Division of Sciences 2001-02
BIOLOGY
Charles Chester
Attended:
Marine Benthic Ecology Meeting, Orlando, Florida
Visiting scientist, Hillsborough Community College Pigeon Key Trip led by Dr. Ken Thomas, May 2001
Visiting researcher, Keys Marine Lab, August 2001: studied the feeding biology of Florida Bay sponges
Awarded Teagle Foundation interdisciplinary partnership grant with Dr. Mel Brandon to link BIO 110 Environmental Biology and PHL 233 Environmental Ethics
Student research supervision: Supervised students (5 in fall and 4 in spring) in marine invertebrate culture and life history studies; several students are participating in summer internships, including one who is involved in an NSF Undergraduate Research Experience internship at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science in summer 2002 and will be participating in another undergraduate research internship at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab in fall 2002
Member:
Council for Undergraduate Research
-Developed new special topics
field course for biology majors: BIO 499 Special Topics: Ecology of the Florida Keys
-New course
preparation: BIO
310 Animal Behavior
-Built web pages for all
courses taught
-SHC liaison officer, Marine Environmental Sciences Consortium
-Judge for Alabama Science Fair
Works in progress:
Continued collaboration with colleague at Florida International University on research project studying the feeding biology of Florida Bay sponges
Lectures/presentations/workshops given:
SHC Faculty Friday presentation with Dr. Mel Brandon: "Thinking About Stem Cells"
Attended:
SHC Summer 2001 Justice Seminar
Publications:
Culberson DE, Manci EA, Shah AK, Haynes J, Ballas SK, Pegelow C, Vichinsky E. "Nesidioblastosis in sickle cell disease." Ped. Pathol. Mol. Med. 20:155-165, 2001
Helped three SHC students acquire University of South Alabama research internships for summer 2002
Submitted a proposal, "Improvement of Undergraduate Experiences in Cell and Molecular Biology," for $399,014 to the National Science Foundation's Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement: Adaptation and Implementation Program (CCLI: A&I); was not funded; will resubmit
Received:
Rev. H. J. Fagot, S.J., Award at the 2002 Honors Convocation
Outstanding Advisor Award at the 2002 SGA Student Award Banquet
Works in progress:
Continued collaboration with research laboratories at the University of South Alabama (in conjunction with these activities, was re-appointed Adjunct Assistant Professor in USA's Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience):
Prepared a paper (now in final revision) for publication on the relationship of the protein Collagen IV to embryonic gastrointestinal smooth muscle development
Preparing a proposal to the National Institutes of Health to study gene activity associated with the development of prostate cancer
Awarded sabbatical for fall 2001
Attended:
Approximately 60 hours of lecture in the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine course which is taught to sophomore medical students at the University of South Alabama
Approximately 15 hours of lecture in the Immunology portion of the Microbiology course that is taught to the same students
As a result of last fall's sabbatical, updated course content of BIO 470 Mechanisms of Disease in the subject areas of inflammation and neoplasia; also incorporated images of gross and microscopic specimens from pathology web sites into PowerPoint presentations used in course
Produced a collection of photomicrographs of histological preparations using the department's new digital projection system
Adult literacy tutor with the Goodwill/Easter Seals Adult Literacy Program: completed 400 hours tutoring one 44-year-old student over two years
Volunteer with Southern Care Hospice (visitation of hospice patients)
CHEMISTRY, PHYSICS, AND DUAL DEGREE ENGINEERING
Lectures/presentations given:
SHC Science Division: Lecture on building peptides and proteins
Attended:
Chautauqua course: Using science to solve crime
Chautauqua course: Advanced criminology
Awarded Summer Teagle Grant for curriculum development
Member:
American Chemical Society
Minority Affairs Committee, southeast regional chapter of the American Chemical Society
Association of Women in Science
Developed a new curriculum for the biochemistry major, including the development of the new course CHM 462 Biochemistry II and the corresponding lab to accompany it
Will audit an undergraduate-level biochemistry course at the University of Georgia in summer 2002 to determine the order in which material is usually presented in a one-year course and to see the thoroughness with which topics are addressed at this level
Helped two biochemistry majors acquire National Science Foundation summer research internships at the University of South Alabama
Works in progress:
Developing lectures and materials for the biochemistry course
Developing materials and resources for the biochemistry laboratory
Larry Brough
Attendee and discussant:
Local meetings of the American Chemical Society
Semi-annual national meetings of the American Chemical Society
Member:
American Chemical Society and its Divisions of Chemical Education and Inorganic Chemistry: Serve as Counselor for the Mobile section
Community Based Expectations Committee (committee is part of an extensive air quality study organized by Mobile Bay Watch and supported by local industry, Bay Watch, the city of Mobile, and Mobile County; it will work to develop air quality standards for this area)
Mobile Bay Sierra Club: Serve as chair
Remained current in field by reading:
Chemical and Engineering News
Chemical Abstracts Selects: Organosilicon Chemistry
Revised CHM 101 Chemistry and Life Processes: new textbook, new lectures, new handout materials
Revised CHM 251 Analytical Chemistry: new textbook edition, new course notes, new statistical software
Served as project reader and judge for the ASPIRE science fair
Attended:
American Association of Physics Teachers national meeting
Member:
American Association of Physics Teachers
Building and Grounds Committee, SHC Board of Trustees
Incorporated more effective use of the overhead projector and classroom demonstrations into physics lectures
Will attend a Chautauqua Short Course at the University of Texas in summer 2002
MATHEMATICS
Attended:
Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, concerning the relationship between religion and science
Lectures/presentations given:
SHC Faculty Friday presentation: "Mathematics and 'The Decline of the West': The Sense of Number in the Thought of Oswald Spengler"
In conjunction with Dr. Bob MacAleese, was awarded Teagle Interdisciplinary Partnership Grant to develop better materials to strengthen students' critical thinking skills in his introductory psychology course
Participated in Advanced Placement Calculus exam reading at Colorado State University; served as table leader for fifth consecutive year
Revised the Master of Liberal Arts course "Scientific Revolution"
Works in progress:
Finding a publication venue for the work on Oswald Spengler
Awarded Teagle Summer Research Grant to pursue work in "Minimal Time Trajectories in Vector Interactive Fields"
Reviewer, Mathematical Association of America publications: Mathematics Magazine and The College Mathematics Journal
Will attend a National Science Foundation Chautauqua short course in the use of Mathematica in the classroom
Produced a series of handout review sheets for Precalculus, Calculus I, and Calculus II that organize and summarize the key concepts in each course
Works in Progress:
Article for Ocean Navigator Publications
Paper for Mathematics Magazine
Attended:
Fall and Spring SHC teaching workshops