ASM Represented at Biology Student and Educator Meetings in Spring/Summer 2009
The strategic directions of the ASM Education Board include collaborating with other ASM committees and national organizations to promote biology education at all levels. As such, in spring and summer 2009, the Board sponsored the Society's participation in the following national conferences for students and science educators.

National Postdoctoral Association Annual Meeting. Education staff member Irene Hulede represented ASM at the seventh annual meeting of the National Postdoctoral Association, which was held 27-29 March 2009 in Houston, Tex. The association's mission includes maximizing the effectiveness of the research community and enhancing the postdoctoral experience for all involved parties. The annual meeting of the association is the largest networking event in the postdoctoral community. The 2009 gathering convened about 300 postdoctoral scientists, program administrators, and faculty members to learn about and discuss the latest issues in postdoctoral education. The conference was sponsored by Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University, the University of Houston, the University of Texas Health Science Center, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

Transforming Undergraduate Education in Biology: Mobilizing the Community for Change. Three ASM members and 15 ASM/NSF Biology Scholars presented at the national undergraduate biology conference Transforming Undergraduate Education in Biology: Mobilizing the Community for Change. The conference, held on 15-17 July 2009 in Washington, D.C., brought together 500 biologists focused on changing undergraduate biology education in the United States. Christopher Woolverton (Kent State University), editor of ASM's Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, presented on the journal's newly expanded focus to cover biology education research, perspectives, and curriculum resources. Donald Breakwell (Brigham Young University) and Rebecca Buxton (University of Utah) presented posters on the impact of the ASM Conference for Undergraduate Educators on faculty who teach underserved students or are seeking tenure. The Scholars- competitively selected for a yearlong experience in conducting research to determine how students learn biology-presented their findings. The conference was sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Leadership Alliance National Symposium. Education staff members Irene Hulede and Tiffani Fonseca represented ASM at the Leadership Alliance National Symposium held 24-26 July 2009 in Chantilly, Va. The yearly symposium promotes understanding of academic professional issues and opportunities and provides links to research prospects, mentors, and host institutions. The 2009 symposium convened scholars, faculty members, administrators, private sector representatives, and federal officials under the theme "Creating the New Leadership." Fonseca served on the networking and funding session panel for biosciences and also shared information about ASM Education Board fellowships, career resources, biomedical research conference, and other student programs during the exhibits program.

Benefits of Outreach to Higher Education Meeting. ASM Committee on K-12 Education member David Westenberg (Missouri University of Science and Technology) represented ASM at the Benefits of Outreach to Higher Education Meeting of the Geneticist-Educator Network of Alliances. The meeting, held on 12-13 June 2009 in Seattle, Wash., brought together various societies and other stakeholders to discuss how science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) discipline societies, including the Society for Neuroscience, American Society for Cell Biology, and ASM, can promote the value of K-12 education outreach for colleges and universities.

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Sneak Peek: ASMCUE 2010
"One Health, One Earth-a Sustainable Future" is the premise of the 17th Annual ASM Conference for Undergraduate Educators (ASMCUE), to be held on 20-23 May in 2010. "The sustainable future in the theme of the conference is not just about the future of the planet and its inhabitants, but more specifically we are concerned with ‘sustaining' students in the biological sciences and providing faculty with the tools to teach them effectively," says ASMCUE Steering Committee Chair Jennifer Herzog, Herkimer County Community College, Herkimer, N.Y. To that end, the committee has organized a program that offers access to premier scientists in diverse specialties and to educators leading biology education reform efforts. Plenary speakers in 2010 include: Opening Keynote Lecture-Stanley Maloy, San Diego State University, presents "(Microbial) Chicken Soup for the Planet;" 2006 Carksi Foundation Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Laureate Amy Cheng Vollmer, Swarthmore College, presents "It's Not What We Say. . . ."; Charles Gerba, University of Arizona, presents "Reinventing Hygiene for the 21st Century"; and Joseph DeRisi, University of California, San Francisco, presents "Discovery- Driven Approaches to Infectious Diseases (Bornovirus)."

