HR: 0800h
AN: ED31A-0094    [Abstracts]
TI: "Primers" on Research Techniques Used in Geomicrobiology for Students and Novices from Microbial Life Educational Resources
AU: * Bruckner, M Z
EM: monica.bruckner@gmail.com
AF: Dept. of Earth Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, United States
AU: Rice, G
EM: gricethree@gmail.com
AF: Dept. of Earth Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, United States
AU: Mogk, D W
EM: mogk@montana.edu
AF: Dept. of Earth Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, United States
AB: Microbial Life Educational Resources (MLER) provides web-based resources and services that support learning about the diversity, ecology and evolution of the (geo)microbial world for students, K-12 teachers, university faculty, as well as for the general public. One of the main goals of MLER is to facilitate integration of modern research techniques and results and effective instructional practices. Two new collections of on-line resources include 1) TechniqueSheets which are 'primers' on analytical techniques commonly used in field and laboratory studies, and 2) focused case studies that demonstrate the use of these techniques in research projects supported by NSF's Microbial Observatory program. TechniqueSheets provide educators and students with essential information about common field and laboratory techniques with image-rich contemporary examples of the employment of these methods in the biogeosciences and microbial life realms. A wide variety of techniques are described including environmental sampling, biogeochemical methods, genomic methods, and microscopy. Every technique includes a general description of what the technique is and how it works, background theory, instrumentation, typical applications and limitations, sampling and sample preparation protocols, data collection, reduction, and representation; interpretations, links to the scientific literature, and collections of related teaching activities. Web-based profiles of the Microbial Observatory projects provide students with case-based learning environments that a) define the "big scientific questions," b) introduce the research teams, c) demonstrate modern research strategies and methodologies, and d) present the key scientific findings. These case studies span a variety of locations from microbial life in the extreme environments of Yellowstone National Park to the diversity of marine sponges in Florida to microbial diversity in Antarctic lakes. The goal of these websites is to help students and other novice-learners to be "critical consumers" of scientific data, to understand how the data were obtained and interpreted, to be able to ask the next important question, to be able to communicate with colleagues in related disciplines, to be able to attend a departmental seminar or read a journal article and be able to comprehend the evidence and interpretations, and ultimately, to provide the foundations that will allow students to design and implement their own research projects employing these techniques. This project was supported by NSF grants 0333402 and 0333363.
UR: http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/index.html
DE: 0810 Post-secondary education
DE: 0845 Instructional tools
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting