byerinpeterson

illustratedbytheabrine

BRIAN R. CRANESUSAN S. GOLDEN

MARK GOLDMAN AYDOGAN OZCAN

TRACY L. JOHNSON ARIEL D. ANBAR

The 2014 HHMI professors are bringing innovation from the lab into the classroom.

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MUHAMMAD H. ZAMANSUSAN K. MCCONNELL ANDREW MURRAY

JEFFREY S. MOORE JANE KONDEV DAVID R. MARCHANT

CHRISTOPHER D. IMPEY ANNE J. MCNEIL JOSEPH M. JEZ

22 Fall2014/HHMIBulletin

universityresearchscientists areexpectedtobepioneersintheirlabs.AnewgroupofHHMIprofessorswillbemeetingthosesamehighexpectationsintheclassroom.

Thetraditionalsystemsofrewardsandrecognitionandallocationofresourcesatresearchuniversitiesoftenencourageanimbalance:mostsciencefacultymembersarefarmorefocusedontheirworkasresearchscientiststhantheirworkaseducators.

“Ithasbeenagreat,missedopportunity,”saysSeanB.Carroll,vicepresidentforscienceeducationatHHMI.“Researchuniversitiesattractsomeofthebrightestyoungmindsinthenation,andtheyarehometosomeofthebestscientists.Theyofferapotentiallysuperbenvironmentforengagingstudentsinboththeclassroomandthelaboratory.”

Since2002,HHMIhasbeenpromotingabetterbalancebetweenresearchandteachingbysupportingsomeofthecountry’sleadingresearchscientistswhoalsoengagestudentsintheclassroomasHHMIprofessors.AtotaloffortyscientistsgivenHHMIprofessorgrantshaveappliedthesamekindofcreativeapproachesandrigorousmeasurementintheirclassroomsastheyhaveintheirlabs.Theyhavedemonstratedthattopscientistscanbetopeducators,byexpandingandenhancingstudentresearchopportunities,findinginnovativewaystooffermentoring,andencouragingotherfacultytoengageineffectiveteaching.

FifteenadditionalresearcherswerenamedHHMIprofessorsinJune.Eachwillreceiveagrantfor$1millionoverfiveyearstocontinuetopushscienceeducationforwardthroughprojectsasvariedascreativewritingaboutscienceandgroupresearchprojectsviaonlinecourses.

Witheveryapproach,theprofessorsstrivetohelpstudentsgrapplewith—anddeeplyinternalize—authenticresearchandscientificthinking.“TheHHMIprofessorspushhardattheboundariesofscienceeducation.Theyraisetheprofileoftheconversationabouteducation,”saysHHMIseniorprogramofficerSarahSimmons.“Thenewprofessorsleveragetheircrediblevoicesinthescientificcommunitytopulltogethertheeducationalandresearchsidesofscience.”

HerearethestoriesofsixofthenewHHMIprofessors—top-tierresearcherswhoseworkrangesfrombiologyandchemistrytogeologyandastronomy.TheirworkpromisestobringtheexcitementofscienceintotheclassroomandfuelanewgenerationofSTEMmajors.

anne mcneil University of Michigan

Project: Buildingmeaningfullabs—andcrowdsourceddata—intofirst-yearorganicchemistry.

AnneMcNeilknowsthealarmingstatisticthatmorethan60percentofstudentswhoentercollegewithaninterestinaSTEMdegreefailtoearnone.

Shewassuspiciousthatherschool’sdryintroductoryorganicchemistrylaboratory,takenby2,000undergraduatesattheUniversityofMichiganeachyear,contributedtothatfailurerate.“Thelabisreallybasic—thingsliketitrationsandseparations—withessentiallynoorganicchemistry,”shesays.“It’sde-motivatingforstudents.”Unfortunately,it’sanalltoocommonintroductorylabexperience.

