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The Small World Initiative:
A model program for first-year student research and highlights
for the implementationTiffany Tsang, PhD
Yale Universitytiffany.tsang@yale.edu
Educational MandateIncreasing Demand in STEM Occupations• By 2018, STEM jobs =
5.3% of U.S. jobs• Increase = 1 million
jobs• 92% will require
college education/training
Retention Problem – An opportunity
<40% of college students intending to major in STEM complete a STEM
degree Even fewer of certain ethnic minority groups (NRC, 2011)
Reasons –• High performers -- uninspiring intro
courses • Low performers -- insufficient math prep
An Urgent Need and a Solution
• Equivalent to 3 to 4 million over the next decade
• Increasing retention from 40% to 50% would generate almost ¾ of the one million additional STEM degrees needed
Engage to Excel• Focus on 1st two years of college for one million
more STEM professionals because…
o 1st two years actively discourage students from pursuing STEM degrees
o they are common to all types of colleges and universities
o retaining more STEM majors is the lowest-cost, fastest policy option to meet the labor force needs
Recommendation #2“Advocate and provide support for replacing standard laboratory courses with discovery-
based research courses.”
Premise:Students who engage in research early in college
• are more likely to persist in STEM majors
• receive better grades
• complete degrees more quickly
Engage to Excel: Producing One Million Additional College
Graduates with Degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology
http://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/pcast
Examples of Research Courses
• Freshman Biology Experienceo UT-Austin
• SEA PHAGESo HHMI and U Pittsburgho Graham Hatfull
• Rainforest Expedition and Laboratoryo Yale Universityo Scott Strobel
• Genomics Education Partnershipo Washington Universityo Sally Elgin
• UCLA Undergraduate Research Consortium in Functional Genomicso Utpal Banerjee
New Initiative: From Microbes to Molecules
• 2 semester sequence:• Biology:
o Jo Handelsmano Carol Bascom-Slacko Jessamina Blumo Tiffany Tsang
• Chemistry:o Andy Phillipso Gill Phillipso Michal Hallside
http://www.ecademy.com/node.php?id=104820
Adapted from "Hospital stays with MRSA infections 1993-2005”Source: AHRQ, Center for Delivery, Organization and Markets, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, Nationwide Inpatient Sample, 1993-2005."
64% mortality from MRSA blood infections15-fold increase in MRSA-association mortality since 1993
Cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) annually in US
Antibiotics• 75% of antibiotics in clinical use
derived from soil bacteria• Estimated 100,000 natural products
made by Streptomyces (most prolific genus)
• Most remain undiscovered –o Most bacteria in soil are unculturableo Many pathways for secondary metabolism are “cryptic”
Becoming scientists and contributing to the discovery of new antibiotics
Choose an environmental soil sample
Isolate microbes Visualize antibiotic production
Purify and solve antibiotic structure
Prioritize microbes
Identify and characterize
Extract antibiotics
Ways to find new antibiotics
New habitats New screens
StreptomycesSaccharopolysporaPseudomonasBurkholderia
From Microbes to Molecules: A comparative approach
• Opportunity to teach foundational biological concepts:o “Why do antibiotics kill bacteria and not us?”
