fungi! This is what my mycology students had to do earlier this semester. They need the book in support of their semester-long project, in which they observe the succession of fungi on horse manure. The project started two weeks ago, and despite their early embarrassment (and doubts about whether this really is the class for them), the students have attacked their projects with enthusiasm. There is something about the search for unfamiliar life on a tiny but ever-changing substrate that unleashes the hunter in each of us. Luckily, the horse manure is producing a nice assortment of quarry, including everyone's favorite, Pilobolus, a charming little fungus that flings its spores away with such force that they make audible "popping" sounds on the plastic covering the students' cultures.

I am also teaching a larger course, Concepts in Biology, for nonmajors. These students provide an interesting contrast to the advanced students in my mycology class. A few of them never give biology a chance because they "have always hated science and always will." At the opposite end of the spectrum are the rare students who are up for anything, striding through their education with the attitude that everything is interesting. In the middle are the many students who are wary of biology but willing to try new ideas and new activities if they are entertaining or relate to something familiar.

I spend most of my time trying to figure out how to reach this largest group. I devote a few minutes of lecture every week to study skills, on the assumption that students who are willing to spend at least a little bit of time learning biology should at least have a decent chance of profiting from their investment. But labs are my biggest challenge, and one of the things I like best about ABLE is bonding with colleagues who share that concern. That's one reason I'm looking forward to this year's ABLE meeting. The other reason is that I will get to reconnect with good friends in North Carolina on our drive from Oklahoma to Virginia. I know that not everyone enjoys road trips, but I do. They provide an all-too-rare chance to just kick back and nap, read, or watch the scenery go by the car window. And the freedom of having your own car when you reach your destination? Priceless!

Before I set you free on the rest of this issue of Labstracts, I want to thank all the ABLE members who contributed articles and ideas. This issue is another large one, because folks really responded to my requests for submissions. Those few who said "no" this time around are on my list for next fall! I am really lucky to have colleagues that make my job as editor so easy. Want to join the list of contributors? It's easy! Just email me.