College Strand Sessions

SCST
Friday: 1:00 p.m. to 2:20 p.m.

Engaging Students through Confrontation with Current Issues in Life Science
Dennie McGroarty - Christel Marschall, Lansing Community College
Primary Subjects: Biology, Instruction/Pedagogy
Interest Level: College, High School
Location: Radisson Hotel - Regency 1
Engage students with activities that apply course concepts as students seek to understand appropriate current issues. Participants will work through several problems, learning to identify, develop and utilize this effective instruction tool.

SCST
Friday: 2:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.

The Mysteries of Meiosis - Why is this so Hard?
Merle Heidemann - MSU-Division of Sci. and Math
Joyce Parker - Michigan State University
Primary Subjects: Biology
Interest Level:
Interest: ML, HS, CO Location: R - Regency 1 Miosis is key to understand punnett squares and thus basic heredity. We will develop and make models that will help students make connections between replication, meiotic events, and gametes.

SCST
Friday: 3:20 p.m. to 4:05 p.m.

Forensic Chemistry Course Development
Frank Schehr - Lansing Community College
Primary Subjects: Chemistry, General Science
Interest Level: College, High School
Location: Radisson Hotel - Regency 1
Attendees will gain an appreciation for developing a college class curriculum in forensic chemistry centered on the science of criminalistics. The course is for liberal arts or non-science major, especially those in criminal justice programs.

SCST
Friday: 4:10 p.m. to 4:55 p.m.

Nanotechnology; How Does it Affect the Lives of Your Students?
Ruyi Qi - Lansing Community College
Tom Deits - Lansing Community College
Primary Subjects: Chemistry, Curriculum
Interest Level: College, High School
Location: Radisson Hotel - Regency 1
This emerging technology is utilized in manufacturing popular new products and finding application in medicine, environmental health, and materials science. Learn the science behind nanotechnology and how to incorporate it into your curriculum.

College Strand
Saturday: 8:00 a.m. to 8:20 a.m.

Teaching College Students to Think and Reason Scientifically Using Mini-Investigations
Alex Azima - Lansing Community College
Primary Subjects: Physics
Interest Level: College
Location: Radisson Hotel - Regency 1
Several mini-investigations are used in a calculus-based introductory physics course at Lansing Community College in order to get students to think and to reason scientifically. Some of the results will be shared.

College Strand
Saturday: 8:20 a.m. to 9:05 a.m.

PD Strategies and Materials for College Science Faculty Working with ML Science Teachers
Robert Poel
Primary Subjects: Instruction/Pedagogy
Interest Level: College
Location: Radisson Hotel - Regency 1
Inquiry, currently a common label in science education, often means different things depending on the context. This session will present materials that address the professional development needs of middle school science teachers who are being asked to teach science using inquiry strategies.

College Strand
Saturday: 9:10 a.m. to 9:55 a.m.

U.S. and Michigan Energy Use: History, Future, and Societal Impact
Ernest Behringer - Eastern Michigan University
Primary Subjects: Environmental Education, Physics
Interest Level: College, High School
Location: Radisson Hotel - Regency 1
A review of national and state energy use will be presented with an exercise to stimulate thinking about ways to meet future energy demands and about the corresponding societal impacts.

College Strand
Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Some Lessons Learned from Physics Education Research
Bradley Ambrose - Grand Valley State University
Primary Subjects: Instruction/Pedagogy, Physics
Interest Level: College
Location: Radisson Hotel - Regency 1
College and university faculty will be introduced to the field of Physics Education Research (PER) and become familiar with teaching materials based on PER. Hands-on; handouts provided.

College Strand
Saturday: 11:05 a.m. to 11:55 a.m.

Reform-Oriented Physics Curricula and Goals of a Liberal Arts Education
Beth Kubitskey - Eastern Michigan University
Primary Subjects: Physics
Interest Level: College
Location: Radisson Hotel - Regency 1
Kegan, King and Kitchener suggest adult-learning models for college students. Goldberg, Hestenes, and McDermott propose a constructivist/social constructivist model for physics instruction. I compare and examine these reforms and their alignment with learning theory.