ASCENT 2011 Issue 1 by College of Arts and Sciences at Ohio State

2011 ISSUE 1

ASCENT

NEWS FROM THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

BEHIND CLOSED DRAWERS Millions of plant and animal specimens yield their secrets to help scientists solve life’s mysteries. {page 5}

in this ISSUE

MATH + BIOLOGY = THE CURE FOR WHAT AILS YOU Ohio State’s MBI receives a $16.2 million grant

BEHIND CLOSED DRAWERS INSIDE THE MUSEUM OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY{ }

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DETERMINED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE Helina Selemon wants to heal the world

TAKING ROOT Ohio State’s STEM initiatives ARTS AND SCIENCES ALUMNI SOCIETY New board members are announced

STUDENT PROFILES:

IT’S ALL IN THE FAMILY AND {PG. 11} LIFE ON THE SEA ANEMONE FARM

LEADING THE MARCH We welcome a new interim Dean

CLASS ACT

THE CENTER FOR LIFE SCIENCES EDUCATION { }

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BREAKING GROUND A new class studies bacterial viruses in the soil

FIELD CAMP ROCKS!

STUDENTS AT THE SCHOOL OF EARTH SCIENCES’ REAL LIFE LABORATORY

Upside Down Anemone: photo provided

A MESSAGE FROM DEAN STEINMETZ In this issue of ASCENT, it’s all about the sciences. Last fall, I appointed Peter March as the interim divisional dean of Natural and Mathematical Sciences. Peter takes the place of Matt Platz who has temporarily left Ohio State to take a position at the National Science Foundation (NSF). We essentially made a trade; Peter March returned here to campus after a term in the NSF administration, at the same time that Matt Platz left. While we miss the talents of these scientists/ administrators when they take positions in Washington with the NSF, it’s great to have outstanding Ohio State scientists like Matt and Peter directly involved in the operation of this important agency. In other news, I am also pleased that we have created a new position in the College of Arts and Sciences that focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, outreach, and engagement. I am delighted to introduce you to Christopher Andersen, its ﬁrst director. You will read more about these two extraordinary people in this issue. I hope you enjoy this issue of ASCENT and that you are as inspired by the exciting things making news in the arts and sciences as I am. Enjoy! And please let us hear from you.

ASCENT WELCOME to the College of Arts and Sciences at Ohio State.

THE ACT OR PROCESS OF ASCENDING; ADVANCEMENT

For us, ASCENT reﬂects the amazing potential and value of an Ohio State arts and sciences education. The Buckeye experience is powerful, transformative, and stays with us throughout our lives, reaching far beyond geographical borders. We want to share these stories with you—and we hope that you’ll share your stories, ideas, and feedback with us. (Contact information below.)

CIRCULATION To maximize our outreach to alumni, while remaining committed to responsible ﬁscal stewardship, we print ASCENT three times a year. One third of our alumni will be mailed an issue with each printing; all of our alumni will receive a print version once a year. This allows us to tailor our content to our three areas: Social and Behavioral Sciences, Natural and Mathematical Sciences, and Arts and Humanities. All alumni for whom we have email addresses (45%) will receive the enewsletter for each edition and also can access these stories on our website, artsandsciences.osu.edu/ascent. PRINT Please contact us to receive all three issues of this publication in print. eNEWS Send us your email address to receive the html issue of ASCENT.

Joseph Steinmetz | Executive Dean and Vice Provost Peter March | Interim Divisional Dean, Natural and Mathematical Sciences Mark Shanda | Divisional Dean, Arts and Humanities Gifford Weary | Divisional Dean, Social and Behavioral Sciences

JOSEPH E. STEINMETZ, PhD Executive Dean and Vice Provost College of Arts and Sciences The Ohio State University d by MBD Marine Biologist Meg Daly

