Research Experiences
for
High School Science
and Math Teachers
Summer 2003
Advanced Research Program/
Advanced Technology Program
Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board
July 2003
Supplemental Grants for High School Science
and Math Teachers - Summer 2003
The Advanced Research Program and Advanced Technology Program (ARP/ATP) were created by the Texas Legislature in 1987 as competitive grants programs for faculty members at Texas institutions of higher education. Approximately 400 research projects are funded each biennium in a number of different disciplines and research areas.
In January 1999, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board extended the programs to provide small supplementary grants to existing grantees who employ high school science and mathematics teachers to work on these projects during the summer. The grants are used by research faculty members primarily to pay for the teachers’ salaries for the four to nine weeks they will work in the university laboratories and to cover costs for laboratory supplies and travel.
This program helps build linkages between high school teachers and university research faculty, gives the teachers experiences that they will carry back to their classrooms, and results in increased interest in science and engineering among high school students.
Forty-seven teachers participated in research projects in summer 2001 and 47 participated in summer 2002. At the end of the summer, almost all of the responding faculty researchers and high school teachers judged the program to be excellent or good.
This document lists the teachers and faculty members participating in the program during summer 2003, and briefly describes the work that each teacher will do.
This summer, teachers are working on projects at 15 different universities, sixhealth-related institutions, and two experiment stations. Teachers are engaged in a wide variety of different activities ... from computer modeling to sample preparation to using various scientific instruments for making measurements.
Projects at ...begin on page ...
BaylorCollege of Medicine...... 1
LamarUniversity...... 1
MidwesternStateUniversity...... 2
RiceUniversity...... 2
Southern MethodistUniversity...... 3
SouthwestTexasStateUniversity...... 4
Texas Agricultural Experiment Station...... 5
TexasA&MUniversity...... 7
Texas Engineering Experiment Station...... 8
TexasTechUniversity...... 9
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center...... 10
University of Houston...... 11
University of NorthTexas...... 13
University of NorthTexas Health Sciences Center...... 13
The University of Texas at Arlington...... 14
The University of Texas at Austin...... 15
The University of Texas at Dallas...... 17
The University of Texas-Pan American...... 18
The University of Texas at San Antonio...... 19
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston...... 20
The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center...... 21
The University of Texas Southwestern MedicalCenter at Dallas...22
WestTexasA&MUniversity...... 22
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TEXAS HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD
ADVANCED RESEARCH PROGRAM/ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM
SUPPLEMENTARY GRANTS FOR HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE AND MATH TEACHERS
SUMMER 2003
Teachers and ProfessorsTeacher activity as described by grantee
Jessica ZenkerLife Science and Algebra teacher
YESCollegePreparatory School
Houston
Charles Densmore
Professor
Department of Molecular Physiology
and Biophysics
BaylorCollege of Medicine / Polyethyleneimine-Gene Therapy Given by Aerosol: An Effective Treatment for Pulmonary Metastases
Ms. Zenker will play an important role in our TDT project aimed at developing aerosol gene delivery technology for clinical application in the treatment of lung cancer in human pediatric patients. This technology uses a tumor suppressor gene (p53) and/or a cytokine gene (IL-12) in a unique and patented nonviral formulation which appears to be highly effective in animal tumor models while exhibiting very low toxicity. Ms. Zenker has worked with our collaborator on this grant, Dr. Genie Kleinerman of the M.D.AndersonCancerCenter, and is already familiar with some of the methodology that will be used. She proved to be a valuable addition to our collaborative effort and would therefore be an even more valuable component of our research team this summer. Ms. Zenker has expertise in areas of molecular biology that will enable her to continue work on redesigning the plasmids we are using in an effort to increase the persistence of gene expression. Such an improvement could potentially make the difference between success and failure in our planned pediatric cancer trials. She will also be involved with animal tumor and tissue culture studies, preclinical toxicity studies and aerosol particle size studies. These studies should enable Ms. Zenker to transfer her research experience to the classroom.
