DNA Techniques at Allegheny College

With a view to reaching additional teachers and students in the Western Pennsylvania region, we have established collaboration with Allegheny College, located approximately 90 miles north of Pittsburgh. This partnership will take advantage of opportunities provided by the Biological Sciences Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology, located just 15 miles from Allegheny College, and enable us to offer a broader range of workshop topics and disseminate our Pitt Kits to classrooms in the area.

Director of Outreach Programs Dr. Alison Slinskey Legg and Dr. Ann Kleinschmidt from Allegheny College will be presenting a one-week workshop focused on the investigation of nucleic acids. This workshop will give teachers a way to connect the current science of DNA techniques to the required academic standards. We are excited to be able to reach more teachers and students as we broaden the scope of the Outreach program.

All New Teacher Workshop for 2008: Evolution

The great unifying concept in all of biology is the theory of evolution by natural selection. This theory and the tremendous amount of evidence supporting it has often been misunderstood in the general public. Although the teaching of evolution in Pennsylvania high school science courses is a requirement of the PA Academic Standards for Science and Technology, many teachers have expressed concerns over a lack of familiarity with the concepts, a lack of usable activities to help demonstrate the principles of evolution, and a lack of information on the recent legal ruling in the Dover, PA court case.

Experimental Design

In this workshop, conducted at the Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology in northwest Pennsylvania, teachers explore the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems by using the scientific method to design and perform field investigations of streams, lakes, and marshes. Participants gain experience in data collection and analysis, as well as the interpretation and presentation of results, by giving presentations based on their findings. In addition, teachers are exposed to current research in aquatic ecology, with an emphasis placed on the integration of scientific knowledge with social values when addressing environmental concerns.