Research Experiences for Teachers

Conner Lab RETs:

Jan Thorn, Gull Lake Middle School, Richland, MI

Conner Lab RETs:

Kirsten Salonga, ESOL Environmental Science Teacher & Biology Teacher, Science Department Chair, Justice High School, Virginia

Laura Goldsmith, Union High School, Grand Rapids

Teachers studied trait evolution in a model plant species. In collaboration with members of the Conner Lab, the RET teacher developed a research project for Summers 2023 and 2024 and develop educational materials based on their research experience, such as a Data Nugget, lesson plan, or teacher professional development session.

Loss of traits that are no longer functional is common in evolution; our study asks how trait evolution through natural selection is affected by genes shared with other traits and random genetic changes. We are studying the ongoing loss of some of the pollen-producing stamens in flowers of the model plant Arabidopsis, likely caused by the evolution of self-pollination that made some stamens nonfunctional. Our work integrates genomics, laboratory genetic studies, growth chamber experiments, and field experiments with collaborators in the native habitats in Sweden, Italy, and Spain.

Melissa Frost has been chosen for the 2-year Research Experience for Teachers (RET), working with Jennifer Jones and other members of Sarah Evan’s lab at KBS. She will assist with climate change and soil microbe research, create materials to translate this research for use in classrooms, and help produce materials such as Data Nuggets and sessions for teacher workshops. This project is funded by the KBS Long-term Ecological Research Program (KBS LTER).

Soil microbes contribute to many ecosystem services including moisture retention, carbon and nutrient cycling, and improvement of plant growth. Jennifer studies how drought alters soil microbes and how these changes in turn influence crop growth. She is involved in a new climate change experiment at the KBS LTER, which includes a rainout shelter experiment, carbon additions, fungicides, and nematicide treatments. The RET would work with Jennifer (onsite at Kellogg Biological Station) to study the impact of drought on soil properties, soil microbial communities, and plant growth. The project is in both crop fields and more diverse managed grasslands, allowing the RET to choose research based on their interests.

Questions? Please contact Liz Schultheis (schulth5@msu.edu)!

The Landis Lab welcomed elementary teachers, Gabe Knowles and Britney Christensen to work on the ReGrow Milkweed for Monarchs Project in summer 2020. Gabe and Britney, 4th grade Ealy Elementary teachers in Whitehall Community Schools, are returning in 2021 to run a follow up experiment to manipulate milkweed habitat to benefit monarchs and to create lessons to share with teachers!

The metamorphosis of the monarch butterfly and the citizen scientist, blog post by Britney Christensen, 9.11.20

Click here to view Gabe’s poster, Mowing Milkweed for Monarchs Learning Outside the Classroom, that was presented at the 2022 LTER All Scientists’ Meeting in Asilomar, CA

2021-22 Connie High, Delton Kellogg, is researching Switchgrass Nitrogen Fixation with Carmella Vizz and Sarah Roley in the Robertson Lab.

Click here to view Connie’s poster, Engaging Students with Long Term Data, presented at the 2022 LTER All Scientists’ Meeting in Asilomar, CA

Both projects are part of the KBS K-12 Partnership and is funded by a supplement to the KBS Long-term Ecological Research program, supported by the National Science Foundation.

National Teachers Researching Evolution program

• The first Evolution Education Weekend was held at KBS on Feb. 7-9, 2020 for 2017, 2018 and 2019 RETs

Program for preservice teachers, a KBS summer experience, hands on courses and working with a cohort to better understand evolution and how to teach it in the secondary classroom.  In partnership with BEACON Center for the study of Evolution in Action and MSU’s Department of Teacher Education.  Thank you to Jamie Bowman and Jodie McManus for their mentorship.  Congratulations to Diontae Matthews, Kathryn Schwartz and Chris Symons for completing the first summer Undergraduate Research Experience for Teachers!

Many thanks to Louise Mead (BEACON), Tomomi Suwa (KBS) and David Stroupe (MSU College of Teacher Edcation) for their leadership and collaboration.

Resources:

Website: https://sites.google.com/a/msu.edu/teachingevolutioninaction/home

This KBS project was funded and implemented in partnership with BEACON.  Seven Research Experiences for Teachers (RET), five based at KBS and two based on MSU main campus, were brought together as a cohort over the summer of 2015.  RETs were each able to create a lesson that was presented during the KBS K-12 Partnership Summer Institute and provide a session at the BEACON Congress about the impact of RET experiences.  Participants were:

• Lau lab: Shaun Davis (Thornapple Kellogg) and Katie McKinley (Mattawan)
• Litchman lab: Connie High (Delton Kellogg)
• Conner lab: Marcia Angle (Lawton) and Cheryl Hach (Kalamazoo Area Math and Science Center)
• Lenski lab: Rick Schultz (St. John’s) and Fred Hingst (DeWitt)
• Gross Lab: Ashley Carroll (Gull Lake) (GLBRC RET)