Bonnie J. Ardoin
Chemistry teacher
WestBrookHigh School
Beaumont
Daniel H. Chen
Professor
Chemical Engineering Department
LamarUniversity / Super-Porous Titania/NLO-Coated Fiber Optic Photoreactor for Environmental Applications
Ms. Ardoin will work with two research assistants, under the supervision of the principal investigators, on the coating of aerogel TiO2 mixed with a nonlinear optical crystal (BaTiO3 or LiB3O5) on optical fibers, and measurements of photocatalytic oxidation of butyraldehyde in air. These research activities need a strong chemistry knowledge and laboratory experience. Ms. Ardoin will have the opportunity to learn and use analytical instruments such as a Nova surface analyzer, UV-Viz spectrophotometer, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), GC-FID, and GC-MS. It is estimated that each of these tasks will take four and a half weeks. Ms. Ardoin will learn from the laboratory work, interact with research personnel, and have the opportunity to contribute to this emerging technology in air pollution control. Her experiences are expected to have a significant impact on her high school science teaching.
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Teachers and ProfessorsTeacher activity as described by grantee
Cerise WuthrichAlgebra and Computer Science
teacher
ArcherCityHigh School
ArcherCity
Nelson Luiz Passos
Professor
Computer Science Program
MidwesternStateUniversity / Flexible Integrated Caching Approach (FICA) for Efficient Content Delivery in Wireless Internet
The research project involves the use of WEB through wireless devices. Ms. Wuthrich participated in this research last summer when she developed WEB pages based on the new WML mark-up language and studied the applicability of such pages to cell phones. During that period she co-authored two papers (one already accepted for a conference). In this new proposed participation, Ms. Wuthrich will study the use of WML on Palm devices, monitoring the access to those WEB pages, and developing on-line and off-line applications to be used by students. This data will be later added to her previous results in the simulation of WEB caching as described in the main research project. Expected results include the preparation of the teacher for work with PDAs in complement to her previous training in cell phone applications. Ms. Wuthrich will also have direct participation in the main research topic by proposing new applications, algorithms and making observations to be used in future papers describing the research results.
Debbie Trahan
Mathematics teacher
MaydeCreekHigh School
Houston
Richard Baraniuk
Professor
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Department
RiceUniversity / Delivering High Perceptual Quality Real-Time Video Over Wireless Networks
The purpose of my ATP project with Ed Knightly at Rice has been to develop technology and a testbed for a new real-time video delivery system. We have made much progress, and a prototype is currently under test. Our experimentation with real-time video delivery has convinced us of its great potential in education contexts, such as distance education. In this summer project, I propose that Debbie Trahan, a teacher at MaydeCreekHigh School, experiment with this new technology by integrating her teaching materials for advanced placement high school courses into the Connexions system, a multimedia educational project that I started in 1999. Her work will support the important goal of testing the efficiency and effectiveness of the new video delivery system in an educational setting (scheduled for Mid-03 in our proposal research time table).
Ms. Trahan will be using the Content Commons to create lesson plans for use in pre-advanced placement high school mathematics courses. Students who take pre-advanced placement mathematics courses generally tend to attempt advance placement calculus courses in high schools. Advanced placement courses are college-level courses taught in high schools. Ms. Trahan will be able to share these lesson plans with a larger community of pre-advanced placement and advanced placement teachers through her presentations during the school year. Furthermore, they will be available over the internet for other teachers to use with their students.
Shonda Majors
Anatomy, Physiology, and Biology
teacher
HoustonChristiansHigh School
Houston
Michael Liebschner
Professor
Department of Bioengineering
RiceUniversity / Novel Scaffold Design and Evaluation Technique for Engineering Bone Replacement Tissue
Tissue engineering techniques generally require the use of porous scaffolds, serving as a three-dimensional template and providing the necessary support for cells to attach, proliferate, and maintain their differentiated function. Its architecture defines the ultimate shape of the new grown tissue. A relationship exists between tissue micro-architecture and mechanical usage in bone tissue. It is however unknown how this architecture differs between species and how it correlates, i.e., with animal weight and activity level. Knowledge about the evolution of bone micro-architecture could potentially revolutionize the design of engineered bone replacement tissue and give insight into the importance of bone micro-architecture.
