Cell Biology Students Research Articles

Andrea Genre.

Andrea Genre.

Immersive 3D Experience of Osmosis Improves Learning Outcomes of First-Year Cell Biology Students.

biological processes that occur at the submicroscopic level, such as osmosis and diffusion, are inherently difficult for many students to conceptualize when traditional learning and teaching methods are used. This study introduced an immersive 320° three-dimensional (3D) experience of osmosis in which students became engaged with the cellular environment in a Cave Automatic Virtual Environment. The aims of this study were: 1) to explore whether a textbook diagram of osmosis recreated as an immersive 3D learning experience would be a meaningful tutorial activity for first-year cell biology students at a regional Australian university; and 2) to gather preliminary evidence of the utility of the tutorial by examining student performance data. The experience was perceived by students to be fun, useful, and educational. Performance of all students improved on a multiple-choice exam question, with the percentage of students choosing the osmosis distractor answer decreasing from 26 to 15% (p < 0.001). Those students with moderate to high base-level knowledge also performed better on short-answer questions about the cell membrane and osmosis (10–14% better, depending on base-level knowledge, p < 0.001). We give recommendations for future studies to investigate using immersive visualization in science teaching.

Conceptual understanding of osmosis and diffusion by Australian first-year biology students

Osmosis and diffusion are essential foundation concepts for first-year biology students as they are a key to understanding much of the biology curriculum. However, mastering these concepts can be challenging due to their interdisciplinary and abstract nature. Even at their simplest level, osmosis and diffusion require the learner to imagine processes they cannot see. In addition, many students begin university with flawed beliefs about these two concepts which will impede learning in related areas. The aim of this study was to explore misconceptions around osmosis and diffusion held by first-year cell biology students at an Australian regional university. The 18-item Osmosis and Diffusion Conceptual Assessment was completed by 767 students. From the results, four key misconceptions were identified: approximately half of the participants believed dissolved substances will eventually settle out of a solution; approximately one quarter thought that water will always reach equal levels; one quarter believed that all things expand and contract with temperature; and nearly one third of students believed molecules only move with the addition of external force. Greater attention to identifying and rectifying common misconceptions when teaching first-year students will improve their conceptual understanding of these concepts and benefit their learning in subsequent science subjects.

Histology: A Text and Atlas: With Correlated Cell and Molecular Biology. Eighth Edition, 2018 Authors: Wojciech Pawlina; Michael H. Ross

Combining a reader-friendly textbook and a rich, full-color atlas, this bestselling resource equips medical, dental, health professions, and undergraduate biology and cell biology students with a comprehensive grasp of the clinical and functional correlates of histology and a vivid understanding of the structural and functional details of cells, tissues, and organs.

Ready, Cell, Go! Guided Movement Exercises in an Introductory Cell Biology Course.

Cells and dance are each dynamic manifestations of energy, shape, time, and space. Here we present a novel application of movement learning in cell biology education. “Ready, Cell, Go!” is a set of movement exercises for introductory cell biology students designed to teach concepts of fluidity, crowding, and chaos. These aspects of cells are difficult to glean from two-dimensional illustrations in textbooks or animations where necessary simplification abstracts processes from their full cellular context. Forty-four undergraduate biology students were guided to move using three sets of cues in a dance studio setting where each exercise aimed to experientially highlight and deepen understanding of a different aspect of cellular structure and function. Students described their experiences and personal learning outcomes in written reflections. The movement-based exercises we describe provided a means of discovery, inquiry, and interest for introductory cell biology students and serve as a template to teach other central concepts in cell biology.

