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The University of Mississippi Medical Center and
the Telemachian Notes
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Activities developed by the teacher leaders and teacher participants include: written crime scene scenarios, a hair and fiber analysis lab, a blood spatter analysis lab, a footwear impressions lab, a forensic entomology activity. Refinements were made to a previously published sexually transmitted disease, forensic anthropology, and crime scene lab. Each of the participants reviewed published journal articles and lab manuals to develop the new activities. In addition, a grant writing seminar was presented and each of the participants are submitting a technology grant application for $2500 to the Best Buy Community Relations Foundation.
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Digital Curriculum _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | |
Base Pair and SOAR teachers and UMC members of Group of Five, the administrative committee overseeing the programs, met recently at Mississippi Public Broadcasting to discuss the Digital Curriculum resource that MPB purchases and makes available to all public school teachers and students in Mississippi. The potential for inclusion of some of the programs' advanced science lesson plans and labs exists, as well as professional biomedical research materials to aid teachers and students alike in preparing and completing the lessons. Digital Curriculum is a national educational tool launched by AIMS Multimedia and Discovery Education that offers resources for teachers and students in one convenient location. Upon logging in, users will find a calendar that highlights daily historical facts, a searchable reference section with videos and articles for many subjects, and a current events section that is updated often and covers a wide range of topics. To see all this and more, login today - teachers, ask your administrators or librarians for your password; students, ask your teachers. Visit Digital Curriculum today at http://digitalcurriculum.com/.
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Base Pair Updates | |
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Murrah Base Pair students enjoy the new
year. “At the hypertension
clinic this year, we plan to continue research on the varying causes and
risk factors related to pediatric hypertension using surveys that will
look at various aspects of physical activity, diet and
heredity.” “We will build on the
last two years research involving the binding process between C1P450 and
the substrate. Where in the past two years we only looked at the first
step of the catalytic cycle. We are now going to look at the actual action
of the entire catalytic cycle." “We are working on
synthetic alkaloids from imported fire ants and injecting venom in order
to test its kill rate against various bacteria.” “In Dr. Wellman’s lab
this year, we will be working with H1 and H1E, while testing these two
strands for production of plasmid DNA.” “This year, we
will be looking at the NADPH oxidase and the superoxide production in the
kidneys of Dahl Salt Sensitive rats on high and low salt
diet.” “This year, I
am studying neonatal behavioral development tests to see if the
growth-restricted rats developed more slowly than the normal birth weight
offspring. These tests measure the pup’s ability to turn over quickly,
open eyes quickly, etc.” “This year’s research
will be to use the apparatus to monitor the behaviors of the
fish. The first set of fish will be the standard; from there, we will
monitor the ethanol treated fish.” “In Dr. Shaffery’s
lab, we will be researching the purpose of REM sleep in lab rats and the
effects of REM sleep deprivation on these animals.” “Last
year, I tried to prove that nerve growth factor stimulates the expression
of ASIC 3 in vascular smooth muscles cells. Since my hypothesis was not
proven using the ASIC 3+/-, B-actin+/-, and the
TrKA+/- primers, I am extending my project by using a different
method, real-time PCR and other ASIC primers.”
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SOAR News | |
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Forest
Hill Laurin S. (left, above left) attended the Summer Research Program at UMMC in 2004 and 2005. Amanda C. (right, above left), attended the Summer Research Program in 2005. Laurin said, “My experience at the Summer Research Program has prepared me to help lead other students in our SOAR class at Forest Hill. I have become savvy at various biotechnical applications. This experience also has helped me become a critical thinker due to the vast amount of intellectual concepts presented to me.” Allison R. (above right) presents her assigned topic about AIDS to other classmates in the SOAR class, while SOAR teacher Ben Lundy assists with her PowerPoint slides.
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Jim
Hill Our year began with solving some rather grisly “whodunit” mysteries and from there has progressed to developing sterile technique, growing and isolation bacteria and fungi, discussions of food and water borne illnesses related to Hurricane Katrina, and dissection of a fetal pig. Forty of sixty-six parents attended Parent Teacher Conference Day on September 22, 2005 and all have enthusiastically agreed to help us raise more than the $3400 collected by last year’s classes for the American Heart Association. We ask that all of the Jim Hill family join us at the Heart Walk scheduled for November 13, 2005 at 1:30 p.m. at Trustmark Park.
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Murrah 
In August 2005, Murrah began SOAR. Currently, there are 28 students enrolled in the program. Ms. Cindy Cook is the instructor with Dasha M. and Deah G. as student assistants. Since the beginning of this school term, students have been conducting numerous investigations, discussing various ethical issues, and surveying the human body through rat and sheep organ dissection. Moreover, these students have been participating in a mold study and are currently surveying teachers and culturing mold in an effort to identify hot spots for mold growth.
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| About Base
Pair _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | |
 Base Pair, initiated in 1992, is a successful biomedical research mentorship program that pairs faculty from the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMC) with high school students and educators from the largest public school district in the state of Mississippi, the Jackson Public School District (JPSD). This biomedical research mentorship program allows each student to experience the scientific field in a "hands-on" manner under the guidance and supervision of a qualified instructor who is a researcher at UMC. Teacher professional development and science curriculum enhancement activities complement the student participation to create a highly coordinated impetus for science education reform. Funded through 2007 by the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the largest private supporter of science education initiatives in the world, Base Pair seeks to cultivate career awareness of high school students in areas related to health care/biomedical research, to train such students to function as effective "communicators of science" to lay persons, and to advance science curriculum development within the target school district. Base Pair uses proven program strengths to maintain and progressively strengthen a tripartite foundation of technology utilization, curriculum development and mentorship that will support distribution of biomedical science and research resources. The experience gained from 12 years of operation is permitting Base Pair to maintain effectiveness of program initiatives and to continue evolutionary change within our local educational environment to multiple high school sites. A total of 123 students and more than 40 teachers have participated actively in Base Pair training, although through curriculum development activities and participation in web-based mentoring groups, the positive educational impact of the program has reached literally hundreds more. Some 93 published scientific abstracts and presentations have been co-authored or delivered by Base Pair students, with an additional 26 attributed to teacher participants. R.W. Rockhold, Ph.D.
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