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 186 University Hall 230 N. Oval Mall Columbus, Ohio 43210 asccomm@osu.edu

artsandsciences.osu.edu 3

MATH + BIOLOGY = THE CURE FOR WHAT AILS YOU OHIO STATE’S MATHEMATICAL BIOSCIENCES INSTITUTE RECEIVES $16.2 MILLION GRANT Marty Golubitsky, Director, Mathematical Biosciences Institute (MBI)

For those of us whose eyes glaze over at the mere mention of a word like “algorithm,” it is hard to believe how excited people can become over mathematics. Spend an hour with MARTY GOLUBITSKY, director of Ohio State’s Mathematical Biosciences Institute (MBI), and one begins to get it. “Our MBI scholars tackle problems and make discoveries that push the envelope for what can be done to make real progress in the biological and biomedical sciences,” said Golubitsky. THEY

HAVE DISCOVERED NEW METHODS FOR HELPING WOUNDS HEAL USING CALCULUS; TRACKED THE WORLDWIDE SPREAD OF VIRUSES USING STATISTICS; AND GAINED A NEW UNDERSTANDING OF THE BODY’S IMMUNE RESPONSE, USING MATHEMATICAL MODELS. In 2002, the National Science Foundation established MBI at Ohio State to maximize opportunities for the mathematical sciences to accelerate progress in the biosciences. MBI is one of a handful of math institutes around the country that must compete regularly for continued funding. As a result of the 2010 competition, MBI received a ﬁve-year, $16.2 million grant. The news makes Golubitsky beam, “We are delighted that our peers in the mathematical and biosciences gave MBI the green light to explore the interface between these two exciting areas.

The continuing quantification of biology and medicine requires new math, and MBI can now foster programs that show how both disciplines benefit from this interaction.” MBI spends its money well. It supports the work of 12 or more postdoctoral fellows annually, along with a number of long-term visiting scholars. Their collaborations with Ohio State researchers produce work published in the world’s top scientific journals, including Science, Nature, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. MBI provides a wealth of other opportunities for researchers to learn, explore, and develop partnerships. Its annual “Emphasis Year” programs are one-week, theme-focused workshops held several times per year at the MBI. These examine various key issues, such as how climate change affects marine ecology or the role of randomness in public health models. Additionally, MBI runs a summer program based on tutorials and team projects led by postdoctoral fellows, along with occasional “Current Topic” workshops that introduce mathematical scientists to new opportunities for research. If by now you’re not convinced that mathematics is both relevant and fun, attend one of MBI’s free public lectures that delve into mesmerizing topics like, “Math at top speed: exploring and breaking myths in the drag racing folklore,” “Real democracy: how honeybees choose a home,” and “Heart attacks can give you mathematics.”

Visit mbi.osu.edu for more information on programs, lectures, and workshops.

BEHIND CLOSED DRAWERS ARTS AND SCIENCES HOUSES THREE COMPREHENSIVE MUSEUMS.* IN THIS ISSUE, WE GO INSIDE THE MUSEUM OF BIOLOGICAL R RSIT DIVERSITY It is always a treat to visit the MUSEUM OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY (MBD) because every visit reveals something new. This is partly because you feel special, as the museum is closed to the public 364 days a year. But, on one Saturday, each February, museum doors are ﬂung wide to welcome throngs of visitors to the highly-anticipated MBD Annual Open House. When people come once, they come again—and bring their friends. Museum curators work feverishly for weeks to plan a lively celebration of biological diversity for kids of all ages. They never disappoint. Special displays, live animals, refreshments, and multiple hands-on learning activities ﬁll the museum with color, life, “oohs,” and “ahs.”

Behind Closed Drawers: Some specimens can’t quite fit in drawers, such as the Asian Elephant skull. But it is surrounded by things that can, such as extinct passenger pigeons.

Step through the door and you are welcomed by friendly folks who are eager to share their museum and talk about what they do that makes a difference. As a curator once said, “It’s not just about dead things in jars.” *The other two are: The Museum of Classical Archaeology and The Orton Hall Geology Museum.