Ms. Majors will be involved in characterizing bone micro-architecture from different species by using cored bone specimen in a micro computed tomography system available in our laboratory and different imaging software packages for analysis. She will also be involved in making scaled models of those bone specimens using rapid prototyping and subsequent mechanical testing. Because of her training in anatomy, physiology, and biology, Ms. Majors can translate the knowledge she gains through this study directly into her classroom. Several bone diseases such as osteoporosis directly modify bone micro-architecture. Osteoporosis affects about 30% of our population over the age of 50 years and models generated with the rapid prototyping machine can be used in class for demonstration purposes.
Robert B. Croman
Physics teacher
PlanoWestSenior High School
Plano
Radovan Kovacevic
Professor
ResearchCenter for Advanced
Manufacturing
Southern MethodistUniversity / Development of Information System for Hybrid Rapid Manufacturing Process
The goal of this proposal is to develop an information system for the Hybrid Rapid Manufacturing Process. This system will consist of a number of modules, such as: a solid data exchange module based on a donated ACIS 3D Geometric Modeler package, an on-line slicing module, a process-planning module, a process-sensing and control module, and a module for automatic generation of welding torch paths and milling head paths. The completion of this work will lead toward the first full-scale rapid manufacturing system for building parts with features that cannot be readily produced by other methods. As the project involves various aspects of engineering science and practice in nontraditional manufacturing processes, welding, design, computer control systems, interfacing, sensing, signal processing, and control, Dr. Croman will be exposed to the related concepts, principles, methods, software and hardware, and software development. Dr. Croman will work with a research team that consists of eight Ph.D. students, two post-docs, and a research engineer. The Principal Investigator is motivated to help Dr. Croman in transferring his research experience to his classroom activities. Dr. Croman has been collaborating with the Principal Investigator since 2000.
Matt Holmes
Biology teacher
LanierHigh School
Austin
Caitlin Gabor
Professor
Department of Biology
SouthwestTexasStateUniversity / Species Recognition Versus Mate-Quality Recognition
Mr. Matt Holmes will return to continue working on the videotaping and video analysis project that he worked on last summer. Mr. Holmes was able to video interactions between fish in the water in some of the populations that we tested, but due to the flooding that occurred last summer, the water was too murky to permit taping in other populations. Mr. Holmes will continue this video process this summer. After the taping is finished Mr. Holmes will be reviewing the data in the tapes and recording the following information for each focal male: (1) the male’s size class, (2) the number of specific males in the vicinity, (3) the number of females within two body lengths from the focal male, (4) the number of mating attempts (thrusting) and (5) aggressive interactions. Mr. Holmes’ previous efforts have already helped this project significantly and his future efforts will be very valuable to our study and will provide him with an excellent, well-rounded research experience that he can take back to his classroom.
Teresa A. Taylor
Biology teacher
SmithsonValleyHigh School
Spring Branch
Joseph R. Koke
Professor
Department of Biology
SouthwestTexasStateUniversity / Microarray-Based Neuropathology Studies
Ms. Taylor will determine the microscopic and molecular changes that occur in animal cells in response to bacteria, with the intent of learning what signals are sent between host and potential pathogen. This work will support the mail goal of the project, to develop a cell-based microarray system capable of detecting the presence of neural and other pathologies. Initial investigations will be done in an earthworm model; earthworms harbor symbiotic bacteria in their nephridia (kidney-like structures). The host (earthworm) somehow selects the appropriate species of soil bacteria to “infect” its nephridia, rejecting all others. Understanding this selection mechanism and the signaling behind it will yield fundamental clues about the nature of pathogenesis and what signals to look for with a microarray sensing device. We expect the structural changes that occur upon infection to educate our search for signals. In addition, because this summer research is based on earthworms and relatively inexpensive reagents and equipment, it will be easily transferable to the high school science laboratory.
