|
|
The University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMC), the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), Millsaps College (MC), and Jackson (MS) Public Schools students and teachers will collaborate in the development of this project. The red imported fire ant (S. invicta), an insect pest endemic to the southern United States, will serve as the stimulant for student inquiry. Utilizing the MBLs Discover the Microbes Within! Lab series and training from MBL personnel, the Mississippi collaborative teams will develop a series of five standards-based high school lesson plans. Each lesson plan will emphasize the potential for high school students to maintain and expand the experimental activities, facilitated by e-mail access to researchers, Millsaps College students, and other high school participants.
The five paradigms focusing on a major aspect of S. invicta biology will include 1- microecological impact of S. invicta, 2- insecticidal selectivity of S. invicta venom alkaloids, 3- human health impact, 4- gene regulation following S. invicta alkaloid administration, and 5- identification and gene sequencing of the insect symbiont, Wolbachia. During the academic year 2008-2009 activities will be deployed to high school Biology II classes at five Jackson area high schools and an additional five teams will be trained to utilize the paradigms during academic year 2009-2010. At 100 students/teacher/year, the two-year project will potentially impact 1,500 students. It is anticipated that by the completion of the second summer, paradigms will be sufficiently refined as to allow project goals, background and procedures to be formalized in CD-DVD format for much wider distribution.
|