McNeiliscommittedtotransformingherschool’slabfromloathedtoloved,andthatprocesswillstartwithbiodiesel.Studentswillusethefairlysimpletechniquesofrefluxingandseparationtotransformusedvegetableoilfromlocalrestaurantsintobiodieselforusebylocalfarmers.Thetechniquesaresimpleandtheresultsaremeaningful.Andthestudents,shehopes,willbehooked.

Theexperiencewon’tbeasinglepaint-by-numberslab.Afterfollowingastandard“recipe,”studentswillspendthenextlabchangingavariable—temperature,solvent,concentration—andhypothesizinghowthechangewillaffecttheoutcome.Byaddingtheirdatatoashared

spreadsheet,studentswillhaveaccesstoalargedatasettomakecomparisonsanddrawconclusions.

Aspartofherorganicchemistrylaboverhaul,McNeilplanstoincludeanarrayofotherexperiments,suchaslabsinwhichstudentsextractnaturalrubberfrommilkweed.

Concreteprojectscanbooststudents’enthusiasmfor—anddesiretocontinuein—science,shesays.Asafirst-yearstudentin1996,McNeil’spassionforsciencewaspropelledbyaprofessorwhodrewparallelsbetweenabstractconcepts,suchassubstitutionreactions,andtheirreal-worldapplications,suchasthechemicalweaponmustardgas.Today,McNeil’sresearchgroupdevelopssensorsthathelpcontractorsandinspectorscheckforharmfulleadinpaintatconstructionsites.Thesechemicaltools,knownasgelators,maysomedaybeusedtofindexplosivesatairportcheckpointsorenzymesinvolvedincertaindiseases.

Withthenewlabprojects,McNeilhopesthatherstudentswillseethatlabsareaboutdiscoveryandproblemsolvingratherthanlearningabstractconcepts.“I’mtryingtoreplicatetheresearchexperience—withintheconstraintsofthesystem—forasmanypeopleasIcan,”shesays.

“I want students’ initial lab experiences to inspire them to pursue other research opportunities.”

23HHMIBulletin/Fall2014

susan mcconnell Stanford University

Project: Developingandexpandingcoursesthathelpstudentsmergeartandscience.

Growingup,SusanMcConnellimaginedherselfasthenextJaneGoodall.Goodall’sgrandadventuresstudyingchimpanzeesinTanzania—andhercaptivatingstorytelling—crackedopenthejoyofscientificresearchfortheyoungMcConnell.

AfterreceivingherPhDfromHarvardUniversity,McConnellfoundherownwaytopursuescientificsuccess.Asaneurobiologist,shestudieshowneuronsinthedevelopingcerebralcortexareproduced,assignedspecificcharacteristics,andwiredtogetherintofunctionalcircuits.

Butevenfromherlab,McConnellfeltthetugofGoodall’slargervision.Greatsciencewasastartingpoint.Evengreaterpowercamefromsharingtheresearchinwaysthatinspireotherstopursueandsupportit.“[Scientists]can’tjustwritetootherscientists,”shesays.“Weneedtobeabletocommunicatetothegeneralpublic.”

ThatideaservedasthecatalystfortwonewclassesatStanford:“PersonalEssayinBiology”and“SeniorReflectioninBiology.”Bothcoursesallowstudentstobringanartisticsensibilitytothesciencetheystudy.

Inthefirstcourse,studentsspendatermworkingwithaward-winningwriterAndrewTodhuntertocompleteapersonal,deeplyresearchedscientificessayinthestyleofmagazinessuchasThe New YorkerorNational Geographic.Inthesecond,studentsuseavisualmediumoftheirchoice—photography(McConnell’sspecialty),painting,ormultimedia,forexample—andspendayearworkingcloselywithfacultymentorsinbothscienceandtheartstocreateandpolishtheirscience-linkedworkforviewinginacampusgallery.

