The Vespa - Randolph-Macon College

RANDOLPH#MACON BIOLOGY $
NOVEMBER , %""&
method of learning,” said Coppola.
“Within minutes of arriving in the
first class students are doing
experiments and collecting real
data.” Many of the experiments
are open#ended since the course is
divided into four three#week
modules that allow time for in
depth study of key biological
principals. From studying the
genetic basis of alcohol resistance
in fruit flies to the e(ect of toxins
on fish embryo development,
students design their own
experiments and present their
results as scientific papers or in
other formats that are actually
used by practicing scientists.
“We knew this change in intro
biology was going to be radical,
however, it puts us at the forefront
of science teaching reforms
nationally, “ said Coppola. “Our
faculty put their heart and soul
into this new course. This is an
incredibly gifted and committed
group of educators. Unlike
professors at big universities our
focus is on teaching first.”
And how have the students
responded to this pedagogical
experiment? Anonymous
comments from the course
evaluations for Integrative Biology
are promising: “The course was
filled with material that could be
applied to our lives and to society
in general. This made learning
easier and much more
interesting!” And, “It was a great
course. I can’t wait to take the
next semester.” And, “The class
was the best science class I’ve ever
had because it was more about
understanding than memorizing.”
Vespa is latin for wasp. The RMC mascot is a
ye!ow jacket which is actua!y a member of
the wasp family.
SUMMER UNDERGRADUATE
RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS
The summer undergraduate
research fellowship )SURF*
program had a bright group of
biology participants again this
year. The program, which began
in '++&, supports student
research in all disciplines.
Students are under the supervision
of RMC faculty and receive a
generous stipend and funds to
support their research. Many
biology students continue to
pursue their SURF projects in a
senior thesis and go on to present
their results at scientific meetings.
Thomas Rhone )above le)*
studied the e(ects of the cancer
protein Bcr # Abl in a group of
cells in the fruit fly embryo. Using
genetic techniques, Thomas
expressed Bcr # Abl only in this set
of cells and then examined how
Bcr # Abl expression in these cells
a(ects development and the
movement of cells.
Margarita Tobar )abov*
middle* examined two slightly
di(erent versions of the Bcr # Abl
protein and compared how these
a(ected cell movements during
development in the fruit fly.
Salem Sha!er )above right*
cloned and isolated the SP#'"
gene from guinea pig sperm. This
gene has not been described in
guinea pigs.
Welcome Dr. Grace
Lim#Fong. Grace was
born and raised in Singapore.
She came to the USA to attend
University of California, Berkeley
where she studied molecular
environmental biology.
She then attended graduate
school at Scripps Institution of
Oceanography in La Jolla,
California where she completed
her doctorate in marine
microbiology. As a graduate
student, she discovered a new
source of anti-cancer compounds
from a marine bacterium.
She was also a recipient
of a Howard Hughes Medical
Institute Fellowship. Dr Lim-
Fong was a postdoctoral researcher
at the University of
California, San Diego prior to
her arrival at R-MC, studying
how bacteria move DNA
around in their cells. In her
spare time, she enjoys hiking,
camping and performing “culinary
experiments” (Grace’s
phrase for cooking) in her
kitchen.
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