• The cellular and molecular concepts woven around into the process of antibiotic mode of action
• Students will understand:o how β-lactam antibiotics kill bacteria and not humans
• Penicillin and β-lactam antibiotics• Prokaryotic structure• Walls/membranes
o why pore-forming antibiotics kill bacteria• Trimethoprim• Nutrients• Primary metabolism
Small World Initiative• National mandate in science education• Global issues in infectious disease• Strategies for antibiotic discovery
Small World InitiativeCrowdsourcing Discovery
INSTITUTION PILOT PARTNERS
Baylor University Diane Hartman
Benedictine University Monica Tischler
Bethel University Paula Soneral
Brigham Young University-Idaho Todd Kelson
Chadron State College Ann Buchmann
Clark College Ryan Kustusch
Drexel University Shivanthi Anandan
Eastern Connecticut State University
Barb Murdoch
Florida Southern College Brittany Gasper
Gaston College Cliff Grimsley
National University Ana Maria Barral
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Alice Lee
North Dakota State University Angela Hodgson
North Hennepin Community College
Craig Longtine
Seton Hill University Kristen Butela
State College of Florida Eric Warrick
Tulsa Community College Neil Enis
University of Connecticut Karen Pelletreau
University of Hawaii at Manoa Sachie Etherington
University of Pittsburgh Jean Schmidt
University of Texas at San Antonio Janakiram Seshu
University of West Alabama Mustafa Morsy
Washington State University Consetta Helmick
Worcester Polytechnic Institute Michael Buckholt
Yale University
Authentic research in introductory setting
• Early authentic research experience
• Relevant research project that students feel passionate about
• Inserting research project into introductory courses:o Cell and molecular biologyo Microbiologyo Lab course for majorso Lab course for non-majors
Training workshop• 6-day working
meeting:o Laboratory training of
antibiotic discovery protocols
o Pedagogical principles based on Scientific Teaching
o Group work to develop courses
Highlights of Training
• Sharing of best practices
• Learning from each other
• Time for collaboration• Making new friends
and colleagues
How do we know if the classes are working? Assessment data
• CURE – pre/post
• Project ownership survey (POS)
• Comparison courseso 1 traditional sectiono 1 SWI section
• Withdrawals• Share assessments
• Denofrio, L.A., Russell, B., Lopatto, D., & Lu, Y. (2007). Linking student interests to science curricula. Science, 318, 1872-1873.
• Lopatto, D., et al. (2008). Genomics Education Partnership. Science, 322, 684-685.• Hanauer DI1, Frederick J, Fotinakes B, Strobel SA. (2012). Linguistic analysis of project ownership for
undergraduate research experiences. CBE Life Sci Educ. 11, 378-85.
Implementation: Spring 2014 Pilot Year
• Evaluate the programo Highlight successeso Identify obstacleso Accumulate best practiceso Survey faculty experiences
• Study student outcomeso Project ownershipo Longitudinal studies
• Retention in college• Retention in science
• Teach the courseo Launch all 25 courses
simultaneouslyo Flexibility in the research
project and biological concepts
o Build new protocolso Make a bank of
assessments and resources
Website as a social network and scientific and teaching resource• Scientific database• Repository for teaching materials
What we’re learning so far
• Research Projecto Teaching 2-3 days/week to
fit in all researcho At least 1 hour 30 or 1
hour 45 min sections is key
• A few of the partners are presenting to their Trustees/high administration with very positive feedback
• Course developmento Replacing traditional lab
activities with this research project is much easier
o Creating a brand new course is more difficult• Low enrollment• Faculty push-back
o Create modular pieces for instructors to use
National Visibility
• ASM President’s Forum topic: undergraduate research courses and SWI will be highlighted
• Undergraduate and instructor partners posters will have own designated section next to “Outstanding Poster” section
Beyond Pilot Year
• International expansiono Collaboration with the ASM International
committee
• Open access to teaching and scientific materials
• Scientific publications• Teaching publications• Citizen science
• Building a chemical analysis hub
Spawning Independent Research Projects
• Identifying new antibiotic synthetic gene clusters
• Isolating new strains that produces an known antibiotic
• Engineering ways to turn on cryptic pathways
• Differing culture conditionso New media for culturingo Supplementing/mixing various
media
• Studying unique soil samples
• Discovering natural source of previously synthesized antibiotic
Acknowledgements
• Gillian Phillips• Eric Patridge
• Jo Handelsman• Simon Hernandez• Jenny Frederick• Carol Bascom-Slack
Generous Funding• The Leona M. and Harry B.
Helmsley Charitable Trust
• Davis Educational Foundation
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute
• Yale University Office of the Provost
• Thomas L. Kempner, Jr.
• The Benet Fund
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