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Professional Development Opportunities for Faculty and Students

Education Board programs support student and faculty development through numerous fellowships, conferences, institutes, and workshops. Please share the following program opportunities with all of your students and colleagues in the microbiological sciences:

Faculty

Biology Scholars Program. The 2012 NSFsponsored Biology Scholars Program offers a continuum of three independent, but intertwined, professional development residencies to guide dedicated biology and microbiology faculty in taking their classroom teaching and educational research to the next level. The Transitions Residency helps Scholars "transition" from conducting scholarly work in student learning to publishing in print and electronic biology and/or science education venues. The 2012 residency kicks off with the From Science Education Research to Publication Institute held on 16-18 July in Washington, D.C. In the Assessment Residency, Scholars learn to measure students' foundational knowledge, monitor gains in learning, and collaborate with colleagues to improve student learning and performance. The 2012 residency kicks off with the Measuring Student Learning Institute planned for 27-30 June in Washington, D.C. Finally, the Research Residency helps Scholars design research projects that investigate student learning; understand methods for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting surveys and data on student learning outcomes; and identify the best venues for publishing study results. The 2012 residency kicks off with the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Institute on 25-28 July in Washington, D.C. Application deadlines are 1 February, 15 February, and 1 March for the Transitions, Assessment, and Research Residencies, respectively. Learn more at http://www.biologyscholars.org.

ASM/JGI Functional Genomics Institute. Undergraduate faculty in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines are encouraged to attend the 2012 ASM/JGI Functional Genomics Institute, which will be held 24-29 June at Hiram College, Hiram, Ohio. Through the use of problem-based learning techniques, individual and group work, and peer mentoring, the institute offers STEM faculty members with little or no training in the genomic sciences valuable professional development training, along with the tools and knowledge to creatively address unique classroom challenges. This is a great opportunity to learn and network with like-minded colleagues, so don't wait, apply today! The institute is managed by ASM and sponsored by Hiram College and the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute. Apply by 15 February 2012. Learn more at http://www.facultyprograms.org.

Students

ASM Undergraduate Research Fellowship: Last Call! The ASM Committee on Undergraduate Education invites applications for its 2012 ASM Undergraduate Research Fellowship (URF). The URF program provides undergraduate students who wish to pursue Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. careers in microbiology with opportunities to conduct full-time research at their home institutions and present research results. Fellows spend a minimum of 10 weeks in the summer conducting research projects under the direction of ASM member faculty mentors. In addition, dependent on abstract submission and acceptance, the students are supported to present their research results at the following summer's ASM General Meeting. Interested students should apply by 1 February 2012. Please note that this program requires a joint application from both the student and an ASM member faculty mentor willing to serve as the student's mentor for the duration of the research experience. Learn more at http://www.asm.org/urf.

New ASM K-12 Classroom and Outreach Activity Helps Beginning Scientists Learn about Microbes

To turn today's students into tomorrow's scientists, educators must engage and retain the natural curiosity of children. With "What Microbe Are You?," a new addition to the ASM K-12 Classroom and Outreach Activity Collection, three University of Hawaii professors have developed a fun way to tap into this curiosity while introducing students-and their teachers-to the benefits, abundance, and diversity of microbes. Michelle H. Hsia, Kimberley A. Thomas (now at Rutgers University), and Barbara C. Bruno created "What Microbe Are You?" as an online quiz that "matches" students with the marine microbes that most closely resemble their personalities.

The activity is the latest of more than 20 fun exercises that encourage cooperation and the teaching of microbiology in the K-12 basic science curriculum. Sponsored by the ASM Committee for K-12 Outreach, the activities highlight the roles that microorganisms play in everyday life and cover topics in health, genetics, agriculture, and more. Each exercise is submitted by the community at large and can be led by anyone—parents, teachers, scout troop leaders, science club members, or even the students themselves. In addition, each activity is reviewed for scientific and educational content, pedagogical processes, safety, adherence to the national science standards, and clarity and completeness of instructional materials and assessment plans.

"The ASM activity collection is a great resource for K-12 educators and for scientists who are looking for already-tested outreach activities for class or learning environments," says Barbara May, Assistant Professor of Biology at the College of St. Benedict/St. John's University and member of the ASM Committee for K-12 Outreach. "These activities engage our young students in the process and interesting concepts of science. We are excited to add this new activity and anticipate continued growth in the collection."

Have an activity to submit? Submissions are welcome and accepted on an ongoing basis from microbiologists, educators, and the community at large. To access the activity title list or for guidelines or other information about the exercises, please visit www.asm.org/classroomactivities.

 New Collaboration: Register for ASMCUE and Gain Access to asm2012!

It's that time of year again when the best and brightest microbiology and biology educators begin gearing up to attend the Annual ASM Conference for Undergraduate Educators (ASMCUE). ASMCUE, now in its 19th year, is a rigorous, fourday premier conference that blends cutting- edge science and the most effective ways of improving student learning in the biological sciences. Attendees enjoy numerous opportunities for networking with colleagues, learning and sharing the best practices in biology education, and accessing the latest textbooks in the field. The 2012 conference will be hosted by the San Mateo Marriott on 14-17 June in San Mateo, Calif. For the more than 300 educators ASMCUE attracts each year, the conference sits at the interface of microbiology and biology, with a program that includes stellar workshops, poster sessions, small group meetings, exhibits, and lectures. "I felt like I had been taken under the wing of new colleagues I didn't have at home, and they helped my professional development," said an attendee after the 2011 meeting. "I am constantly invigorated by this meeting, racing home to implement new ideas for instruction and share new national trends with colleagues."

