ABLE News and Notes

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

Charlie Drewes Memorial Fund Accepting Contributions

Iowa State University has established a memorial fund in memory of our ABLE friend and colleague, Charlie Drewes, who passed away unexpectedly in July 2005. If you would like to contribute, please send checks (made out to the Iowa State University Foundation) to:

Iowa State University Foundation
2505 Elwood Drive
Ames, IA 50010-8644

Please note on the check that the contribution is for the Charles Drewes Memorial Fund

Corey Goldman Wins National Awards

In 2005, ABLE's webmaster extraordinaire, Corey Goldman, won two National Technology Innovation Awards -- first in the college/university category, and first overall for Central Canada. According to an article the University of Toronto's Zoonews, "National Technology Innovation Awards recognize the achievements of educators of publicly funded schools, colleges, and universities whose innovative approach has been instrumental in building modern learning environments for students." Corey won for creating and overseeing BIOME: Online Learning Community for Life Science Students. Way to go, Corey!!

NSF-Sponsored 2006 GCAT DNA Microarray Workshop (Pending Funding)

Dr. A. Malcolm Campbell announces the 2006 NSF-Sponsored GCAT DNA Microarray Workshop for faculty teaching undergraduates, especially at minority-serving institutions (MSIs). Some information is summarized below; for more information, please visit the workshop homepage.

ORGANIZERS: Dr. A. Malcolm Campbell (Davidson College), Dr. Edison R. Fowlks (Hampton University), and members of the Genome Consortium for Active Teaching (GCAT).

DATES: We will offer two complete workshops - half wet lab/half dry lab. Workshop #1 will run July 17 - July 21, 2006; workshop #2 will run July 18 - July 22, 2006.

LOCATION: TBA (pending funding notification)

PURPOSE: Provide genomic training to faculty teaching high proportions of African American, Hispanic, Native American, and Pacific Islander Students. Faculty with similar ethnic backgrounds are also encouraged to apply. However, GCAT and the NSF do not set quotas and therefore we accept all applications regardless of race or ethnicity, and make our selection based on criteria published with the application materials. We will try to accommodate all qualified applicants.

PLANNED ACTIVITIES: Introduction to microarrays; software training; hands-on experience with data analysis; and wet-lab experiences with DNA microarray probe production and hybridization.

COST: All expenses will be paid, including travel stipend.

MAIL APPLICATIONS TO: Dr. Edison R. Fowlks, Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, 101 DuPont Hall, Hampton University Hampton, VA 23668 or email to DNAMICROARRAY@HAMPTONU.EDU or to macampbell@davidson.edu

APPLICATION RECEIPT DUE DATE: April 15, 2006

News from NSDL Available

As BEN (BiosciEdNet) partners, ABLE occasionally receives news and notes from the National Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Education Digital Library (NSDL) Program. Read the February 2006 issue of their newsletter, the Whiteboard Report, or click on Back Issues to find a wealth of other news.

Wanted: Your ABLE Conference Experiences

Have you ever applied what you learned at an ABLE conference to your own teaching? If you did, how did it go?

As I was casting about for new article ideas, Bob Hodson suggested this one: ABLE members could write brief articles about their experiences with ABLE labs in their own classrooms.

To make this work, you will need to contact your faithful Labstracts editor with the big news -- did it work as advertised, or didn't it? Did you make changes to the lab? Are you still using it now? Why or why not?

Of course, I'm sure I speak for our new editor, Barbara Stegegna, when I say that any and all submissions are warmly welcomed -- not just those. What are your favorite ideas about teaching? What are your problems? What would you like to know about how your colleagues teach? Do you have ideas for articles, even if you don't have time to write one yourself?

If you want to submit an article or news item, please email hoefnagels@ou.edu or bstegenga@bio.unc.edu. If you are submitting an article, please include information about yourself and a digital photograph (if possible) to include with the article. Photos of students or equipment "in action" are, of course, also always welcome.

Upcoming Meetings

Here is a short list of upcoming meetings that might interest ABLE members.

ABLE (Association for Biology Laboratory Education): The 2006 annual meeting will be from June 6-10, 2006, at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN.

ACUBE (Association of College and University Biology Educators): The 50th Annual Meeting, "The Revolution and Evolution of Biology Education: Where 50 Years Can Take Us" will be held October 26 - 28, 2006 at Millikin University, Decatur, IL.

AIBS (American Institute of Biological Sciences): The 2006 AIBS annual meeting has been scheduled for 24-25 May 2006 in Washington, D.C. The theme is "Biodiversity: The Interplay of Science, Valuation and Policy."

CUR (Council on Undergraduate Research): The 11th National Conference will be at DePauw University, Greencastle, IN, from June 24-27, 2006. The theme is "Learning Through Research: Dynamic Faculty, Students, and Institutions."

NABT (National Association of Biology Teachers): The 2006 annual meeting will be in Albuquerque, NM from October 11-14, 2006.

NCUR (National Conferences on Undergraduate Research): The 2006 annual meeting will be April 6-9, 2006 at the University of North Carolina - Asheville.

NSTA (National Science Teachers Association): The 2006 annual convention will be in Anaheim, CA from April 6-9, 2006.

Project Kaleidoscope is devoted to undergraduate education in mathematics, engineering, and science. The website lists a variety of meetings and workshops. Upcoming seminars include "Leadership in Building Programs that Ensure the Success of All Students," scheduled for Feb. 24-26 in San Antonio, TX, and "Planning Facilities for Undergraduate Science & Mathematics," schedule for March 3-5, 2006, in Raleigh, NC.