Our guide today is HERBARIUM director John Freudenstein. Ohio State’s ﬁrst botany professor, William A. Kellerman, created this oasis of plant research, where 500,000 50 0 00 00 0 or so specimens offer up their secrets. Opening ning drawers of carefully preserved plant matter—leaves, atter— seeds, ﬂowers—Freudenstein notes es that many m of the earliest were collected by Columbus’ founding family, the Sullivants. He lets us see and hold the world’s largest seed, the size of a basketball, and visit the rare book room with volumes dating to the 16th Century. Next stop is THE ACAROLOGY LABORATORY, housing one of the most extensive tick and mite collections in North America. George W. Wharton,

Take the Tour: {clockwise from top left} Student scans Herbarium plant specimens for online database*; Acarology Laboratory mite magnified via electron microscope; a living mussel and world’s largest bivalve shell; dead things in jars as far as the eye can see in the Zoology Museum ranges; a few jewels from the 3.5 million-specimen Insect Collection; Bioacoustics Laboratory Director Doug Nelson with favorite research subject. *Online databases are in process for all MBD collections, funded by federal and state granting agencies.

birdsong. of bi d “We are about to see some of the museum’s ﬁnest jewels,” says Freudenstein as we move toward THE CHARLES A. TRIPLEHORN INSECT COLLECTION. Curator Lucianna Musetti proves him right as she pulls out tray after tray of gorgeous glittering insects, whose design

WE HAVE THINGS HERE THAT NO ONE ELSE IN THE WORLD HAS, NOR CAN THEY EVER HAVE; THESE ARE THE LAST AND ONLY ONES. YOU CANNOT PUT A PRICE TAG ON ANYTHING IN THIS MUSEUM; IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW MUCH MONEY YOU HAVE, IT CAN’T BE BOUGHT. {former MBD Director, John Wenzel} the man who “showed us what lives in our eyebrows,” began the laboratory in 1951, along with the world’s best Annual Acarology Summer Program, an intense three-week lab and ﬁeld course drawing biologists from every continent. Tearing ourselves away from the ferociouslooking electron microscope images of Director Hans Klompen’s mites, we head to THE BORROR LABORATORY OF BIOACOUSTICS, named for ornithologist/ entomologist Donald J. Borror, who pioneered recording, preserving, and studying animal sounds. (Not an easy task back then—the ﬁeld equipment was so heavy and cumbersome it had to be hauled around in a pickup truck.) It is now one of America’s two premier animal sounds labs, where director Doug Nelson studies animal behavior and the evolutio evolution n

is so exquisite, they would not be amiss adorning a lapel. Its more than 3.5 million catalogued specimens and world’s largest collection of leafhoppers make it one of the top 12 university collections in North America. It is named for Charles A. Triplehorn, a world-authority on Coleoptera. Still collecting his favorite insect, he laughs, “I don’t collect beetles; they collect me!” Continuing through the MBD’s endless meandering hallways, the dynamic energy that a working museum generates is almost palpable. In one of these, we encounter marine biologist Meg Daly, who talks about her ﬁve-year, $3 million, National Science Foundation “Tree of Life” grant. “It gives me and my students dents a heady experience travel, collaborate, collect, p ce to travel

