BIO2010 Transforming Undergraduate Education for Future Research Biologists (2003) / Chapter Skim
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1. Introduction
1. Introduction
Pages 10-26
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From page 10... ...
Knowledge of diverse genomes, from bacteria to worms to flies to humans, is revealing recurring motifs and mechanisms, and strengthening an appreciation for the fundamental unity of life. Biological concepts, models, and theories are becoming more quan1Throughout this report the terms biology and life sciences are used interchangeably to reflect this large family of disciplines and subdisciplines.
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From page 11... ...
Functional magnetic resonance imagers map activated regions of the brain. Highly parallel data acquisition, such as the use of simultaneous measurement of the expression levels of tens of thousands of genes in DNA arrays, has become commonplace.
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New kinds of scientific communities are emerging. EVIDENCE THAT INTERDISCIPLINARY EDUCATION IS NECESSARY The recent report entitled The Role of the Private Sector in Training the Next Generation of Biomedical Scientists concludes "In the postgenomic era of research, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research will command center stage, requiring team approaches and the collaboration of many individuals from vastly different fields, ranging from computational mathematics to clinical science" (American Cancer Society et al., 20001.
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NIDAfunded researchers studying behavioral, cognitive, and neurobiological processes, and cellular and molecular mechanisms of drug abuse and addiction, are eligible for this supplemental funding. It is anticipated that funds will be used to bring state-of-the-art computational and theoretical modeling approaches to the analysis of ongoing research projects.
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The Burroughs Wellcome Foundation offers Bridging Support for Physical/Computational Scientists Entering Biology and, in the past, supported a program for universities called Institutional Awards at the Scientific Interface that funded the development of interdisciplinary training programs for graduate and postdoctoral students. RESEARCH ON EDUCATION CAN BENEFIT THE TEACHING OF UNDERGRADUATE BIOLOGY The ways in which students are taught and learn biology are as important as the content of the material covered.
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Several journals also publish information on science education. The fournal of College Science Teachingis published by the National Science Teachers Association and The American Biology Teacher is published by the National Association of Biology Teachers.
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The National Science Teachers Association has published a guide for faculty on how to use the ideas of the science education standards in the college classroom to increase studentcentered and inquiry-based learning (Siebert and McIntosh, 20011. The NRC has plans to publish a volume focusing on inquiry in the undergraduate classroom through its Committee on Undergraduate Science Education Web site.
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Mentors and students share in the ownership of research in a manner that promotes mutual growth and learning in a relationship that grows and intensifies over time. It is evident from many quarters that such students develop a sustaining relationship with their faculty mentor, have strongly enriched and productive research experiences, and usually assume leadership roles in their research groups and departments as they progress toward graduation.
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However, in spite of the overwhelming circumstantial evidence and broad-based agreement that undergraduate research is good pedagogy, the educational value of undergraduate research for students, and the impact of undergraduate research on faculty development as scholars and educators, has not been assessed in a systematic and intensive way. The Research Corporation report mentioned above, Academic Excellence, does examine such issues; in addition, another study in progress attempts to assess the value of undergraduate research (See Case Study #11.
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However, it can be "discovered" as new by successive generations of teachers. In the preface of The Feynman Lectures on Physics, published in 1963, Richard Feynman discussed his experiences teaching introductory physics at the California Institute of Technology (Feynman et al., 19631.
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It proposes a variety of ways to improve interdisciplinary scientific education for future biomedical researchers. It provides guidance for faculty on ways to incorporate chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science, and engineering into the undergraduate education of future biomedical researchers.
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The committee also hopes that this report will stimulate institutions to carry out a comprehensive review of the educational experiences of undergraduate life science majors. These experiences include learning inside and outside of the classroom, the content covered, and the way in which it is taught.
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ORIGIN OF BIO2010 In October 2000, the Board on Life Sciences of the National Research Council initiated this study, Undergraduate Biology Education to Prepare Research Scientistsfor the21st Century. The idea for the study emerged from discussions between Dr.
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The Bio2010 committee was asked to produce an innovative and realizable action plan for modifying undergraduate biology education so that life science majors can begin their research careers better prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the next decade and beyond. Because the life sciences are so broadly defined, and because at the undergraduate level, it is difficult to separate those students who will become biomedical researchers from their classmates who will pursue a multitude of other career paths, the committee also considered the needs of students in other life science disciplines during their discussions.
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In coming to the conclusions presented here, the committee began by discussing the overall state of biomedical research and undergraduate biology education. They canvassed their colleagues, educational experts, journal articles, and the Internet, gathering information on both traditional and innovative courses and curricula in undergraduate science.
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From page 26... ...
Workshop on Innovative Undergraduate Biology Education Another important source of information and advice for the committee was the "Workshop on Innovative Undergraduate Biology Education," which was organized by the Bio2010 Committee and held in Snowmass, Colorado, in August 2001. Participants were selected as described above for the panels.
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