Cross‐Course Laboratory Collaboration in Cell Biology and Organic Chemistry II Leads to Increased Knowledge of Science Content and Process

To expose students to interdisciplinary research, provide them with a greater sense of ownership over their work, and model a real research laboratory experience, we linked students in Organic Chemistry II and Cell Biology by focusing on the synthesis and testing of anticancer compounds. To this end Organic Chemistry II students synthesized potential anticancer compounds, known as histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi), which were tested for cell cytotoxocity by Cell Biology students.Organic Chemistry II students used standard organic techniques to synthesize novel depsipeptides: peptide bond formation, acyl transfer mechanism, esterification, protecting groups, spectroscopic characterization, and purification techniques. Cell Biology students determined each depsipeptide's IC50 value (or the concentration which kills 50% of the cells) using an MTT assay. Depsipeptides that were cytotoxic were investigated for their ability to induce apoptosis using a CaspACETM Assay.Students in both courses showed statistically significant increases in self‐perceived learning gains in the following subscales: conceptual understanding, integration, and collaborative scientific process understanding. Increases in learning gains were similar between the two courses and were similar for both years of implementation. Organic Chemistry II students also showed gains in individual science process skills while the Cell Biology students did not. Interestingly, there was no significant change in student interest during the semester, in either course, for the first two years of implementation.

Hormones and Antibiotics in Nature: A Laboratory Module Designed to Broaden Undergraduate Perspectives on Typically Human-Centered Topics

Bringing discovery-based research into undergraduate laboratory courses increases student motivation and learning gains over traditional exercises that merely teach technique or demonstrate well-documented phenomena. Laboratory experiences are further enhanced when they are designed to challenge student perspectives on topics relevant to their lives. To this end, a laboratory module on antibiotics and hormones, which are generally discussed in the context of human health, was developed for students to explore the multifaceted roles of antibiotics and hormones in nature (e.g. interspecies communication) via reading primary scientific literature and performing discovery-based experiments. The main objective of this module was to increase the general biological literacy of students as determined by their ability to connect the Five Core Concepts of Biological Literacy (American Association for the Advancement of Science, Vision and Change in Undergraduate Education: A Call to Action, 2011) to the topics “hormones” and “antibiotics” in pre- and postmodule surveys. After discussing unpublished research findings, cell biology students performed experiments demonstrating that: 1) fungi may promote fern growth via hormone production, 2) novel bacterial isolates in the genus Streptomyces produce antifungal compounds, and 3) subinhibitory antibiotic concentrations may enhance soil bacterial growth. The third finding provided evidence supporting a hypothesis framed in a scientific article that students read and discussed. Student perspectives on premodule surveys focused on roles of hormones and antibiotics in the human body (e.g. development, fighting infection), but their broadened postmodule perspectives encompassed the roles of these molecules in organismal communication and possibly the evolution of multicellularity.

Cell biology education: where’s the math?

