Courses Taught

Fall Semester

BIO260: Teaching Biology: Pedagogy and Practice

This course aims to enhance the professional development of graduate students by preparing them to teach biological sciences in academic venues that range from community colleges to Research I universities. Graduate student participants will be introduced to issues related to teaching in both lab and lecture settings and will apply effective teaching techniques in their own classrooms. Program participants will learn about pedagogy, gain practical teaching experience, and receive mentoring and formal evaluation of their teaching. The course requirements are designed to be flexible enough to be pursued alongside full-time disciplinary studies, yet ensure that participants are rigorously trained in biology-specific pedagogy. Fall Drs. McVey (course coordinator), McLaughlin. 1 graded credit. Prerequisite: consent/BIO13L Teaching Assistants

BIO13: Cells and Organisms

An introductory course primarily for prospective biology majors. This course must be taken WITH the lab. General biological principles and widely used methods related to current advances in biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, genetics, plant and biomedical sciences (i.e. developmental biology). Co-taught by members of the biology department; Fall Drs. McLaughlin (course coordinator), Fuhrman, McVey, Koegel, and Gaudette (Lab coordinator)

BIO103-01: Developmental Biology

Note: currently taught by S. Ernst

Developmental biology explores the continuity of life itself. As we gain a deeper understanding of development, we not only satisfy our curiosity about one of the most fascinating and exquisite events in nature, but we acquire additional tools that enable us to explore numerous biological processes. This course will present an overview of the mechanisms involved in creating a complex multicellular organism from a single cell, the fertilized egg. Lecture topics will focus on many diverse aspects of development, ranging from the genes and molecular events that control development to the structural changes that an organism undergoes as it develops.

Spring Semester

BIO052: Experiments in Cell Biology Laboratory

Course description: Investigation of several laboratory problems using standard techniques of cell biology. Emphasis PCR, microscopy, cell signaling, and regeneration. One laboratory session per week plus one discussion period. Prerequisites: sophomore standing and Biology 13 or equivalent. Spring semester.

BIO-182: Seminar Cell Signaling: Life, Death, and Disease

Note: If you are planning on grad. school -this class is a MUST ! LIMITED enrollment

In order to demonstrate the importance of cellular communication, this course will focus on three areas of research: life (i.e. cancer, stem cells, teratomas), death (apoptosis) and disease (syndromes and developmental anomalies). During the semester students will be expected to present and read papers from the current literature, design and write a research proposal, and become familiar with principal signal transduction pathways. Prerequisites: BIO13 or 14 and BIO41

Summer Session

Research Projects

RESEARCH IN THE MCLAUGHLIN LABORATORY! We conduct research all year long...but the summer is a great time for undergraduates to get a feel for life in a lab working full-time with the team. Lots of interesting real science... conferences... and much, much more... It's not CSI - it's better!

Science and the media: the fact behind the fiction

Science and the media, the fact behind the fiction - In this workshop we will explore some of the science behind the fiction that has flooded our media in recent years. Can researchers make dinosaurs like those seen in "Jurassic Park"? During these seminars we will sort out the facts from the fiction by examining some of the "science-melodrama" commonly found on T.V./movies and in published articles. Our topics will primarily focus on molecular development (cloning and biotechnology) as we unravel some of the mysteries of this fascinating and fast-paced area of research. Week one will focus on the highly publicized topic of cloning, and in week two we will discuss gene regulation (biotechnology). In each workshop we will explore specific subjects via both hands-on activities (laboratory activities where we will complete several experiments including isolating DNA from Kiwi fruit using ONLY household products), selected readings (primary literature and popular press-type publications), view popular media selections that encompass these issues (movies and television), and discuss the truth and implications these topics have on our society. This is a K-12 educators' workshop run through the Teachers as Scholars program.

The Other Side of Science - Life beyond the bench

The Other Side of Science – (summer 2004-present)

This program was designed to help prepare students (undergraduate/graduate) for "life after leaving the lab". After years of working with students, it became apparent that there were some missing instruction in the typical teaching curriculum. After speaking with colleagues a list was created of skills that should be taught to students – with the hope of helping prepare them for life in the "real world". Some of these activities include: proper hand-shaking techniques, C.V. and resume writing, restaurant etiquette (interview-style), writing figure legends, database searches, editing, writing a layperson summary of a research project, formal & informal presentations (scientific and general audience), project budgets, website design, poster presentations, reading primary literature effectively (good and bad uses for Google), requesting reagents (writing a good cover letter and a follow-up thank you note), scientific ethics (i.e. cheating, fabricated data, authorship order), the art of "small world/small talk" conversations in professional settings, and giving back to the community (judging science fairs, mentoring junior students, speaking at general public events/high schools). Participants include postdoctoral fellows, graduate, and undergraduate students working on research projects in the McLaughlin laboratory – requires bimonthly meetings of 1-3 hours depending on activity.