This year's ASMCUE will be held in conjunction with the nearby asm2012 meeting in San Francisco, Calif. Conference organizers have planned a joint program that features two exciting benefits for ASMCUE registrants: a complimentary field trip to the opening asm2012 keynote session and reception on 16 June and a one-day registration pass for asm2012 sessions held on 17 June. In addition, ASMCUE 2012 will host the following plenary presentations by nationally recognized leaders in science and education:

● Teaching Effectively - Better Learning with Less Time Preparing, by 2011 Carski Foundation Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Awardee Spencer Benson of the University of Maryland
● Host-Virus Interactions: a New Focus on Fat, by Melanie Ott of the Gladstone Institute at the University of California, San Francisco
● Adventures in Personal Genomics and Whole Omics Profiling, by Michael Snyder of Stanford University
● Learning to See Inequity in Science and Strategies for Addressing It, by 2010 National Science Foundation CAREER Grant Awardee and 2011 Society for College Science Teachers Outstanding Undergraduate Science Teacher Awardee Kimberly Tanner of San Francisco State University

ASMCUE 2012 will be here before you know it, so register now. Early registration not only secures your attendance at the conference but also reduces your registration fees by $100. Register before 16 March 2012 to receive the discount. ASMCUE is sponsored by the ASM Committee on Undergraduate Education, a committee of the ASM Education Board. For more details on the conference, including abstract submission and travel application deadlines, visit www.asmcue.org.

 Now Available! Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, Volume 12, Issue 2

The editors of ASM's Journal of Microbiology& Biology Education (JMBE), the premier journal for microbiology and biology education research, are excited to announce the publication of volume 11, issue 2, of the journal. The freely available, internationally indexed JMBE is a gold mine of articles that promote good pedagogy and design, foster scholarly teaching, and advance biology education research. JMBE's scope provides broad coverage of science education via five sections: Research (articles about science education research), Perspectives (thoughts relating a current societal or educational concern to teaching and learning), Curriculum (classroom and laboratory exercises that are innovative, field-tested and assessed), Tips and Tools (innovative teaching guidance), and Reviews (appraisals of biology-related books and media).

"Among other things, JMBE is a forum for exchanging rigorously tested best practices and publishing exciting teaching and learning strategies from within the biological sciences," says editor-in-chief Christopher J. Woolverton, a professor of biological sciences and director of the Center for Public Health Preparedness at Kent State University. "Sharing successful pedagogical scholarship is critical if higher education is to equip students to lead our world to better tomorrows." Articles from the newest issue include:

Research

Summer Workshop in Metagenomics: One Week Plus Eight Students Equals Gigabases of Cloned DNA, by Carlos Rios-Velazquez et al.

Manipulatives-Based Laboratory for Majors Biology-a Hands-On Approach to Understanding Respiration and Photosynthesis, by Sarah M. Boomer and Kristin Latham

Designing Cancer-Killing Artificial Viruses to Improve Student Understanding of Microbiology, by Andy Kuniyuki and Gwen Sharp

Perspectives

Introductory Biology Textbooks Under- Represent Scientific Process, by Dara B. Duncan et al.

Curriculum

Authentic Active Learning Activities Demonstrating the Use of Serial Dilutions and Plate Counts, by Jordan K. March et al.

Improving Scientific Research and Writing Skills through Peer Review and Empirical Group Learning, by Jeremiah Foster Ault et al.

Microbes in Mascara: Hypothesis-Driven Research in a Nonmajor Biology Lab by Kathryn M. Burleson and Betsy M. Martinez- Vaz

Investigating How Streptococcus Responds to Their Environment: Bringing Together Current Research, a Case Study and Laboratory Investigation by B. Boots Quimby et al.

An Investigation of Bacterial Protein Interactions as a Primary Research Project in a Sophomore-Level Molecular Biology Course, by Jean A. Cardinale

Tips and Tools

Assessment of Microbiology Students' Progress with an Audience Response System, by M. Ahmad Chaudhry

Early Embryonic Development Role-Playing in a Large Introductory Biology Lecture, by John R. Geiser

Perfecting Your Spread Plate Technique, by Diane Hartman

Bugs and Movies: Using Film to Teach Microbiology, by Manuel Sanchez

Reviews

Journal Watch, by Jennifer Herzog The Big Picture: A Comparative Review of Several Interactive Web-Based Tools for Problem Analysis in Public Health, by Marion Field Fass

What the 7th Grader Should Know About Microbes-Or, Is that What the College Student Should Know? by Sue Katz

A Review of The Mirage Man: Bruce Ivins, the Anthrax Attacks, and America's Rush to War, by Gregory D. Frederick

Bedtime Stories from the Viral Universe, by Brinda Govindan

A Review of Marine Microbiology: Ecology and Applications, by Phil Mixter

A Review of Virology: Molecular Biology and Pathogenesis, by Susan Godfrey

A Review of Allies and Enemies: How the World Depends on Bacteria, by Jerry H. Kavouras

A Comparative Review of Three Microbiology Student Study Resources, by Wendy Dustman

A Review of Microbiology: An Evolving Science (2nd ed.), by Barbara May

A Comparative Review of Four Photographic Atlases for Microbiology, by Deborah Tobiason

Using LabPaq Kits to Perform Science Labs at Home, by Jeffrey D. Newman

A Review of EDVOTEK-the Biotechnology Education Company, by Scott Stein

JMBE editors welcome article submissions, and manuscripts are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis. However, to be considered for each volume, the submission deadlines are 1 December (for the May issue) and 1 July (for the December issue). For more information, visit http://jmbe.asm.org.