Inpilotprograms,onestudentwroteagrippingpersonalessaythatcombinedresearchabouttheneurochemistryofmentalillnessandthestoryofherroommate’ssuicide.Anotherusedsandanimationtoexplore

theimpactofparasitesinlocalwatersourcesinGhana;shesharedaversionoftheprojectataTEDxeventandearnedastandingovation.

McConnellsaysthistwistonscientificthinking,throughprojectsthatshedescribesas“kindof‘out

there’alternativemodels,”hasthepotentialtotransformthewaystudentsthinkaboutthesciencetheydoandthewaytheysharethatworkwithothers.

AsanHHMIprofessor,McConnellplanstofurtherdevelopandexpandthepopularprograms,andaddhumanitiesstudentswhoareinterestedinusingscienceasthefoundationfortheirart.Communicatingscienceinbeautiful,accurate,andunexpectedways,shesays,canhelpstudentswrestlewithimportantproblems.

“We must present stories about science that are accessible, engaging, and informative.”

muhammad zamanBoston University

Project:Usereal-worldproblemstohelpstudentsunderstandglobalhealthissuesinthecontextofbiomedicalengineering.

MuhammadZamanbelievesitisnotenoughtogivehisstudentsthetoolstosolveimportantglobalhealthproblems.It’shisresponsibility,hesays,toimpressuponthemthevalueofthework.

Inhisownresearch,ZamanandhiscolleagueshavedevelopedPharmaCheck,atechnologythatcanquicklyandcheaplydetect

counterfeitandexpiredantimalarialandantibioticdrugs,inpartbyrevealingtheconcentrationofactiveingredients.Scientific Americanhailedtheinnovationasoneof10“WorldChangingIdeas”in2013.

Zamanwantstomotivatestudentstodevelopsimilarpracticalglobalhealthsolutions.He’sdevelopedacomprehensiveprogramatBostonUniversitytodothatindifferent,andreinforcing,ways.

Thefirstisanidearepository—adatabaseofreal-worldproblemsthatprofessorscancontributetoanddrawfromtohelpmakeabstractconceptscomealivefortheirstudents.Zamancitesasimpleexamplefromhisownclass:insteadofhavingstudentscalculatestressesonabeam,theycalculatestressesonawoodencrutchforadisabledgirl,orametalcrutchforamiddle-agedman.“ThisisarealprobleminZambia,wheredisabilitiesare[common],”hesays.

Thesecondisbringingtothecampusguestspeakerswhocandiscussglobalhealthpolicy.Finally,heplanstosendstudentstoabiomedicalengineeringsummerschoolatoneofseveralschoolsinAfricatogetfirsthandexperiencewithdifficultglobalhealthproblems.

Themostimportantaspect,hesays,istheintegrationofallofthesecomponentsintoacohesivewholethroughoutthestudents’collegecareers.Studentsdon’tjusttackleglobalhealthissuesinasinglecourseorsummer.“Wewantideastobereinforcedmultipletimes,”Zamansays.

Hisendgoalisfarmoreprofoundthancreatingtheworld’sbestengineers.“Myjobistomakethembettercitizensofsociety,”hesays.“Iwantthemtobepeoplewhoareabletocontributetothesocietyatlarge.”

“We want students to grapple with global problems that speak to their social consciousness.”

24 Fall 2014 / HHMI Bulletin

tracy johnsonUniversity of California, Los Angeles

Project:Developaprogramthatemphasizesmentorshipandcollaborativelearningwithascalable,research-intensivecourseonRNAsplicingasitscapstone.

It’snoteasyforfirst-yearbiologystudentstopicturethecomplexdanceofcellularprocesses.That’swhyTracyJohnsonneverreliesonlecturesashersoleteachingtool.

TohelpdescribeaclassicexperimentthatdemonstratedDNA’scompactformwithinacell,forexample,shepullsstudentsfromtheirseatstohavethemrepresenttheproteinscentraltothisformation,usesyarntorepresenttheDNA,andthenasksotherstudentstoplaytheenzymesthatcuttheDNA.“Doingitthisway,”shesays,“ledawholenewgroupofstudentstosay,‘ah,Igetit.’”

