| |
 From
the Dean
As
many of you know, Albert Ades has
decided to step down as Chair of
the Department of Cell Biology
and Molecular Genetics on June
30, 2005. Albert and I have had
several discussions about this,
and I respect his reasons, although
he will be sorely missed. Albert
built the Department of Cell Biology
and Molecular Genetics from the
ground up and deserves a great
deal of credit for recruiting outstanding
faculty and for the strong morale
and very solid infrastructure of
the department. I have appreciated
his support and counsel, and value
him highly as both a colleague
and a friend. We will be launching
a search for a successor as quickly
as possible.
 This year's Bioscience
Day was by all accounts the most
successful yet. More than 700 people
attended the event, which featured
a keynote address by Nobelist Leon
Cooper, a poster session, and seven
symposia. The career fair had more
than 400 participants, and a new
event, a program for high school
teachers, had about 75 very enthusiastic
participants. The winners of the
poster competition are listed below.
Thanks to everyone who made
Bioscience Day happen, and special
thanks to Gene Ferrick, who orchestrates
and manages the entire event.
The College Advisory Council,
chaired by Leslie Pick, has been
working on a statement of the roles
and responsibilities of the Board
of Visitors for the College's Plan
of Governance. It will be distributed
with a ballot shortly.
I encourage you
to attend the College's graduation
(December 19, 9 a.m., Memorial
Chapel) for many reasons. The speaker
this December will be Dr.
Cecil Pickett,
President of Schering-Plough, a
member of our Board of Visitors,
and one of the most distinguished
African-American scientists in
the country.
Best wishes
for a most enjoyable holiday season.
Norma
Allewell
Dean
 Academic
Calendar and Upcoming Events
December
10: Last Day of
Classes for Fall
December
14: Discussion
of Writing in Science Courses,
4-5:30 p.m.,1321 Symons Hall. (See
news item below for more information.)
December
18: Campus Commencement,
7 p.m., Comcast Center
December
19: College of Life
Sciences Commencement, 9 a.m.,
Memorial Chapel. The speaker will
be Dr. Cecil B. Pickett, President
of the Schering-Plough Research
Institute and a member of the College's
Board of Visitors.
January
10-14: LFSC Cleanup.
(See news item below for more
information.) LFSC contact: David
Dalo (ddalo@umd.edu)
March
4 and 11, April 1 and 15: Spring
Open House, Undergraduate
Admissions. LFSC contact:
Eden Garosi (egarosi@umd.edu)
April
30: Maryland
Day. More information:
www.marylandday.umd.edu.
LFSC contact: LFSC contact: Gene
Ferrick
(gene@umd.edu)
Back
to top
Apple Computer
recently asked the College to
participate in the production of
a video that will be accessible
in December or January via a heavily
visited Apple Web page (http://www.apple.com/science/).
The project, titled “Why Mac for
Science?”, is the result of the
excellent work some of our research
groups have accomplished via the
Macintosh platform. Other Mac users
that Apple is filming for its marketing
campaign include researchers at
a bioinformatics firm and a pharmaceutical
company.
 Featured faculty and staff include:
- Dr.
Millard Alexander (pictured at right),
Chemistry and Biochemistry: Research
in Dr. Alexander's group involves
the theoretical study of basic
chemical reactions to provide a
solid framework for understanding
chemical reactions important in
combustion and the earth's atmosphere.
Dr. Alexander's group has also
been a major contributor to the
development of new algorithms and
computer programs for the study
of molecular collisions. Dr. Alexander
uses Macs exclusively.
- Dr.
Norma Allewell,
Dean and Chemistry and Biochemistry:
Dr. Allewell uses Macs exclusively.
- Mr.
Mike Landavere,
the College's Director of Information
and Technology: Mac is his preferred
platform.
 Dr.
