Abstracts - Society for Developmental Biology

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Program/Abstract # 66
Determination of bisphenol A (BPA) levels in animal cages following different cleaning regimens
Freeman, Edward; Chichester, Kimberly, St. John Fisher College, Rochester, NY, United States
Bisphenol A (BPA) is the monomeric building block used in polycarbonate plastics. The addition of BPA to plastic
provides shatter resistance and thermostability. As such, polycarbonate plastics are a prominent feature in numerous
products, including animal caging. Because BPA can leach from polycarbonate plastics we sought to determine BPA levels
in new cages and in cages that had undergone a cleaning regimen simulating one year of use. Five different cage cleaning
methods were tested to determine if any would cause BPA to leach into water stored in cages following treatment cycles.
Our research was conducted within an Analytical Chemistry course with students assisting in the determination of BPA
levels. Each group of two students was responsible for the evaluation of samples from a single treatment method. An
undergraduate research student had previously developed the HPLC method for BPA detection to ensure results were
comparable between groups and treatments. Specifically, BPA levels were determined utilizing reverse phase high
performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipped with a diode array UV-VIS detector. The HPLC method utilized a
Zorbax Extend C-18 column, a water: acetonitrile (50:50) mobile phase with a flow rate of 1.25 mL/min, a 20 µL sample
injection volume and BPA detection at 224 nm after 2.8 minutes. BPA calibration curves (x=10) resulted in a correlation
coefficient of 0.9999 with an LOD of 8.61 nM. Students and course instructors were kept blind to the treatment groups
until after all analyses were complete. At the end of the experiment, each student prepared a paper discussing the impact of
cage cleaning strategy on BPA levels.
Program/Abstract # 67
About meiosis concept
Sanz, Ana; Diosdado Salces, Esther, Universidad de La Habana, Havana, Cuba
Meiosis is a process hard to understand for students. In our experience, meiosis is often understood as a cytological or cell
biology process and not as a process of forming gametes and haploid spores. In Biology major at the University of Havana,
meiosis is taught first in the Cell Biology course, in the sixth semester. Later the concept is completed in Developmental
Biology course as a process forming male and female gametes during the first stage of ontogenetic development. Students
have to achieve the comprehensiveness of the concept of meiosis when Genetic course addressed it from the standpoint of
character segregation during genetic exchange or crossing over. Genetics is on the curriculum in the same semester as
Developmental Biology. All courses referred in this paper are mandatory for Biology students. A survey with questions
about meiosis was applied to 40 people from fifth year and postgraduates. The results were statistically processed and
indicate that students have the necessity to receive the same topics from different points of view in order to get a more
comprehensive and holistic idea. Fifteen of them said they never realized the concept of meiosis during their studies in
Biology And the rest reflected that they completed the concept of meiosis and increased it gradually from Cell Biology,
Molecular Genetics, and Developmental Biology and with the contributions of Genetics. Based on these results it was
decided among the professors of Developmental Biology and Genetics to impart a seminar with an integrative approach
using group teaching techniques to improve the knowledge.
Program/Abstract # 68
C.R.E.A.T.E. Cornerstone: Adapting the C.R.E.A.T.E. strategy for freshmen, to encourage their persistence in
STEM and participation in undergraduate research experiences
Hoskins, Sally G., City College of New York Dept of Biology, New York, United States
The C.R.E.A.T.E. (Consider, Read, Elucidate hypotheses, Analyze and interpret data, and Think of the next Experiment)
strategy uses intensive analysis of primary literature to demystify and humanize science. In previous studies, third and
fourth-year students read sequential articles from single labs, used novel pedagogical tools to analyze individual
experiments, designed follow-up studies and email-surveyed authors with a panel of their own questions. Assessments
showed significant gains incritical thinking ability, understanding of the nature of science (NOS), interest in
research/researchers, and epistemological beliefs about science (Hoskins et al., 2007, Genetics 176,1381;2011, CBE-LSE
10, 368). In interviews,students noted that C.R.E.A.T.E. skills helped them in other courses, suggesting that a “Freshman
C.R.E.A.T.E.” could aid student learning while encouraging participation in research projects. C.R.E.A.T.E. Cornerstone,
a new elective for entering STEM majors, uses C.R.E.A.T.E. strategies adapted for newspaper or popular-press science as
well as analysis of journal articles. First-year students made gains in self-assessed reading/analysis ability, interest in
research/researchers, NOS understanding, and attitudes and epistemological beliefs about science. Cornerstone students
also gained significantly in experimental design ability, assayed by EDAT. Thus C.R.E.A.T.E. methods can be successfully
adapted for entering STEM students. Ongoing tracking of Cornerstone alumni will test the hypotheses that they will be