The ASMCUE steering committee also includes Lee Hughes (University of North Texas, Denton, Tex.) as vice chair; Donald C. Lehman (University of Delaware, Newark, Del.) as abstract review chair; and ASM past-President Stanley Maloy (San Diego State University, San Diego, Calif.) as local organizing chair. The ASMCUE program is planned by the steering committee and managed by the ASM Committee on Undergraduate Education.

The site for ASMCUE 2010 is the Town &Country Resort and Convention Center located in Mission Valley, just a trolley ride away from downtown San Diego, Calif. For more information about housing, registration, and abstract submissions, visit www.asmcue.org.

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2010 ASM/JGI Bioinformatics Institute: Incorporating Bioinformatics Research in Undergraduate Education

Are you an educator in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines? ASM and the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOEJGI) have collaborated to provide a resource specifically for STEM faculty, the ASM/JGI Bioinformatics Institute: Incorporating Bioinformatics Research in Undergraduate Education. The Institute, held 10-13 March 2010 at ASM headquarters, will help undergraduate STEM faculty use molecular sequence information to solve problems.

The Institute is directed to STEM faculty members who teach undergraduate courses and consider themselves true beginners when it comes to understanding and using bioinformatics tools. Through plenary sessions, small-group work, and discussions, the Institute will provide hands-on experience in identifying and accessing databases, tools, and resources for developing classroom activities and research projects.

Participants will leave the Institute with (i) experience connecting biological questions to learning concepts, skills training, and bioinformatics tools; (ii) curriculum activities, problem sets, course exercises, and research projects that can engage students and be used in courses immediately; and (iii) a network of colleagues to help with brainstorming and troubleshooting the use of bioinformatics in undergraduate education.

After the Institute-Adopt a GEBA Genome. The Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea (GEBA) project was created to systematically fill in the sequencing gaps in the bacterial and archaeal branches of the tree of life. The project represents the first systematic attempt to use the tree of life itself as a guide to sequencing target selection. The "Adopt a GEBA Genome" education program makes available a selection of these genomes for use in undergraduate courses. Adopting a GEBA genome with your students is an ideal way to build on methods provided by the ASM/ JGI Bioinformatics Institute.

Don't Wait-Apply Now. The application deadline for the Institute is 15 November 2010. The Institute is managed by ASM and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute and Hiram College. For more information, see www.facultyprograms.org.

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New Resources Available in Microbelibrary

MicrobeLibrary (www.microbelibrary.org) is pleased to announce the publication of new resources in the curriculum and visual collections. Viewing the curriculum activities requires a subscription of $25 for ASM members and $50 for nonmembers. Visit the ASM eStore (www.estore.asm.org) to subscribe.

New Curriculum Activities

Cell Wall Structures and Antibiotic Action
Scott Gabriel,BronwynButcher,Letal Salzberg, and Susan Merkel, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.

Combined Use of a Conference Program Book and Concept Maps for Student Exploration of the Diversity of Microbiology Subdisciplines
Min-Ken Liao and Mike Winiski, Furman University, Greenville, S.C.

Using a Critical Thinking Model to help Students Analyze Case Studies
Janie Sigmon, York Technical College, Rock Hill, S.C.

Using Theater to Promote Understanding of the Immune System's Response to Viral Infection
Kim Risley, Mount Union College, Alliance, Ohio

New Visual Resources

Animations

Activation of a Macrophage by an Effector T Lymphocyte
Cytotoxic-T-Lymphocyte-Induced Apoptosis of a Virus-Infected Cell
The Major Histocompatibility I System: the Activation of Naïve CD8 (T8) Lymphocytes by Dendritic Cells
The Major Histocompatibility II System: a Dendritic Cell Activating a Naïve CD4 (T4) Lymphocyte
The Major Histocompatibility II System: the Activation of a Naïve B Lymphocyte and Its Subsequent Interaction with an Effector CD4 (T4) Lymphocyte
Gary Kaiser, The Community College of Baltimore County, Catonsville, Md.