Stephen Wolniak (seated
at right), CBMG: Dr. Wolniak is
a cell biologist who uses plants
to study the mechanisms that control
the nonrandom distributions of
cellular constituents, which underlie
altered patterns of subsequent
differentiation between daughter
cells that arose from the same
maternal cell. This process, cell
fate determination, is studied
by combining bioinformatics with
RNAi strategies and high-end microscopy.
Dr. Wolniak uses Macs exclusively.
In addition to the video, Apple
will publish a profile story on
the web that will also include
the research efforts of:
- Dr.
Michael Cummings,
Biology and Center for Bioinformatics
and Computational Biology: Dr.
Cummings' research and teaching
focus on molecular evolution, bioinformatics,
computational biology and Grid
computing (the development and
deployment of tools for distributed
computing across geographically
and administratively disparate
resources). Dr. Cummings uses Macs
on the Grid and has ported 10 Grid
service applications to OS X.
- Dr.
Charles Delwiche,
CBMG. Dr. Delwiche's lab uses
genomics and bioinformatics to
study the early evolution of photosynthetic
organisms such as algae and plants.
Much of his work makes use of phylogenetic
analysis of DNA sequences. Phylogenetic
analysis uses computer modeling
to reconstruct the history of mutations
that have occurred in a DNA sequence
as it has been passed from generation
to generation during evolution.
In this way, it is possible to
reconstruct the history of DNA
sequence evolution by comparing
the genomes of several related
organisms that are alive today.
Dr. Delwiche uses Macs exclusively.
Back
to top
Sweep away last
year’s clutter during January’s
LFSC cleanup. Last year, we
disposed of roughly 40 refrigerators
and freezers, and about 60 tons
of waste.
Help get your building and lab
shipshape by removing:
- Trash
- Old furniture
- Old lab equipment and files
- Recyclable paper
- Old refrigerators and freezers
- Unused
and unwanted solvents and chemicals
(Research groups will be responsible
for tagging chemicals and inputting
into DES
waste pickup system; green disposal
tags
will be available at no cost to
research groups.)
Dumpsters
will be provided at several outside
locations. Trash for dumpsters
needs to be separated into two
types:
METAL and NONMETAL.
Recycling
bins for WHITE PAPER and MIXED
PAPER will be provided at key interior
locations. (Staples and paper clips
DO NOT need to be removed. Rubber
bands MUST be removed.)
 To
schedule the following, members
of the Biology, CBMG and Entomology
Departments should contact the
College Facilities Office (5-4211),
and members of the Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry should
contact Linda Zappasodi (5-5463)
or Angel Grant (5-1827).
- Removing
freon from refrigerators and
freezers free of charge.
- Hauling away old refrigerators
and freezers.
- Removing any furniture that
is in relatively
good condition.
- Removing other
bulk trash.
Prizes will be
awarded to the group in each department
that shows
the most improvement.
Back
to top
Faculty
Recognition and In
the News
Dr.
Galen Dively,
Entomology, and Biology graduate
student Peter Blank received
a 2-year, 9-month, $100,000 grant
from the USDA for “Bird Use of
Herbaceous Riparian Buffers.”
Dr. William
Fagan,
Biology, is quoted in a November
3 United Press International story,
which also appears in the November
3 Washington
Times. He and his colleagues
created a “multi-objective combinatorial
optimization model” and concluded “that
reconnecting rivers in the Willamette
River Basin in Oregon could result
in significant wildlife habitat
restoration benefits at a relatively
small cost—perhaps even improving
the mathematical chances of
survival of endangered salmon.”
Dr.
David Inouye, Biology,
received a 1-year, $15,000 grant
from the Natural Resources Conservation
Service for “Pollination Ecological
Information for Land Conservation,” and
a 2-year, $29,000 grant from the
Department of the Interior for “Promoting
Pollinators in Public Places: Habitat
Conservation Workshop.”
 Dr. Sang
Bok Lee,
Chemistry and Biochemistry, is
mentioned in a November 15 United
Press International story about
alternatives to carbon nanotubes.