and study new specimens—bizarre, missing-link things— we’ve gone to Chile, Argentina, Japan, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the Philippines.” Zoologist Tom Watters also can be found in the depths of the MBD. Watters and his students collaborate with the Columbus Zoo to study an endangered freshwater mussel in Ohio streams. “Who’s to say which species are important and which are not,” he is quick to tell us. “Among other things, these mussels are our sentinels of water quality.” These ongoing research collaborations and collections are an important resource for scholars both here and abroad, allowing access to some materials no longer available for collecting or viewing outside its walls. In many cases, the Museum is the last resting place for rare and extinct species, a fact that underscores the importance of preservation. This is never clearer than in the airplane-hanger sized ranges of THE MUSEUM OF ZOOLOGY (yes, a museum within a museum). As old as the university itself, it was founded in 1874 by Albert H. Tuttle, Ohio State’s first chair of zoology. Its six divisions (Bivalve Collection, Crustaceans, Fishes, Gastropods and the General Collection, Higher Vertebrates, and Pa aras Parasitic Worms) consist of comprehensive research and teaching ccollections—some ol of the mollusks and snail holdings are the world’s orld’s most extensive. Surveying the Bivalve Collection, where preserved eserved erved specimens fill row after row of floor-to-ceiling shelving, we are joined by former MBD Director John Wenzel. “We have things here that no one else in the world has, nor can they ever have; these are the last and only ones. You cannot put a price tag on anything in this museum; it doesn’t matter how much money you have, it can’t be bought,” said Wenzel. That these collections and their researchers have a seamless, synergistic connection with each other is all the more remarkable, considering that prior to 1992 they were housed separately, with little interaction among their curators. “The Museum fosters collaborations, brainstorming, and collegiality,” Wenzel tells us. “It allows us to learn from one another; after all, we may study different organisms, but our goals are the same.” { } View pictures of the museum’s annual open house online at go.osu.edu/mbd-open-house.

DETERMINED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE When HELINA SELEMON was in the first grade, she told her school counselor that when she grew up, she wanted to be a doctor. By the time she turned 12, Selemon narrowed her specialty to infectious diseases. She would become a doctor and find a cure for tuberculosis (TB). Selemon, a first generation student from Gahanna, Ohio majoring in microbiology, has a very strong tie to Ethiopia. “My parents came to this country as refugees from Ethiopia,” said Selemon. “I grew up knowing that education was always important to them—not in the ‘if you don’t get an A, you’re a failure’ way, but they set the bar pretty high. They demonstrated hard work and sacrifice for a dream and for a better life.” When Selemon was 12 years old, she visited Ethiopia with her parents and siblings. What she witnessed on that trip changed her life. “I saw so many people, including some of my own Ethiopian family members, stricken with tuberculosis,” explained Selemon. “Many people died because they either couldn’t afford treatment, or the medication simply wasn’t available.”

I SAW SO MANY PEOPLE, INCLUDING SOME OF MY OWN FAMILY MEMBERS, STRICKEN WITH TUBERCULOSIS. 8

By the time Selemon returned to the United States she too had been exposed to TB and required medical care. That she was able to access the health care she needed so readily, when others could not, troubled her. “I wanted to click my heels and be a doctor, ﬂy off to Ethiopia, and cure the world,” said Selemon. Selemon is in her fourth year at Ohio State majoring in microbiology. She is carrying a full load of classes while also working part time as a student research assistant at the Davis Heart Lung Institute. She is also a

Resident Advisor in Jones Tower, a co-ed residence hall for upper-level students. “It takes a tremendous amount of time but it’s worth every minute,” she said. “I get to know a lot of students, make new friends, and try to make a positive mark on their college experiences.” As a freshman, Selemon was selected to participate in Ohio State’s Program for Advising in Scholarship & Service (PASS), a ﬁrst-year learning community for students with an interest in the academic, cultural, and professional aspects of diversity. PASS afforded Selemon the opportunity to network with 3rd and 4th-year students, access leadership training, and work directly with professors on research and scholarly projects. Selemon volunteered the next several years as a mentor in the PASS Peer Leadership Program. In her role as a Peer Leader, Selemon provided one-on-one mentoring to underrepresented minority students, many of whom were also ﬁrst generation students. Selemon summed up her experience as a mentor. “As a PASS Peer Leader, I had the opportunity to provide freshmen with the tools and advice that I was given so that they too could have a rewarding undergraduate experience.” Selemon’s dreams don’t center on money or fame. When asked about future plans, she smiled just a bit and said softly, “I believe everyone has the power to contribute something to the world.” To the countless number of students whose lives Selemon has touched over the past four years as a mentor, friend, and advisor—she already has.