Images

Gram Stain of Urethral Discharge with Intracellular Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Javier Gutierrez-Jimenez, Carlos Alberto Balcazar-Reyes, and Juan de Dios Flores- Hernandez, Universidad de Ciencias Y Artes de Chiapas, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico

Candida spp. Showing Pseudohyphae in a Direct Wet Mount of a Vaginal Discharge
Guadalupe del Rocio Dominguez- Figueroa, Ulises Alberto Santiago- Vazquez, and Javier Gutierrez-Jimenez, Universidad Autonoma de Chiapas, Tapachula, Chiapas, and Universidad de Ciencias Y Artes de Chiapas, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico

Coagulase Test for Staphylococcus Species
Neal Chamberlain, A.T. Still University of Health Sciences/KCOM, Kirksville, Mo.

Videos

Aeolosoma hemprichi Ingestion of Soil Particles and Digestion of Microbial Films

Bdelloid Rotifer Feeding and Locomotory Behavior
Cephalodella sp. Anatomy and Behavior Methods for Observing Protozoan Contractile Vacuoles
The Stalked Ciliate Campanella sp. Colonize Stoneworts (Nitella)
Spirochetes in the Context of Their Environment and Other Microbes
Michael Witty, Urban Coast Institute, Monmouth University, West Long Branch, N.J.

Conjugation in Paramecium spp.
Javier Gutierrez Jimenez, Maria Guadalupe del Carmen Torres-Sanchez, Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico

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2009 Education Board (EB) Fellowship Awardees

The ASM Education Board sponsors a wide array of research fellowships for undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral fellows. The undergraduate and graduate fellowships are funded by ASM, and the postdoctoral fellowship is funded by a federal agency. The fellowships programs that EB supports include the ASM/CCID Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program, ASM Robert D. Watkins Graduate Research Fellowship, ASM Undergraduate Research Fellowship, ASM Microbiology Undergraduate Research Fellowship, and the newly established ASM Undergraduate Teaching Fellowship. The Board continues to promote the "Fellowship Cost Sharing Program" in an effort to leverage funds with participating institutions and maximize the number of awards offered. The program allows institutions to partner with ASM and provide partial or full student stipend.

Full List of 2009 Education Board (EB) Fellowship Awardees

ASM/CCID Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program.The ASM/CCID Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program is a two-year training program which supports postdoctoral fellows to conduct fulltime research with the overall objective of developing practical applications of microbiology, immunology, and epidemiology for the diagnosis and prevention of infectious diseases. The fellowship supports comprehensive, interdisciplinary training on global public health issues. The fellowship is managed by ASM. Funds are provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

ASM Robert D. Watkins Graduate Research Fellowship Program. The goal of the ASM Robert D. Watkins Fellowship is to help increase the number of students from underrepresented groups who complete doctoral degrees in the microbiological sciences. The fellowship supports senior- level graduate students completing their doctoral degree in the microbiological sciences and provides professional development training to facilitate student success. Funding for the ASM Robert D.Watkins Graduate Research Fellowship is provided by the Society.

ASM Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program (URF). The goal of this fellowship is to encourage students to pursue careers or advanced degrees in the microbiological sciences. The fellowship provides an opportunity for students to participate in a research project at their home institution and gain experience presenting the results of their research at the ASM General Meeting.

ASM Microbiology Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program (MURF). Ten fellowships were awarded to undergraduate students from underrepresented groups to conduct a research project in the laboratories of ASM members for a minimum of 10 weeks and to present the research findings at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) and the ASM General Meeting if their abstract is accepted. Fellows have the option to conduct research either at their home institution or at a host institution. Funds for the program are provided by the Society.

ASM Undergraduate Teaching Fellowship (UTF). The ASM Undergraduate Teaching Fellowship is aimed at highly motivated and competitive students who are interested in a career as an elementary or secondary school science teacher. Students will have the opportunity to develop a project to provide instruction in a scientific discipline in a local school or community setting in partnership with a mentor at their home institution and a teacher or site coordinator from the host site. Funds for the program are provided by the Society. For more information about any of the Education Board (EB) fellowship programs, please e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Applications must be submitted electronically.

Irene Hulede
Irene Hulede is Manager of Student Programs in the ASM Education Department.