Dr. Lee grows via template synthesis
polymer nanowires, which can be
either transparent or opaque,
depending on voltage. The article
mentions that this technology is
currently used by automakers to
reduce glare in rearview mirrors.
Dr. David
Lineback,
Director of JIFSAN, is quoted in
a November 15 Philadelphia
Inquirer article
that debates the dangerousness
of acrylamide, a product of frying
or baking starchy carbohydrates.
Dr. Lineback advocates gathering
more information before reaching
a final conclusion.
Dr. Margaret
Palmer, Entomology and
Biology, is a speaker in the plenary
session, “National Priorities/Planning
Restoration,” of the First
National Conference on Ecosystem
Resoration (NCER),
to be held December 6-10 in Orlando.
Dr. Palmer will speak about “The
State of River Restoration in the
United States: Data to Inform
Prioritization?” Dr. Palmer will
also give a talk at the annual
meeting of the American Association
for the Advancement of Science
February 17-21 in Washington, D.C.
Her talk, titled “Watershed Restoration
in Chesapeake Bay,” is part of
the “Transcending Boundaries: Challenges
for Holistic Restoration in the
Chesapeake Watershed” symposium,
which she helped organize.
Dr. Kennedy
Paynter and Dr.
Matthew Hare, Biology,
are quoted in two stories (a November
7 Salisbury Daily Times article and
a November 21 Annapolis
Capital article)
about reviving the oyster harvest
in Maryland. Dr. Paynter introduced
sterile foreign oysters into underwater
cages in the Choptank, Patuxent
and Severn rivers, an experiment
that is being closely watched.
The precipitous drop in the native
oyster harvest is moving Gov. Robert
Ehrlich Jr. to consider introducing
foreign oysters into the Chesapeake
Bay, but Dr. Paynter and Dr. Hare
warn that the experimental oysters
must be allowed more time in the
water to ascertain whether they
are susceptible to disease.
Dr. Sergei
Sukharev,
Biology, received a 1-year, $31,000
grant from NIH for “Function of
Novel Deafness Genes.”
Dr. Sarah
Tishkoff,
Biology, is mentioned in an October
2004 Popular Science news
item
that tells readers what winners
of the magazine's 2003 Brilliant
Ten awards
are doing now: "In July,
University of Maryland molecular
anthropologist Tishkoff discovered
surprisingly high variations within
a gene associated with color blindness
in men, suggesting that women might
see a broader array of colors." (Click here for
Dr. Tishkoff's related journal
article, coauthored with former
Biology postdoc Dr.
Brian Verrelli.)
Dr.
Gerald Wilkinson, Biology,
and biologist Susan Davidson (MS'99,
Biology), an alumna
of the Wilkinson Lab, are mentioned
in a November 1 Discovery News (Australian
Broadcasting Company) article.
The article talks about the results
of their study, published in May
in the journal Animal
Behaviour ("Function
of male song in the greater white-lined
bat,
Saccopteryx bilineata");
the researchers found that the
best singers among bats attract
the most female admirers.
Professors
Emeriti
Dr. James
Reveal,
CBMG, is quoted in a November 28 Los
Angeles Times article about
the attempt to jump-start a flagging
effort to find and name every plant
in America. Dr. Reveal
is a project contributor.
Undergraduate
Student Recognition and News
 Giselle
Lopez, a senior majoring
in Physiology and Neurobiology,
and Spanish Language and Literature,
who was recently named a Philip
Merrill Presidential Scholar, is
mentioned in a November 11 Gazette
Newspapers story.
The article talks about English
teacher Alfred Odierno of Bishop
McNamara high School, whom Giselle
nominated as a Merrill Master Teacher
because he was an influential mentor.
A scholarship in his name will
be awarded to a student who enrolls
at Maryland next fall from his
high school or school district.