TAKING ROOT

OHIO STATE’S STEM INITIATIVES

THE NEW

ARTS AND SCIENCES ALUMNI SOCIETY BOARD ERIC BURGESS (Microbiology, 1994) Biotech sales representative, PerkinElmer; JENNIFER CEFARATTI (Communication, 1998, Music Ed 2003) Regional vice president, 1st National Bank; TIMOTHY CUTARELLI (Chemistry, 1997) Research chemist, Merck & Company; TRICIA FAIRMAN (Music Ed, 2009) Music teacher, musician, administrator; CRAIG FRIEDMAN (Journalism, 1989) Managing editor, WBNS10TV.com and ONNtv. com; CAROL HOFFMAN (International Studies, 1967) Retired, executive director of non-proﬁt college access program;

Ohio State continues to show its commitment to local STEM Outreach through the creation of a new position administered by the College of Arts and Sciences. CHRISTOPHER ANDERSEN has been appointed director of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Initiatives, effective April 1, 2011. The focus of the position will be to strengthen STEM outreach, undergraduate programming, and diversity. Andersen will be responsible for coordinating and promoting STEM-related education and outreach activities across Ohio State’s College of Arts and Sciences and building collaborations with other colleges throughout the university community. He will also serve as liaison to external communities and promote recruitment and retention of students in STEM ﬁelds. Speciﬁcally, he will … Identify and expand university K-12 public STEM outreach Strengthen efforts to revise, improve, and invigorate undergraduate STEM programming Work to diversify the university’s undergraduate and graduate population and expand recruitment and retention efforts Andersen is currently STEM program director at the Nisonger Center where he is working with three NSF-funded projects: Ohio’s STEM Ability Alliance, created to increase students with disabilities who complete STEM degrees; the Center for Emergent Materials; and It’s About Discovery, a STEM-curriculum project in Ohio and North Carolina. He previously served as director of Ohio State’s Project to Support Grants for Research Outreach (Project GRO). Andersen earned his MA and PhD in developmental psychology from Columbia University.

SCOTT GALE (International Studies, 1990) Chief Deputy Clerk of Courts, Akron Municipal Court; DR. MILAN JOVANOVIC (Biochemistry, 1998, 2004) Patent attorney, Calfee, Halter & Griswold; SUSAN MUNTHE (Political Science, 1974) Custom tour designer, Lakani World Tours; ALISON PEGG (Political Science, 2005) Multimedia coordinator, Easy Columbus; MELISSA ROACH (Communication, 1994) Manager, Legal Division, Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation; DAVID SYBERT (Zoology, 1986, Medicine, 1990) Anesthesiologist, Riverside Methodist Hospital; MARGUERITE DANNEMILLER TREMELIN (Journalism, 1979) Community volunteer. For information and questions, contact Megan Cahill (cahill.92@osu.edu) or Annie Gordon (gordon.421@osu.edu), or visit artsandsciences.osu.edu/alumni.

{UNDERGRADUATE PLANT RESEARCH AT THE MUSEUM OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY}

IT’S ALL IN THE FAMILY Molecular genetics major EMILY FELDENKRIS met John Freudenstein, Herbarium director at the MBD, at a faculty-student networking event two years ago. “I thought his research was interesting and I liked his molecular approach to his studies,” said Feldenkris. She is happy she followed up on that interest. For the past two years she has been working on Freudenstein’s NSF-funded project that uses DNA sequences to study relationships among leaﬂess species in the blueberry family, Ericaceae.

THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN FROM DR. FREUDENSTEIN AND HIS GRADUATE STUDENTS MADE RESEARCH A LOT MORE ACCESSIBLE. I’VE LEARNED PROBLEM-SOLVING APPROACHES THAT I CAN APPLY WHEREVER I GO, AND IT’S GREAT TO FEEL THAT I AM MAKING CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE WHOLE TEAM, said the Cleveland, Ohio native. After graduation this spring, Feldenkris plans to work in a clinical lab for a year or so before heading to graduate school. “Originally, I wanted to attend med school, but this experience helped me decide on grad school instead.”

