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For those of you who have recently joined ABLE, think about coming to the next conference in Mississauga, Canada to see what you can do, learn and take back with you! We would love to have you with us while we brainstorm during workshops, go on informational and fun field trips, and share experiences and good conversations over meals together.
I joined ABLE back in 1992, took some time off and have been coming to the meetings since 2004. As usual, I try to take home an idea or two from each conference and incorporate it into our intro labs here at UNC (obviously that's the whole point of the ABLE meetings). When we are in need of a new lab or an updated one for the introductory biology course, my colleagues and I work on it in the spring and then run it during the summer sessions. This way we can see if it runs smoothly and proves to be a reliable exercise for the students to do before we have 800 students try it out! My TAs are always willing to teach the new lab and they want to be involved. The students love being the first to try out the lab and they give us good feedback. How do you incorporate a new lab into your course? Do you just run it the first time with all students in a semester or do you do a trial run with one class? I'd be interested to know especially how you bring in a new lab for a large lab course.
I would like to thank the authors who have contributed articles to this issue. In the midst of teaching, grading, doing research, studying, running labs and every day life, they were still able to write about an experience and share it with us. If you enjoyed reading members articles, please consider writing one yourself after this year's ABLE meeting so others might enjoy your experiences. There's never a thing such as too many articles!
In this issue of Labstracts you will find articles from ABLE members, news, and information about past and upcoming meetings. Statements from wonderful candidates for vacant Board positions are also included. Look for those ballots! If you would like more information about ABLE, check out the web site at http://www.ableweb.org. I hope you enjoy this issue and feel free to write an article for Labstracts at anytime! Just send it to me at bstegenga@bio.unc.edu . See you in June!
Barbara Stegenga
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