Giselle, a current HHMI Undergraduate
Research Fellow, is pursuing two
honors research theses; for one
of them, she is mentored by Dean
Norma Allewell and Dr. Mendel Tuchman
of the Children's Research Institute,
Children's National Medical Center.
Jinesh
Shah, a junior Biological
Sciences (CMBG) major, coauthored
a paper published in Brain
Research October 29 (volume
1025, pp. 10-20): “Acute
social defeat reduces neurotrophin
expression in brain cortical and
subcortical areas in mice.” The
researchers were looking for the
expression of brain derived neurotrophic
factor (BDNF) in the hippocampal
regions of the brain after
it was exposed to repeated acute
stress. The research showed that
the BDNF level for mice exposed
to acute social stress decreased
significantly after 24 hours after
exposure. Jinesh participated in
the research project as part of
his internship at the Walter Reed
Army Institute of Research, Division
of Neurosciences, Department of
Applied Neurobiology.
UMBC Undergraduate
Research Symposium Poster Winners
Congratulations
to the following
students, who were award winners
at UMBC's seventh annual Undergraduate
Research Symposium in the Chemical
and Biological Sciences on October
16:
- Steve
Davis,
a senior majoring in Entomology,
won second place in one of the “Biological
Sciences” categories for “Systematic
revision of the Cossulinae (Lepidoptra:
Cossidae) of Costa Rica.” Steve
is an HHMI Undergraduate Research
Fellow who is mentored by Dr.
Charles Mitter, Entomology.
- Bryan
Dickinson,
a senior majoring in Biochemistry,
won first place in one of the “Biochemistry
and Molecular Biology” categories
for “Cyclization of Diubiquitin.” Bryan
is mentored by Dr. David
Fushman, Chemistry and
Biochemistry.
- Sulagna
Ghosh,
a senior majoring in Cell and Molecular
Biology and Genetics, won first
place in one of the “Biological
Sciences” categories
for “Investigating the Role of
Transposons in Lateral Gene Transfer
amongst Hyperthermophiles.” Sulagna
is an HHMI Undergraduate Research
Fellow who is mentored by Dr.
Jocelyne DiRuggiero,
CBMG.
- Giselle
Lopez,
a senior majoring in Physiology
and Neurobiology as well as Spanish
Language and Literature, won
first place in one of the Biochemistry
and Molecular Biology categories
for “Biochemical
Properties of N-acetylglutamate
in Patients with Late-Onset N-acetylglutamat
Deficiency.” Giselle is an HHMI
Undergraduate Research Fellow who
is mentored by Dr. Norma
Allewell, Dean and Chemistry
and Biochemistry.
 Jaime
Moore,
a senior Physiology and Neurobiology
major, won first place in one of
the “Biological
Sciences” categories. In her poster, “ Hepatic
and Mesenteric Adiopose 11 Beta-Hydroxysteroid
Dehydrogenase 1 mRNA in Obese and
Lean Zucker Rats, ” Jaime presented
results of her HHMI-funded departmental
honors research, conducted under
co-mentors Dr. Thomas Castonguay,
Nutrition and Food Science, and Dr.
Bill Higgins, Biology.
Her research focuses on the enzyme
11 Beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase
type 1 (11 Beta-HSD1), which can
control intracellular glucocorticoid
concentrations in specific tissues.
Genetically obese rats have elevated
11 Beta-HSD1 mRNA message in adipose
tissue, but decreased message in
the liver, compared to lean controls.
New
Student Welcome
About 160 people
attended the New Student Welcome
in the Chemistry Atrium on November
9. Freshmen and transfer students
interacted with faculty and staff
while enjoying gourmet pizza. Door
prizes included gift certificates
from area businesses, Redskins
tickets donated by Assistant
Dean Lisa
Bradley,
and a gift certificate to the UM
bookstore donated by the Life Sciences
Alumni Community.
 
Above left:
Freshman Brian Wu,
a Physiology and Neurobiology
major. Above
right: The UNIV class of Dr.