The Bio2010 Report from the National Research Council prompted college and university educators to consider effective ways to integrate quantitative thinking and practice into their biology curricula. None questions the need for training cell biology students who can do the quantitative analysis required for substantive discoveries. Quantitation is an essential feature of biological thinking, and thus math is used on a daily basis in the cell biology lab. In this Minisymposium, biologists from various levels of experience proffered philosophy and assorted tools to infuse quantitative analyses into biology classes and laboratories. The take- home lessons are as follows: 1) The time factor in biology curriculum development can be especially daunting and frequently becomes a justification for inertia. Minisymposium speakers belied this justification by presenting many resources in websites and people willing to help. Examples are listed later in this review (Marsteller, 2010 ; BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium, n.d.). 2) Mathematicians and cell biologists seldom talk to each other, remaining comfortably siloed in their respective departments. Yet experts at quantitative modeling can be the best resource to help biologists select among hypotheses generated by experimental data or to design experiments that are better able to clearly test their hypotheses (Berro et al., 2010 ; Sirotkin et al., 2010 ). Biologists could invite mathematicians into the laboratory to do experiments or analyze data; mathematicians could invite biologists to try modeling experimental data to see whether a model predicts things that might never have occurred to the cell biologist. So take a mathematician to lunch! 3) Undergraduates can drive quantitative curriculum development, especially in the laboratory. Under faculty supervision, a student team can generate new knowledge while developing lab exercises, work out the bugs of presentation (talking with peers before and during the course), gain comfort in quantitative approaches, and get course credit simultaneously. Undergraduates thus engage in research and teaching, and faculty have a built-in team of collaborators more enthusiastic about the process of science. John Jungck (Beloit College) and Pat Marsteller (Emory University) focused on resources for faculty, including ready-to-use curricular material and faculty pedagogical development opportunities (Marsteller, 2010 ; BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium, n.d.). Omar Quintero (Pennsylvania State University Medical School) reported on development of a “semiwet lab” approach that utilizes short video clips to introduce the students to advanced research approaches that might be prohibitively expensive or technically difficult. The students get exposure to some wet-lab techniques in a larger context, but the major goal of the project is to shift the students’ time and focus toward quantitative data analysis in context and away from cookbook lab methods without context. Postdoctoral fellow Julien Berro (Yale University) provided a specific example of how a mathematical model suggests experiments and how the experimental results lead to model revision—much like the course of science (Berro et al., 2010 ; Sirotkin et al., 2010 ). Graduate student Julia Philip (University of Notre Dame) described a protein binding simulation that reinforces why thermodynamics and kinetics both describe the regulation of microtubule binding parameters. This tool is freely accessible and useful in upper division coursework and research (Philip et al., 2010 ). Finally, undergraduate Samantha Lindemann (University of Minnesota, Duluth) reported on her development of learning modules using statistics to evaluate Mendelian genetics of zebrafish and to demystify the statistical approach for her peers; this effort allowed her undergraduate research to couple the science and the math. Cell biology education: where’s the math? The math is here and always has been. Its use has become more critical and even more fun as the complexities of cellular processes continue to be explained in an ever more quantitative manner. From the research lab to the classroom, mathematics is part and parcel of how scientists describe how biology works. Contact information for speakers: Julien Berro (ude.elay@orreb.neiluj), John Jungck (egelloc.tioleb@kcgnuj), Samantha Lindemann (ude.nmu.d@453ednil), Pat Marsteller (ude.yrome.knilnrael@sramp), Julia Philip (ude.dn@pilihpj), and Omar Quintero (ude.usp@001qao).

Synthesis of Plant Auxin Derivatives and Their Effects on Ceratopteris richardii

In this experiment, organic chemistry laboratory students synthesized derivatives of their own design of the plant auxins indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and 1-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA). Their syntheses varied from making ester to amide derivatives. After optimizing their synthesis, the organic chemistry student groups shared their products with a student group from the biochemistry�cell biology lab. The biochemistry�cell biology students compared the development of Ceratopteris richardii gametophytes on three types of sterile medium: medium without hormones, medium with 10-5 M NAA, and medium with 10-4 M of an auxin derivative synthesized in the organic chemistry lab. The organic syntheses were performed over a four-week period, and observations of C. richardii gametophytes were done for a two week period, after which the gametophyte measurements where analyzed quantitatively using Microsoft Excel. The project terminated in a poster session presented by both the organic chemistry and biochemistry�cell biology classes during which the students discussed their results and compared any structure activity relationships that were evident. Results from this bioassay of auxin derivatives typically fall into four groups: (i) there is an effect on gametophyte growth similar to that of known auxins, (ii) there is no effect on the growth of the gametophyte, (iii) there is a novel effect on gametophyte growth, or (iv) the auxin derivative is lethal to the gametophyte.

A Simple Classroom Teaching Technique To Help Students Understand Michaelis-Menten Kinetics

A new, simple classroom technique helps cell biology students understand principles of Michaelis-Menten enzyme kinetics. A student mimics the enzyme and the student's hand represents the enzyme's active site. The catalytic event is the transfer of marbles (substrate molecules) by hand from one plastic container to another. As predicted, increases in marble concentration increase the number of marbles transferred per unit time (initial rate, V(0)) until the turnover number becomes rate limiting and V(0) approaches the maximum velocity (V(max)), as described by the Michaelis-Menten equation. With this demonstration, students visualize an important concept: the turnover number is constant and independent of marble concentration. A student assessment of this exercise showed that it helped students visualize the turnover number and V(max) but not K(m), the marble concentration at which V(0) is one-half V(max). To address the concept of K(m), we use supplemental laboratory and lecture exercises. This exercise with plastic containers and marbles is equally suited to demonstrate the kinetics of carrier-mediated membrane transport. We conclude that this exercise helps students visualize the turnover number and V(max) and gives students important insights into the kinetic parameters used to characterize the catalytic activity of enzymes and membrane transporters.