LEADING THE MARCH Department of Mathematics Professor PETER MARCH was named Interim Divisional Dean of Natural and Mathematical Sciences within the College of Arts and Sciences, effective October 1, 2010. “The strength of the natural and mathematical sciences at Ohio State is truly impressive,” said March. “The division and the college are extremely well-placed to play leadership roles in meeting some of the critical challenges of our times through research, teaching, outreach, and engagement.” Since 2006, he has been serving as the Director of the Division of Mathematical Sciences at the National Science Foundation. March

succeeds Divisional Dean Matthew Platz, who has accepted a one-year appointment as director of the Division of Chemistry at the National Science Foundation. An agreement with the university allows Platz to remain an Ohio State faculty member. “I am thrilled that Peter March has agreed to serve as Interim Dean,” said Joseph Steinmetz, executive dean and vice provost. “He understands the key issues in natural and mathematical sciences and I am conﬁdent he will provide important leadership to further strengthen our research and teaching programs in the life, physical, and computational sciences within the College of Arts and Sciences.”

LIFE ON THE SEA ANEMONE FARM CHARLOTTE ROYER, a senior zoology major from Hamilton, Ohio, does research in Marine Biologist Meg Daly’s MBD lab. “My experiences in Meg’s lab, and in the Museum in general, have been absolutely wonderful. I have learned so much

I HAVE FOUND A GREAT COMMUNITY OF FRIENDS, COLLEAGUES, AND MENTORS IN THE PEOPLE HERE AND WILL DEFINITELY MISS THEM AFTER I GRADUATE! from everyone,” said Royer.

Daly is known for nurturing her students, graduate and undergraduate, giving them enriching opportunities and connecting those who have parallel interests. Royer is working with grad student Anthony D’Orazio on a project studying anemone aggression and aggregation behaviors. “I’m looking at whether aggregation (or clumping) in sea anemones helps prevent water loss; my hypothesis is that anemones grouped together will lose less water collectively than those separated,” said Royer. Royer plans on attending graduate school but, “First, I really need some time off to ﬁgure out what I want to study,” she said.

THE NATURAL AND MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES AT OHIO STATE ARE EXTREMELY WELL PLACED TO PLAY LEADERSHIP ROLES IN MEETING SOME OF THE CRITICAL CHALLENGES OF OUR TIMES... {Peter March}

March has a bachelor’s degree with Honors in Mathematics from Dalhousie University and a doctoral degree in Mathematics from the University of Minnesota. Prior to this appointment, he was the Chair of the Department of Mathematics (1998-2006) and an associate director of the Mathematical Biosciences Institute (2003-2005).

A CLASS ACT

THE CENTER FOR LIFE SCIENCES EDUCATION (CLSE)

{ } above: Introductory biology students learn by doing in user-friendly laboratories with help and encouragement from award-winning graduate teaching associates. opposite page: Betsy Wrobel-Boerner

Research in biology is hot news. Biologists are unlocking life’s secrets at the molecular level at breakneck speed. Each successive discovery brings hope for solving critical problems: in alternative energy, climate change, medical therapies, world hunger—the list is endless and exciting. Students certainly got the memo: biology is where the action is, and they want to be in on it. Ohio State’s largest major cannot be taught “Old School.” Teaching 21st Century biology to 2,000 majors and an additional 10,000 non-majors each year is a huge responsibility. It demands examining how we learn, then rethinking how to educate. Caroline Breitenberger, director of the CLSE, and her team are preparing Ohio State’s biology majors to take on a heavily competitive world—scientific and medical research, careers in medicine and other health care fields, academic scholarship, biotechnology, and other emerging fields. Additionally, the CLSE is responsible for ensuring scientific literacy for non-majors in the Introductory Biology Program each year. Both groups of students pose unique problems for engagement on much more profound levels than memorizing basic biological concepts.