Lisa Bradley (bottom left
in photo), assistant dean of student
services, and peer mentor Kim
Pytel (next to Dr. Bradley),
a junior Physiology
and Neurobiology
major, was the best-represented
UNIV class at the New Student Welcome. Below
left: Peer mentors Laura
Cataldi, a junior CMBG
and English major, and Jennifer
Bassler, a junior Physiology
and Neurobiology major, sign
in attendees. Bottom right: From
left, advisor
Christine
McCary (BS'03); Dr.
Reid Compton, Biology; Stacy
Richardson,
Assistant Director of the College
Park Scholars program; and Gene
Ferrick, Assistant to
the Dean (MA'84, MGA'92).
 
Back
to top
Congratulations
to Bioscience Day Poster Winners
We are
pleased to announce the winners
of the Bioscience Research and
Technology Review Day poster competition.
We would like to thank the 120
graduate students who submitted
posters that were considered for
the competition, and the 38
faculty and postdocs who also presented
posters. The winners are:
- Sean
Conrad (Cell
Biology & Molecular Genetics):
THE INFLUENCE OF PARASITE-DERIVED
CHEMOKINES ON LEISHMANIA MAJOR AND L.
AMAZONENSIS INFECTIONS
- Jenna
Jadin (Behavior,
Ecology, Evolution & Systematics
Program): THE EVOLUTION OF MALE
CHOICE IN THE HAWAIIAN CRICKET
GENUS LAUPALA, AND POSSIBLE
IMPLICATIONS FOR REINFORCEMENT
- Kousik
Kundu (Chemistry):
SEQUENTIAL APPLICATIONS OF LEWIS
ACID-CATALYZED MUKAIYAMA ALDOL
REACTION AND INTRAMOLECULAR C--H
INSERTION: SYNTHESIS OF HIGHLY
SUBSTITUTED CYCLOBUTANONES
- Michael
Powers (Electrical
Engineering): TOWARD A BIOPHOTONIC
MEMS CELL SENSOR
- Maria
Virginia Sanchez Puerta (Cell
Biology & Molecular
Genetics): EVOLUTION OF THE PLASTIDS
IN PHOTOSYNTHETIC EUKARYOTES
- Nishanth
Sunny (Animal
Science): GLUCONEOGENESIS AND KREBS
CYCLE METABOLISM IN 2-DAY-OLD FED
AND FASTED CHICKS
- Mr. Lewis Wheaton (Neuroscience & Cognitive
Science): HUMAN EPICORTICAL RECORDING
OF MOTOR RELATED AREAS RELATED
TO PRAXIS HAND MOVEMENTS
- Ms. Diana Yoon (Chemical
Engineering): BIOMATERIAL EFFECTS
UPON MOLECULAR SIGNALING WITHIN
ENGINEERED ARTICULAR CARTILAGE
GRAFTS
Also,
we are pleased to announce that
David Richardson,
a MEES graduate student, won the
Bioscience Day door prize: a $100
gift certificate to the University
Bookstore provided by the College
of Life Sciences Alumni Community
for a postdoc, graduate or undergraduate
student of the College.
Alumni
News
For more
alumni notes, check out the Alumni
Notes web page.
 Ms. Susan
Davidson (MS'99
Biology) is mentioned
in a November 1 Discovery News (Australian
Broadcasting Company) article.
For more information, see Dr.
Gerald Wilkinson under “Faculty
Recognition and In the News.”
Dr.
Mary Lou Fultz (PhD'82,
Chemistry) is Assistant Laboratory
Director,
Physical Sciences at the U.S. Postal
Inspection Service, Forensic and
Technical Services Division, National
Forensic Laboratory in Dulles,
VA. Previously, Dr. Fultz was the
chief of the Forensic Science Laboratory,
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms
and Explosives.