Leanne Teneyuque-Rios
Chemistry teacher
San MarcosHigh School
San Marcos
Linette M. Watkins
Professor
Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry
SouthwestTexasStateUniversity / Biodesulfurization of Recalcitrant Organosulfur Compounds
The overall goal of Leanne Teneyuque-Rios’ summer research project will be to generate a recombinant library of enzymes with enhanced specificity for one and two ring recalcitrant organosulfur compounds. This coincides with the goal of the Advanced Technology Program supported project to find engineered bacteria that are able to remove these compounds from crude oil. Using DNA shuffling techniques, Mrs. Rios will recombine the genes from the IGTS8 bacteria and the genes from the A3H1 bacteria to form a novel library of enzymes. She will then use a growth-based assay to identify bacteria with enhanced activity toward the one and two ring recalcitrant compounds. She will work directly with the principal investigator to learn the techniques needed for this project, specifically, DNA shuffling and high-throughput screening.
Mrs. Rios has previous experience in an academic research lab and will be able to use her previous knowledge of cell culture and molecular biology techniques to significantly contribute to the development of this research project. Furthermore, she will be able to take this knowledge back to her high school classes so that ultimately the students in her Chemistry classes will benefit from this research experience.
Mary Booth Lyle
Biology and Chemistry teacher
La GrangeHigh School
La Grange
Patrick W. Dunne
Professor
Department of Veterinary
Anatomy and Public Health
TexasAgricultural Experiment
Station / Generating Conditional FMDV Resistance in Cattle by Inducible Ribozyme Degradation of IRES RNA.
Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is the cause of a highly contagious disease of cattle and other cloven-hoofed animals. The FMDV genome is a single-stranded RNA that is translated to produce a protease-processed polyprotein in infected tissue. The translation of the viral genome is directed by a conserved virus sequence termed an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) that guides host ribosomes to express virus proteins. To prevent the spread of the disease to animals following initial virus exposure, the goal of this project is to express catalytically active antisense RNA (ribozymes) that disrupt the FMDV IRES element in livestock. Using an inducible promoter to drive expression of the ribozyme transgene, animals can be protected rapidly by feeding inducer-containing feed. The first step in achieving this goal is to synthesize a DNA copy of the IRES element based on published sequence data. Using six 107 base-pair oligonucleotides spanning the Pan Asia strain IRES element as templates, we have now synthesized de novo the complete IRES fragment by PCR. The complete IRES was then subcloned in-frame to a luciferase reporter gene. Our next step is to synthesize anti-IRES ribozymes and siRNAs using the cloned IRES as template and test their antiviral activity in cell culture.
Mary Lyle will participate in the testing of one or more ribozyme and/or siRNA expression cassettes for their efficacy in inhibiting FMDV IRES-mediated expression of the luciferase reporter. Ms. Lyle will add to her store of knowledge of recombinant DNA techniques as well as her knowledge of enzyme activity analysis.
Jasson Conner
Chemistry, Wildlife and Agriculture
teacher
AmarilloCenter for Advanced
Learning
Amarillo
L. Wayne Greene
Professor
AmarilloResearchCenter
Texas Agricultural Experiment
Station / Conservation of Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Open-Lot Cattle Feedyards
Mr. Conner who is supportedby this grant will assist graduate students and research staff at the TexasAgriculturalResearchCenter in Amarillo to conduct a final feeding study that will finalize the data collection, analysis and reporting for this project. Mr. Conner is responsible for teaching high school animal science and chemistry at the AmarilloAreaCenter for Advanced Learning, which is part of the AmarilloIndependentSchool District. He will be introduced to environmental problems facing the beef cattle feeding industry in the Texas panhandle and introduce these problems and solutions to his classes. He will study methods to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus excretion in concentrated animal feeding operations along with nutritional feeding management techniques to improve water, soil and air quality. His daily work will consist of assisting existing personnel in completing an experiment designed to reduce the supplemental protein (nitrogen) in the diet without reducing the economics of animal production. This will be done by dietary treatments that increase the efficiency of nutrient use, thereby, reducing excess amounts being excreted to the environment. Mr. Conner will be involved with the daily care and management of feedlot animal subjects and collection of samples for laboratory analysis.