STUDENT-CENTERED EDUCATION Breitenberger believes ongoing training and professional development opportunities for graduate teaching associates are critical to success. The keys are focusing on student-centered education, relentlessly examining best practices, and reﬁning how to teach teachers to teach. “We rely heavily on Graduate Teaching Associates (GTAs); their laboratory and recitation sections are designed to take a studentcentered approach to learning. Because this is a new approach for both instructors and students, we provide extensive and personalized training for all GTAs,” said Breitenberger. This is an intensive, ongoing process that gives GTAs a variety of opportunities for learning, assessment based on measurable outcomes, and mentoring. “We allow GTAs to start at their personal level of development and advance at a pace comfortable to them. We foster a community among the faculty, staff, and TAs that encourages reﬂective teaching and ongoing growth,” said Breitenberger. This has paid off with very visible results. More pictures of the CSLE online at go.osu.edu/life-sciences.

HOME TO OHIO STATE’S LARGEST MAJOR, BIOLOGY, THE CLSE EDUCATES 2,000 BIOLOGY MAJORS AND 10,000 NONMAJORS EACH YEAR.

BREAKING GROUND NEW CLASS GETS DOWN AND DIRTY TO STUDY BACTERIAL VIRUSES IN THE SOIL Ohio State’s Center for Life Sciences Education (CLSE) is one of 12 undergraduate biology programs nationwide that successfully competed to participate in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s (HHMI) Science Education Alliance (SEA). They join 40 other institutions around the country in the ﬁrst phase of an experimental initiative to change the way freshmen learn about science. SEA was created in 2007 with the long-term goal of developing a series of courses for the sciences that support biomedical education. HHMI committed $4 million over four years to implement the Alliance’s ﬁrst course, the National Genomics Research Initiative.

RECOGNIZED SUCCESS The CLSE was recognized by the University Center for the Advancement of Teaching and the Graduate School “for exemplary achievement in providing outstanding prior preparation and signiﬁcant ongoing support to their Graduate Teaching Associates.” Students enthusiastically attest to the program’s effectiveness. “Knowing the CLSE and GTAs were willing to hear any feedback and adjust their classes accordingly allowed me to do my job as a student without worry. It also made me excited because I know these classes will always be evolving to suit new students and helping them learn as I did,” said Thomas Varian, biology major. GTA Thushani Rodrigo-Peiris said, “This model is a win-win for everyone, empowering my undergraduate students, providing phenomenal professional development opportunities for myself and other GTA’s, and strengthening student-centered education.” Breitenberger and Senior Lecturer Stephen Chordas III were recently named National Academies Education Fellows in the Life Sciences for the 2010-11 academic year. This singular honor results from their active, enthusiastic participation in the 2010 National Academies Summer Institute on Undergraduate Education in Biology, June, 2010. Competition for spaces at the Institute was highly competitive; being selected to participate was recognition of a record of superior accomplishment.

This funding provides resources that help science educators offer a yearlong course to freshmen built around meaningful research experiences. The course introduces students to wide-ranging, leadingedge research techniques and ideas that draw from microbiology, molecular biology, electron microscopy, and bioinformatics. CLSE Director Caroline Breitenberger said, “When my colleague, microbiologist Chuck Daniels, and I started working on the proposal to join HHMI’s Science Education Alliance, the initial hook for us was the idea of engaging freshmen in authentic research in our teaching labs.” “We are thrilled to be able to offer this lab to incoming freshmen and join participants around the nation in evaluating the effect this early research experience has on retention in STEM ﬁelds.” Studying the genomics of bacterial viruses, or phages, is a natural way for beginning science students to get their hands dirty—literally. This group of viruses is abundant in the environment, is genetically diverse, and impacts both human health and ecosystems. Students isolate and characterize phages from their local soil; prepare the viral DNA for sequencing; then annotate and compare their sequenced genome. Through this course, students not only absorb the process of doing science, but have ownership of their bacteriophage projects. The genomics data that students generate will actually be used by other researchers to answer medical, ecological, and evolutionary questions; this reinforces their understanding of the collaborative nature of science.