Back
to top
Individual,
Corporation and Foundation Gifts
-
Academy
of Applied Sciences ($26,000), Bayer
CropScience LP (Department
of Entomology - $5,400), The
Coca-Cola Foundation (Joint
Institute for Food Safety and Applied
Nutrition [JIFSAN] - $5,000), General
Mills Inc. (JIFSAN - $5,000), Kraft
Foods, Inc. (JIFSAN
- $5,000), Stranaska
LLC (Department of Chemistry
and Biochemistry - $500) and Unilever
Bestfoods (JIFSAN - $5,000)
Annual
Fund Gifts
Support
of the annual fund of the College
of Life Sciences is essential to
the progress of the College, and
we thank those who have stepped
forward in this important effort.
- Colonnade
Society gifts*: Dr.
Amel Anderson (Assistant
Dean, Administration) for The Anderson
Legacy Scholarship Fund, and John
W. Huffman (BS'75) to
the Department of Biology.
- Annual
fund gifts (for
the Dean's Fund except as noted)
were received this month from: Kenneth
G. Alberstadt, JD (BS
'83), Martha
C. Anderson (BS''73, MS'76), Susan
B. Bernhardt (BS'69),
Dr. Michael
P. Cancro (BS'73,
PhD'76), Dr.
Brian J. Fitzpatrick (PhD'68),
Elizabeth
DeMello Gasparre (BS'56),
John E. Hall (BS'88),
Klaus H.
Kaestner (MS'86), Dr.
Oscar Klioze (PhD'49),
Dr. Yin-Nian
Lin (PhD'91) (The
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Graduate Award Fund), Frank
R. Lisciotto (BS'48), Dr.
Joseph D. Mechanick (BS'60,
DDS'62 (AB)),
Susan Neal-Lyman
(BS'75, BS'80 (AB)) (Cell Biology
and Molecular Genetics), Timothy
E. Stacy (BS'85), Dr.
Mary L. Stracke
(BS'72, MS'75), Dr.
John M. Turner, Jr., (BS'81,
DDS'85 (AB)), Joan
R. Zeller (BS'71) and Prof.
John W. Zondlo (BS'72,
MS'73).
- Annual
fund pledges were
received this month from: Jon
Abramson (parent of a
current student), Dr.
Thomas Andrew Borkman
(BS'75), Dr.
Paul C. Bossle (MS
'65, PhD'67) (Chemistry and Biochemistry),
Gary Crews (BS
'92, MS'94) (UC Stateside), Katherine
J. Dalton
(BS'01) (Department of Biology),
Dr. Walter
R. Dowdle (PhD'61),
Dorothy P.
Fedis, BS '93 (Department
of Entomology), Stephen Fehnel
(parent of a
current student), Suzanne
M. Fudold (BS'74), Dr.
Michael L. Haberman (MS'82,
PhD'84), Donald
John McCord (MS'03), Charles
E. Orth (BS'81, MS'89), Shruti
P. Sanghavi
(BS '90) (Department of Biology
Gift Fund), Charles
D. Sauter, Jr. (parent
of a
current student), Kim
D. Schroader (BS'76), Dr.
Dana S. Simpler (BS '79,
MD '84(AB)), Ali
Soroush (BS'00), Jeannine
M. Stafford
(BS'81) and Margaret
Anne Stanton (a senior
majoring in Biological Sciences).
* gifts of $1,000 or more
If
you are interested in learning
more about supporting the College
of Life Sciences, please contact
Bruce Shatswell, Assistant Dean
for Development and Corporate Relations, bashatswell@umd.edu,
301-405-0295. Please remember that
for gifts to be tax deductible
for 2004 they must be received
by December 31, 2004.
Patents
Patent issued in the last month:
6,818,798 Process
for Making a (3R, 3'R)-Zeaxanthin
Precursor: Dr.
Frederick Khachik
(Chemistry and Biochemistry)
University
Recognizes College's "Bright Ideas"
 The
recent University-sponsored “Bright
Ideas” competition asked faculty,
staff and students to submit creative
ideas for making the University
a better place to study and work.