Evaluation of Formative Computer-based Assessment by Cell Biology Students with Differing Entry Qualifications and Ethnicity

AbstractThis study was carried out to examine students’ responses to the use of on-line assessments that included feedback. First year BSc students taking a Cell Biology module undertook such an assessment and were then asked to evaluate the test by completing an anonymous questionnaire. Answers were analysed in light of the respondents’ ethnicity and also the academic route by which they gained entry to university. Statistical analysis of the data showed that students’ views of the utility of the test did not differ significantly either as a function of ethnicity or academic experience, since 80–90% of the students agreed/strongly agreed that regular tests and feedback assisted in their learning process. Generally, it was noted that non-Caucasian population, especially the Black African group strongly agreed that the test exercise benefited their earning experience. In conclusion, asynchronous on-line formative tests which provide feedback are valuable learning aids for students from a wide variety of ba...

Ribosome assembly reawakens

Ribosome assembly is a topic that causes many cell biology students to yawn, for it is often taught as a series of somewhat untantalizing steps plodding towards the formation of a complex mass of RNA and protein that carries out the important and well-defined job of translating mRNA into protein. Recently, however, ribosome biogenesis has jumped into the spotlight with the finding that a 60S ribosome assembly factor, Yph1/Nop7p, is found associated with the origin-recognition complex (ORC) and with other interesting proteins that participate in cell-cycle regulation [ 1. Adams C.C. et al. Saccharomyces cerevisiae nucleolar protein Nop7p is necessary for biogenesis of 60S ribosomal subunits. RNA. 2002; 8: 150-165 Crossref PubMed Scopus (74) Google Scholar ].

Connecting Undergraduate Plant Cell Biology Students with the Scientists about Whom They Learn: A Bibliography

W A 7E teach an undergraduate Plant Cell Biology class (BioPL 444) in the manner proposed by Jean Baptiste Carnoy (1884) when he established the first institute of cellular biology. That is, we integrate mathematics, astronomy, physics and chemistry as well as anatomy, physiology, ecology and evolution with cell biology. Thus, the students are expected to understand a wide range of sciences. We feel that the best way to understand cell biology and its corollary sciences is to take a historical approach and give the students a working knowledge of the scientists involved. Often students remember the science when it is accompanied by an anecdote, and we tell many stories about the scientists as we lecture. Where do we get all the stories? From books written by the scientists themselves. We provide the students in our course with a list of these books for them to read at their leisure. The students are not required to read any of these books during the semester. The books we selected were written for the lay public or a general scientifically literate audience. They provide the students with an enjoyable entre into the lives of the scientists, their personal philosophies, their senses of humor, their outside interests, the theories and experimental techniques they used, the results of their research, and the relationship between their results and those of the past and future. Most importantly, students learn the excitement of discovery firsthand from the pioneering scientists. They also learn the human elements that may capture their attention. For example they can learn that Humphry Davy, the discoverer of calcium and potassium, loved salmon fishing, wrote poetry, and experimented with the mood-altering effects of nitrous oxide. They

Cell Movement and Cell Behaviour

ABSTRACT John Lackie’s course on cell behaviour delivered to Senior Honours Cell Biology students at Glasgow University is largely responsible for the predominance of young Glaswegian scientists at British conferences on cell behaviour. Other universities have an oppor tunity to redress the balance now that this lecture course is available as a textbook. But this book, particularly the latter part, is so original in its treatment of the field that it deserves to be read by anyone with even a passing interest in the subject. It is not the first textbook to deal with cell behaviour. Others deal with the motile behaviour of embryonic cells during development, with the chemotaxis of white blood cells or with the invasiveness of malignant cells. But it is the first attempt to present a coherent survey of the whole field of cell behaviour with the emphasis on common principles. It does mainly for the metazoan cell what the now classic textbook, The Orientation of Animals by Fraenkel &amp; Gunn (1940), did mainly for the protozoa and other small animals.