ABOUT THIS PROJECT:

Introduction:

The integration of diverse disciplines of scientific research is revolutionizing our understanding of biology. Advances in microscopy have enabled scientists to obtain a more thorough understanding of their field of study by complimenting their biochemical and genetic data. Researchers have a wide range of research data resulting from established collaborations, yet has had no formal mechanism to disseminate these data to educators. This isolation of research from education unfortunately often occurs throughout the University of Wisconsin (UW) system. The aim of the Wisconsin Outreach Research Modules (W.O.R.M) Initiative is to create a model to disseminate scientific methods and research data into undergraduate education throughout the UW system.

The model will focus on one specific kind of data, microscopic images of the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans. The reasons C. elegans is an ideal educational model are the same reasons that have made it one of the most widely used research models. It is a compromise between complexity and simplicity. C. elegans is a simple, primitive organism which, nonetheless, shares many of the essential biological characteristics with central problems of human biology. The majority of the great biological enigmas are all being studied in C. elegans: embryogenesis, morphogenesis, nerve system development and function, and aging. When combined with its known genomic sequence, C. elegans provides a unique and powerful educational tool. The UW-Madison campus has one of the world's strongest research programs in C. elegans, as evidenced by four research labs and the International C. elegans meeting which was held in Madison in June 1999. In collaboration with researchers from across the country, these researchers have developed unique instrumentation to help elucidate the structure and function of key systems in C. elegans. In addition, the C. elegans genome has been sequenced, marking a milestone in the understanding of eukaryotic systems. This genetic information, coupled with time-lapse movies of development created at Laboratory of Optical and Computational Instrumentation (LOCI) play an important role in understanding the function of genes in C. elegans and other eukaryotes. In an educational setting, these kind of data could easily be used to supplement existing curricula. For example, consider the standard biology course topic such as cell division. Typically, students would learn about cell division by reading about it in a textbook, and through lectures. With images from this project, the instructor could show their students movies of cells dividing and movies depicting cell division mutants. The W.O.R.M. Initiative will establish a framework to transfer this kind of select research data to educators in the UW system.

Why not rely on traditional channels of information transfer?

The transfer of information from the researcher to the educator is a crucial and established process. Published scientific data are extensively peer reviewed to ensure a public knowledge that is as accurate as possible. Peer review has the unfortunate side effect of having educators one step behind current research knowledge, although this does assure that theories and hypotheses are substantiated and supported before presented in classrooms. However, there is a growing consensus among educators and researchers alike that while the facts are important, strict adherence to this established transfer process results in students not being exposed to the process of science and the process of generating new knowledge. Exposure to research in a exploratory fashion allows students to understand not only the facts themselves, but the process in which the facts are established. We propose a model in the University of Wisconsin System that combines both tactics, traditional resources, and resources that allow students to engage in the process of science. In this way the facts are preserved and are supplemented with a understanding of how they were determined.