Kathryn Loesser-Casey, professor of biology, and Debra Hydorn, professor of mathematics, gave the poster presentation “A New Course to Develop Students’ Scientific Reasoning and Practice Skills” at the AAC&U conference Transforming STEM Education: Inquiry, Innovation, Inclusion and Evidence, Oct. 31-Nov. 2, in San Diego, Calif. The poster provided information about the development of IDIS 101 Scientific Reasoning and Practices to prepare incoming students for college-level science course work, which was developed through support from the NSF STEREPS grant. In addition, Deborah O’Dell, associate professor of biology, gave the poster presentation “Using Clickers in the STEM classroom to Promote Student Engagement and Learning” about her experiences using a student response system.
Faculty Members Represent UMW at Virginia Academy of Science
Werner Wieland, Professor of Biological Sciences at University of Mary Washington, has been elected a Fellow of Virginia Academy of Science. Professor Wieland attended the Annual Meeting of VAS May 23-25, 2013 where his student Yoshi Takeda presented results from their work as part of the UMW Summer Science Institute entitled “Turtles of the Fredericksburg Canal: Introduced Species and Estimates of Population Sizes.
Professor Wieland has been an active member of VAS since 1984 and has held a variety of leadership positions in the Academy. In May 2005, he was elected VAS Vice-President and served as Program Chair for the 84th Annual Meeting in 2006. He was President of the Academy in 2007-2008 and has served as Editor of the Virginia Journal of Science since 2002.
At the same meeting Deborah O’Dell, Professor of Biological Sciences, was elected President of the Virginia Academy of Science. Professors O’Dell, Rosemary Barra, Theresa Grana, Stephen Fuller, Lynn Lewis, and Deborah Zies of the Department of Biological Sciences also made presentations at the meeting. Professor Stephen Gallik attended as Councilor for the Section on Biology.
A Closer Look at Student Research
In the tissue culture lab in the University of Mary Washington’s Jepson Hall, Chloe Fusselman donned a white lab coat, put on gloves and carefully picked up a beaker of liquid. She was practicing her sterile lab techniques with her adviser, Professor of Biology Deborah O’Dell, since the methods are critical to her research project [...]
Culturing Independent Inquiry
Student lab research reveals real-world applications.
Deborah O’Dell Featured on Public Radio Program
During an interview on the “With Good Reason” public radio program, Deborah O’Dell, associate professor of biology, discusses magnetic orientation in bees. The interview originally aired in July 2010 on public radio stations across Virginia.
The interview will be re-aired beginning Saturday, September 15 on several Virginia public radio stations, as well as stations across the U.S. The segment, “Hard Cider: Early America’s Drink of Choice,” also is available online at http://withgoodreasonradio.org/2012/09/hard-cider-early-americas-drink-of-choice-2/.
Andrew Dolby and Deborah O’Dell
Ass
ociate Professors of Biology Andrew Dolby and Deborah O’Dell were awarded a $1,000 grant by the Virginia Society of Ornithology for their joint project Enzyme immunoassay quantification of Heat Shock Protein 60 and its application to avian conservation biology.
At the Virginia Academy of Science’s Fall Undergraduate Research Meeting, held at the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond in October, O’Dell’s student, Anum Shaikh, was awarded funding for undergraduate research. Anum will study the “Effects of Combined Vitamin E and C Treatment on Plaque Formation in Alzheimer’s Disease.”