Photo: Club members discuss HHMI Professorship with Manuel Ares, Jr., Ph.D. from UC Santa Cruz.
Spring 2014 Seminars & Events
PCR products from the previous outreach session were analyzed using electrophoretic separation, with students gaining experience loading and running DNA on agarose gels. Variation among the targeted alleles was determined by comparing the size of PCR products with those of a molecular weight reference.
Teaching club members led local high school biology students through analysis of personal genetic variation. During the first lab day, students isolated genomic DNA from saliva and performed PCR to amplify loci that contain VNTRs. Students were allowed to pick two of three loci (PLAT, pMCT118, PER3).
Fall 2013 Seminars & Events
Teaching club members led labs and served as TAs for local high school students as part of the Biological Sciences Outreach, run by Dr. Carrie Doonan, director of undergraduate laboratories. The lab activities included building a medical history pedigree and performing gel electrophoresis to identify an oncogenic p53 mutation.
Three 10-minute presentations were delivered and critiqued; subjects included protein regulation via degradation, protein purification, and neurophysiology.
Supplied Mellon Institute with various baked goods in order to raise money for the purchase of kits for molecular biology outreach.
Discussed and developed a preliminary calendar for monthly events during the Fall semester. Welcomed new members, and held elections for all officer postings. The following members were voted into stated positions. Shanna Bowersox: President; Zach Weinberg: Vice president; Karen Kormuth: Secretary; Tara Tappen: Treasurer. Our faculty advisor will remain DJ Brasier.
Advertised the Teaching Club as a resource for graduate and undergraduate students to hone skills that will make them more attractive candidates for post-graduation jobs.
Spring 2013 Seminars & Events
The Teaching Club is holding a seminar featuring Dr. Daniel Gurnon of DePauw University for people interested in improving their lecture design for a fulfilling teaching experience for themselves and their students. He will also be giving advice and describing his journey from graduate school to his position now as a professor at a liberal arts university.
Fall 2012 Seminars & Events
Monday, December 10, 2012
Biological Sciences Outreach: Gene Regulation
8:30 a.m. to Noon
The Biological Sciences Outreach is run by Dr. Carrie Doonan, director of undergraduate laboratories. High school students from around Pittsburgh are brought to CMU for morning labs. The students are guided by undergraduate and graduate students in conducting experiments and understanding the methods and results. Each mentor may be paired with two to four students, depending on attendance and the number of available volunteers.
December's Outreach: Work with high school students to induce the lac operon to produce beta galactosidase, and then quantitate the levels of enzyme activity.
The Biological Sciences Outreach is run by Dr. Carrie Doonan, director of undergraduate laboratories. High school students from around Pittsburgh are brought to CMU for morning labs. The students are guided by undergraduate and graduate students in conducting experiments and understanding the methods and results. Each mentor may be paired with two to four students, depending on attendance and the number of available volunteers.
October's Outreach: Solve a murder mystery by digesting DNA and running it on a gel to match restriction digest patterns.
Noon to 2 p.m.
Monday, September 24th, from 12-2 pm the Teaching Club is hosting an Eberly Center Seminar, led by Dr. Hilary Schuldt on Planning Effective Lectures in the Mellon Institute Social Room. If you would like to learn more about ensuring that students are engaged and understanding materials during a lecture as well as have some free food, come join us!
Please let us know if you can or cannot attend so that we can plan ahead for food and materials. http://www.doodle.com/riw5sq7u8e3nahpz
6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Met to outline semester events:
- Documented seminar by Eberly.
- Writing effective recommendation letters.
- Biology outreach with Carrie.
- New faculty first lectures panel.
- Microteaching workshop.
- Mentorship/workshops for using software in the Sciences.
- Held elections.