Ohio State will implement its first National Research Initiative course in Autumn 2011.

FIELD CAMP ROCKS!

IT’S BEEN SAID THAT THE BEST GEOLOGIST IS THE ONE WHO HAS SEEN THE MOST ROCKS. {Anne Carey}

IN 1969, MIKE MORGAN (BS GEOLOGY, 1969) RODE IN A CAR CARAVAN FOR THREE DAYS TO EPHRAIM, UTAH TO ATTEND FIELD CAMP, A SUMMER GEOLOGY FIELD COURSE—AN EXPERIENCE HE REMEMBERS VIVIDLY TO THIS DAY. FORTY YEARS LATER, HE AND HIS WIFE CINDY ENDOWED A FUND TO ENSURE THAT GENERATIONS OF FUTURE STUDENTS IN THE SCHOOL OF EARTH SCIENCES ARE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE REAL-LIFE LABORATORY.

opposite page: (inset) Mike and Cindy Morgan, Field Camp photos provided by Claire Mondro, who participated in Field Camp in the Summer of 2009.

“Ask most Ohio State graduates for a deﬁning moment in college and they will probably say, ‘Saturday at the Horseshoe,’” said Morgan. “Ask the same of Ohio State geoscientists, and they will reply: ‘Field Camp!’”

THESE SKILLS ARE HARD-EARNED THROUGH FIELD CAMP AND OHIO STATE GEOLOGISTS CAN HIT THE GROUND RUNNING. THEY’VE GOT AN ADVANTAGE ON JUST ABOUT ANYONE ELSE COMING OUT OF SCHOOL.

{Mike Morgan}

Edmund Spieker established Ohio State’s field geology course in Ephraim, Utah, in 1947, to “put the responsibility to see, to think, to relate, and to conclude onto the student, rather than have teachers point and tell.” For nearly 65 years, that is what the Field Camp experience has done, continuing to meet Dr. Spieker’s goal of providing a unique environment for fieldbased research experiences for students and faculty. Research skills developed during field camp typically include collection and interpretation of geologic data, synthesizing geological histories, report writing, and geologic mapping.

The Morgans hope that by endowing the Field Camp fund, others will come forward with support for the camp. Funding will help the School of Earth Sciences purchase and maintain vans for transportation; provide support for students to offset the costs of camp; and support faculty who spend six weeks each summer at the camp. Most importantly, endowed funding will ensure that Ohio State’s Field Camp remains one of the best in the nation, drawing students from around the globe to the School of Earth Sciences.

“I have worked with both large and small oil companies and there’s one thing they all have in common: a demand for graduates with excellent analytical, problem solving, written, and verbal communication skills,” Morgan stated.

“Field Camp is an essential part of the learning experience in the School of Earth Sciences,” said Anne Carey, professor and undergraduate coordinating advisor. “It’s been said that the best geologist is the one who has seen the most rocks.”

In Utah, students are exposed to the rock record of geological events ranging from Proterozoic to Holocene. Since its inception, Field Camp has hosted over 1,000 students who have gone on to pursue successful careers in geology. “Many of my friends have described Field Camp as the best experience of their undergrad education,” said Claire Mondro, a recent graduate in earth sciences. “The big-picture problem solving skills I learned help me in every aspect of my life.” Morgan, an exploration geologist, has lived in Houston, Texas – oil country – since graduation and knows ﬁrsthand the value of Field Camp. “If we preserve Field Camp, Ohio State could emerge as a signiﬁcant force in research in the oil industry and thousands more will have the same once-in-a-lifetime experience that I had,” said Morgan. To support Ohio State’s Field Camp (Fund #641882), contact Annie Gordon at Gordon.421@osu.edu or 614 247 7048.

Give the gift of an Ohio State education, go.osu.edu/asc-giveto.

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