Promoting Scientific Literacy in High Schools

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Description
Scientific literacy is a critical part of the education of high school students. Students can demonstrate literacy in science by being able to read and write scientific reports as well as recognize and discuss how science affects daily lives. However,

Scientific literacy is a critical part of the education of high school students. Students can demonstrate literacy in science by being able to read and write scientific reports as well as recognize and discuss how science affects daily lives. However, many teachers are not familiar with the topic and do not have the resources necessary to implement it into their classrooms. This project attempts to create a website that compiles information from many sources to one concise location that is simple for teachers to use. The goal of the website is to provide teachers with a resource that they can access and use quickly despite their busy schedules. The information provided is easily translatable into a classroom, and examples of lessons as well as links to resources are provided. Considerations of difficulties such as the need to prepare students for standardized tests as well as limited budgets were brought into consideration when choosing the concepts suggested for teachers. Aspects of scientific literacy addressed are: project based learning, virtual labs, apprenticeship programs, and peer mediated learning strategies. The project also addresses how demographics that are represented at lower levels in science can be aided. These groups include female students, minorities, and students with High Functioning Autism (HFA). The website portion of the project is accompanied by a paper that summarizes the research findings as well as the personal reaction of the author and how her teaching has been affected by the study. Upon completion of the project the website will be shared with school districts across Phoenix to provide teachers with access to the resources compiled in it.
Date Created
2015-12
Agent

Design and Engineering of Synthetic Gene Networks

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Description
Synthetic gene networks have evolved from simple proof-of-concept circuits to

complex therapy-oriented networks over the past fifteen years. This advancement has

greatly facilitated expansion of the emerging field of synthetic biology. Multistability is a

mechanism that cells use to achieve a discrete number

Synthetic gene networks have evolved from simple proof-of-concept circuits to

complex therapy-oriented networks over the past fifteen years. This advancement has

greatly facilitated expansion of the emerging field of synthetic biology. Multistability is a

mechanism that cells use to achieve a discrete number of mutually exclusive states in

response to environmental inputs. However, complex contextual connections of gene

regulatory networks in natural settings often impede the experimental establishment of

the function and dynamics of each specific gene network.

In this work, diverse synthetic gene networks are rationally designed and

constructed using well-characterized biological components to approach the cell fate

determination and state transition dynamics in multistable systems. Results show that

unimodality and bimodality and trimodality can be achieved through manipulation of the

signal and promoter crosstalk in quorum-sensing systems, which enables bacterial cells to

communicate with each other.

Moreover, a synthetic quadrastable circuit is also built and experimentally

demonstrated to have four stable steady states. Experiments, guided by mathematical

modeling predictions, reveal that sequential inductions generate distinct cell fates by

changing the landscape in sequence and hence navigating cells to different final states.

Circuit function depends on the specific protein expression levels in the circuit.

We then establish a protein expression predictor taking into account adjacent

transcriptional regions’ features through construction of ~120 synthetic gene circuits

(operons) in Escherichia coli. The predictor’s utility is further demonstrated in evaluating genes’ relative expression levels in construction of logic gates and tuning gene expressions and nonlinear dynamics of bistable gene networks.

These combined results illustrate applications of synthetic gene networks to

understand the cell fate determination and state transition dynamics in multistable

systems. A protein-expression predictor is also developed to evaluate and tune circuit

dynamics.
Date Created
2017
Agent

A Hands-On Activity to Demonstrate the Central Dogma of Molecular Biology Via a Simulated VDJ Recombination Activity

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Description

Essential or enduring understandings are often defined as the underlying core concepts or “big ideas” we’d like our students to remember when much of the course content has been forgotten. The central dogma of molecular biology and how cellular information

Essential or enduring understandings are often defined as the underlying core concepts or “big ideas” we’d like our students to remember when much of the course content has been forgotten. The central dogma of molecular biology and how cellular information is stored, used, and conveyed is one of the essential understandings students should retain after a course or unit in molecular biology or genetics. An additional enduring understanding is the relationships between DNA sequence, RNA sequence, mRNA production and processing, and the resulting polypeptide/protein product. A final big idea in molecular biology is the relationship between DNA mutation and polypeptide change. To engage students in these essential understandings in a Genetics course, I have developed a hands-on activity to simulate VDJ recombination. Students use a foldable type activity to splice out regions of a mock kappa light chain gene to generate a DNA sequence for transcription and translation. Students fold the activity several different times in multiple ways to “recombine” and generate several different DNA sequences. They then are asked to construct the corresponding mRNA and polypeptide sequence of each “recombined” DNA sequence and reflect on the products in a write-to-learn activity.

Date Created
2017-08-11

Analysis of Differential Secondary Effects of Novel Rexinoids: Select Rexinoid X Receptor Ligands Demonstrate Differentiated Side Effect Profiles

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Description

In order to determine the feasibility of utilizing novel rexinoids for chemotherapeutics and as potential treatments for neurological conditions, we undertook an assessment of the side effect profile of select rexinoid X receptor (RXR) analogs that we reported previously. We

In order to determine the feasibility of utilizing novel rexinoids for chemotherapeutics and as potential treatments for neurological conditions, we undertook an assessment of the side effect profile of select rexinoid X receptor (RXR) analogs that we reported previously. We assessed pharmacokinetic profiles, lipid and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels in rats, and cell culture activity of rexinoids in sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP) induction and thyroid hormone inhibition assays. We also performed RNA sequencing of the brain tissues of rats that had been dosed with the compounds. We show here for the first time that potent rexinoid activity can be uncoupled from drastic lipid changes and thyroid axis variations, and we propose that rexinoids can be developed with improved side effect profiles than the parent compound, bexarotene (1).

Date Created
2015-03-16
Agent

Integrating Ethics Into Case Study Assignments

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Description

I teach an upper-level writing course, Genes, Race, Gender, and Society, designed for Life Science majors, in which I utilize a case study to expose students to ethical ways of thinking. Students first work through the topical case study and

I teach an upper-level writing course, Genes, Race, Gender, and Society, designed for Life Science majors, in which I utilize a case study to expose students to ethical ways of thinking. Students first work through the topical case study and then are challenged to rethink their responses through the lenses of ethics, taking into account different ethical frameworks. Students then develop their own case study, integrating ethical components. I want to expose my students to this way of thinking because I see technology being driven by the Jurassic Park phenomenon, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should,” and want future physicians grounded in a sense of how their actions relate to the greater good.

Date Created
2014-12

From Pipe Cleaners and Pony Beads to Apps and 3D Glasses: Teaching Protein Structure

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Description

Students often self-identify as visual learners and prefer to engage with a topic in an active, hands-on way. Indeed, much research has shown that students who actively engage with the material and are engrossed in the topics retain concepts better

Students often self-identify as visual learners and prefer to engage with a topic in an active, hands-on way. Indeed, much research has shown that students who actively engage with the material and are engrossed in the topics retain concepts better than students who are passive receivers of information. However, much of learning life science concepts is still driven by books and static pictures. One concept students have a hard time grasping is how a linear chain of amino acids folds to becomes a 3D protein structure. Adding three dimensional activities to the topic of protein structure and function should allow for a deeper understanding of the primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structure of proteins and how proteins function in a cell. Here, I review protein folding activities and describe using Apps and 3D visualization to enhance student understanding of protein structure.

Date Created
2014-12