Congratulations to the following
members of the LFSC community who
came up with recommendations that
were rewarded with Honorable Mention
status:
- Bill
Higgins (Biology):
A tailgate to be held before commencement.
- Wendy
Loughlin, Nancy Baugher, Linda
Dalo, Meredith Humen, Christine
McCary, Joelle Presson
and Kaci Thompson (LFSC
Student Affairs/Dean's Office):
Terrapin Spirit Day, a campus-wide
softball (or volleyball) tournament
involving all colleges and divisions,
would establish a new Maryland
tradition focused on building community
across campus and unity within
departments and colleges. The event
would be held on the study day
between the last day of classes
and the first day of finals of
the spring semester.
- Michael
Zickel (MEES graduate
student): Parking ticket takers
would have a computer with license
plates of authorized users so that
tickets would not be given to people
who forgot their permits (and visitors
could be identified and given warnings).
The “Bright Ideas” competition
received more than 175 entries.
In addition to first, second and
third place (click here for
more information), the awards committee
awarded Honorable Mention to 10
entries. The University administration
has agreed to review the Honorable
Mention submissions for possible
implementation.
Back
to top
 College
of Life Sciences Food Drive
Last
year, LFSC students, faculty and
staff collected 1,366
pounds of
high-quality food for the Capital
Area Food Bank, which distributes
to 750 hunger relief organizations
in our area. This year, we are
once again collecting, with a goal
of 4,000 pounds!
If you would like to join in the
fight against hunger at home, bring
items to Room 1318 Symons Hall.
Collections will continue through
early December. Most wanted items
include (no glass, please):
- Canned
meats, fish and poultry
- Peanut
butter
- Canned
fruits and vegetables
- Canned
soups
- 100%
fruit juice (all sizes, including
juice boxes)
Help make the holidays brighter
for those in our area who are struggling.
Back
to top
Science
in the Evening Program
 The
Science in the Evening program—which
provides post-baccalaureate science
education that prepares students
for medical school, dental school,
veterinary school, biotechnology/biosciences
graduate programs and professional
advancement—was mentioned in the
November 10 edition of the Washington
Post Express along with other
post-bac pre-med programs. The
Science in the Evening program
began in 1996 and enrolls approximately
150 students each semester. Dr.
Joelle Presson, Associate Director
of Undergraduate Programs, is the
director of the program. For more
information, see www.scienceintheevening.umd.edu.
Back
to top
Discussion
of Writing in Science Courses
 The
College of Life Sciences and the
Center for Teaching Excellence
are pleased to continue the workshop
series Conversations in Teaching
and Learning. Each semester faculty
and graduate students gather to
discuss timely issues that impact
our teaching endeavors. This semester's
topic will be writing in science
courses. The meeting will be Tuesday,
December 14, from 4 to 5:30
p.m. in 1321 Symons Hall.
The discussion may include:
- How
do the freshman and professional
writing courses at UMCP contribute
to a student's writing abilities?
- What
is the writing level we expect
in our freshmen courses? How is
this different from the level when
they graduate? What can we do we
help them get there? Is it our
responsibility?
- What
is the role of the "lab report" in
fostering knowledge and skills
for our students?
- How
do we balance our efforts to instill
an understanding of science with
an ability to communicate in writing?
- How
do projects—such
as class presentations or posters—contribute
to writing skills?
- How
concerned should we be about plagiarism
in our efforts to improve students'
writing?
We invite faculty
and graduate students to join us
in what will be an interesting
and useful discussion. Please RSVP
to Dr.
Joelle Presson.
Back
to top
How
to Post Your News
If
you would like to share your accomplishments
or other news, please send a note (and
any accompanying photos)
to Meredith Brittain at
brittain@umd.edu. Issues are usually sent at the beginning
of each month.
Back
to top
|
