Biology Workshops
CSI-CVSS (Dr. Kimran Buckholz and Dr. Johanna Foster)
A murder has occurred right here in Waverly but what was the murder weapon? Be the sleuth and figure it out. All participants will observe the crime scene, collect information, and then use the Biology Department’s equipment and greenhouse to analyze the data. Students will have to identify organisms and other materials found at the crime scene, research their potential influence on the outcome, and present their findings to the rest of the group.
INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF NEUROSCIENCE (Dr. Samantha Larimer and Dr. Cynthia Bane)
Neuroscience is the study of the neural basis of behavior. The organ that controls behavior is the brain, which is made of specialized cells called neurons (and glia). Neuroscientists (biologists and psychologists) study how neurons and brain regions communicate with each other to produce behaviors. Students will conduct psychological experiments with humans and rats (if they choose) that demonstrate how these two fields (biology and psychology) are integrally linked in the field of neuroscience. In addition, students will work with various mammalian brains (sheep, rodent) and other model systems to familiarize themselves with the structure and function of the brain.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF NUCLEIC ACIDS (Dr. J. Keith McClung and Dr. David McCullough)
Students will learn about the applications of molecular biology and how DNA manipulations are carried out and used to study problems in biology and serve society as well. Students will experiment with methods used to analyze DNA with restriction enzymes and perform DNA fingerprint analysis. Students will also learn about the role of pedigree analysis and genetic markers in disease detection.
CELLS AND CELL STRUCTURES (Dr. Roy Ventullo and Dr. Stephanie Toering Peters)
“...by the help of microscopes there is nothing so small, as to escape our inquiry” (Robert Hooke, 1664). Microscopy is proving to be one of the most versatile and widely used techniques of modern biology. Participants will prepare various samples, including bacteria, transgenic fruit flies, and their own cheek cells to examine via microscopy. Participants will use light microscopy with fluorescence, differential interference contrast, polarized, and phase contrast for optimal visualization of the different samples. Participants will also use the scanning electron microscope to view samples with higher resolution.
MR. JOHNSON’S WORKOUT (Dr. Ed Westen)
Problem Based Learning (PBL) approaches are becoming increasingly prevalent in medical education. This workshop will present an example of a medical school PBL entitled “Mr. Johnson’s Workout.” Participants will be presented with a patient’s history and physical exam results. From there, they will use available resources, each other, and a continuing interaction with the group leader to diagnose the patient’s illness. Participation in this workshop will provide an appreciation for the problem-solving endeavor that is medicine as well as give students their first experience with PBL.
Chemistry and Biochemistry Workshops
PURIFICATION OF FLUORESCENT PROTEINS (Dr. Shawn Ellerbroek)
The Aequorea victoria (jellyfish) gene for green fluorescent protein (GFP) was first cloned in 1992. Since then, fluorescent proteins with unique spectral properties have been engineered through directed mutation of the original Aequorea Victoria GFP gene. In this session, participants will isolate green, blue, and yellow fluorescent protein from bacteria and analyze their unique fluorescent properties using a fluorimeter.
GOT CAFFEINE? (Dr. Leilani Zart and Dr. Matthew Zart, a senior chemist at Cambrex)
Caffeine is a stimulant and diuretic found in some plants. An alkaloid naturally found in coffee and many teas, caffeine gives many people a much-needed jump-start to any day. Participants in this workshop will isolate caffeine from tea and in the process learn about the techniques of extraction and sublimation as a means of separating and purifying organic compounds.
Engineering Workshop
ENGINEERING DESIGN USING SOLID MODELING (Dr. Daniel Black)
The process of new product design has been transformed by tools such as Computer Numerical Control (CNC), Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM), and Computer Aided Drawing and Design (CADD). Participants will learn about the structured design process and then create designs using Rhino 3-d solid modeling software.
Mathematics and Computer Science Workshops
EXPLORATION IN GRAPH THEORY
(Dr. Lynn Olson, Dr. Brian Birgen, and Dr. Neil Martinsen-Burrell)
Mathematics tries to understand the fundamental nature of things and many things are fundamentally relational. Graph theory studies the properties of objects that are related to one another in some way. Examples include geometric shapes, internet sites and email correspondents. Graph Theory applies to nearly everything and its neighbor. Students will learn the basics of graph theory and then apply this learning to these and other examples.
CREATING VIRTUAL REALITY (Dr. John Zelle, Dr. Josef Breutzmann, and Dr. Terry Letsche)
Virtual Reality and scientific visualization are becoming increasingly important applications of computer science. One key technology of these applications is the use of stereographic techniques to produce the illusion of a 3-dimensional display (ala 3D movies and theme park rides). Students will learn how various stereoscopic display technologies work and will create their own scene for 3D display.
Physics Workshop
PHYSICS WORKSHOP (one workshop, two parts)
A. Resonance (Dr. Ben Bousquet)
Looking up the word resonance in the dictionary, one finds no less than four or five definitions applicable to a wide array of physical systems. In fact, resonance is responsible for many interesting effects, from collapsing bridges to cooking your food. Participants in this workshop will examine several examples of mechanical and acoustic resonance, and will discuss how knowledge of these simple systems can be applied to other more complex systems found in nature.
B. Optical and Radio Astronomy and Cosmology (Dr. Charlie Figura)
How old is the universe? Is it really expanding? Where is it expanding to? or from? How do astronomers really know? The Big Bang is one of the most amazing discoveries of the 20th century, and in order to study it, astronomers draw on their knowledge of a broad range of topics from the physical sciences, from wave mechanics and optics to gravity to quantum mechanics to chemistry! Participants in this workshop will learn about some of the techniques that astronomers use to collect and analyze data, and will have the opportunity to try out some of those techniques in an investigation of galaxies, the universe, and the “Big Bang”. |
