The University of Alabama Stillman College-Shelton State Community College February 6, 2012

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The University of Alabama – Stillman College-Shelton State Community College February 6, 2012

BSC 497Great Discoveries in Science

OVERVIEW “Greatest Discoveries with Bill Nye: Genetics”
This film highlights the progression of discoveries that built and advanced our understanding of genetics, from Gregor Mendel to Craig Ventor and the world team that completed the sequencing of the human genome.

There are characteristics of these scientists making great discoveries that aided in their pursuit to understand how the blue-print of life worked and how features are passed on from one generation to another.
Take note of those characteristics portrayed in the film. What attributes typified these individuals? Did they work alone or collaboratively? Has the process of science changed over the past 150 years?

Outline of Film
Gregor Mendel – Dominance and segregation of “traits” (former Czecho)
Johansen - traits called genes (Danish)
Thomas Hunt Morgan – genes occur linearly on chromosomes; sex-linked traits; Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) as a model organism.
George Beadle – One gene – one protein. Used mutants to demonstrate activity of genes.
Neuorspora crassa as a model organism (United States).
Barbara McClintock – Transposable elements. Used Zea maize as a model organism.
Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase- Transformation. DNA is the inheritable unit.
James Watson (USA) and Francis Crick (UK). X-ray crystallography (3-D structure). Made models.
“Lots of People” mRNA and making proteins in the cytoplasm
Nirenberger and Malike – 64 triplets code for 20 aminot acids. The code of life.
Alec Jeffrey – microsatellite DNA
“Restriction enzymes” (recombinant DNA)
Craig Ventor – sequence of human genome

Position Paper #1 (two pages of text in length) Due February 20, 2012
(Narrative should be typed, double-spaced and two pages in length. On a third page full references should be cited as a bibliography of sources used for your paper)

1. What is the diversity of scientists portrayed in the film? What countries did the scientists come from? List at least three traits the scientists exhibited (note name of the scientist with the trait).
2. Select an important discovery that was made by a women or underrepresented minority scientist that was not presented in the film.
Describe the historical climate at the time this discovery was made (What was not known that we know now?).

2. Why did you select this discovery?
List at least three attributes that the scientist exhibited that helped drive the discovery process.

3. What type of inquiry approach was used?
(Discovery or Hypothesis-Driven or a combination)?
Use at least one reference of your choice.

Cite that reference and any other references used in your position paper.

Links to explore scientist diversity:

>Women Scientists http://science.education.nih.gov/home2.nsf/Careers/F4DC786C2DC6E5548525733E0063F93F

http://womeninscience.nih.gov/women_scientist/index.asp

Scientists

https://webfiles.uci.edu/mcbrown/display/faces.html

>Hispanic-American Scientists

http://scicom.ucsc.edu/QandA/2011/sanchez.html

>Native-American Scientists

http://www.stanford.edu/group/bioaims/images/Native%20American%20Scientists.pdf

http://neuroscience.nih.gov/Lab.asp?Org_ID=473

http://biology.sfsu.edu/people/wilfred-denetclaw

http://www.nigms.nih.gov/About/Poodry.htm

http://jgh.hunter.cuny.edu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22:burgess-david-r-phd&catid=6:biographies