Participatorylearningworks,andthat’swhyshe’sdevelopinganewcoursethatallowsfirst-yearstudents—drawninpartfromhighschoolswithsizeablepopulationsofunderrepresentedminorities—tohelpherwithherresearch.JohnsonstudiesRNAsplicingandhowitisregulated.

Duringtheyear-longprogram,Johnsonandabout25studentswillworkwithSaccharomyces cerevisiae,yeastcellsthathavefastdoublingtimesandimportantsimilaritiestohumancells.Studentswillperformopen-endedgeneticscreenstohelpidentifymoleculesthatplayaroleinRNAsplicing.Theworkwillincludein-depthfacultyand

peermentoring—elementsthathelpsciencestick,saysJohnson.Whenstudentsworktogetherontheseprojects,theylearnmore

thanjustthemechanicsoftheproject.“Theylearnhowtoarticulateanddefendtheirideas,andhowtoworkcollaboratively,”Johnsonsays.

Usingonlinedataintegrationandanalysistools,studentswillconnectthedifferentdatatodeveloptestablemodelsthatdescribethemechanismsofRNAsplicing.Thestudentswillpresenttheirfindingsbeforeanaudienceofexperts.Iftheprogramgoeswell,Johnsonhopestosharethemodulewithotherschoolsinterestedinhavingtheirstudentsdoresearchduringtheirfreshmanyear.Fornow,shewantstomakesurethatherstudentsknowthatthey’redoingmorethanjustabsorbingknowledge:they’recreatingit.“Greatlabcoursesofferauthenticresearchexperiences,”shesays.“Studentsgeneratedatathatcanmakeanimpact.”

“Real science is collaborative.”

david marchantBoston University

Project: TobringafewundergraduatestudentstoAntarcticatostudyitslandscapes—andtogivethousandsmoreabackstagepasstothework.

GeologistDavidMarchanthasbeenstudyingclimatechangeinAntarcticafordecades,butuntilnow,he’sneverbeenabletobringateamofundergraduateresearchersalongtohelp—thatopportunityhastypicallybeenreservedforgraduatestudentsandpostdocs.

ButwiththehelpoftheHHMIprofessorsgrant,MarchantwilltakeuptothreeundergraduatestoAntarcticaeachyear.“I’mtaking

undergraduatesbecauseIwanttoinvestinthem,”hesays.

Studentsmayinitiallybeattractedtothesenseofswashbucklingadventurethatcomeswithstudying

Antarctica’sfrozenlandscape,butthey’reevenmoreenergizedbythepotentialimpactoftheresearch.

Amongotherthings,Marchantstudiestheworld’soldestglacialice.Hemeasuresatmosphericgassesovermillion-yeartimeframestounderstandEarth’snaturalvariabilityincarbondioxideandexaminesthegeologicrecordforiceloss.TheNationalScienceFoundation’sU.S.AntarcticProgramsupportshisfieldworkinAntarctica.

Hisnew18-monthprogramstartswithaclassofabout15students,fromwhichMarchantwillchoosehisresearchcompanionsforAntarctictripsofuptoeightweeks.Amongthetravelers’manyresearchresponsibilitieswillbetotakesuper-high-resolutionphotographsofglacialfeaturesandcollectsamplesofvolcanicashforradiometricdating.WhilestudentsareinAntarctica,theyalsogivetalksabouttheirworktodistinguishedvisitors,includingsenatorsandCEOs.

Studentswhoremainstatesidewillusethesuper-high-resolutionphotographstocreatevirtualfieldexpeditionsandperformreal-timelandscapeanalysis.MarchantwillalsodevelopaseminarcourseandalaboratorycourseinwhichstudentsconductgeochemicalanalysesonAntarcticsamples.Anewwebsitewillgiveanyoneintheworldavirtualtouroftheareaswhereheandhisstudentswork.

ForthosewhotravelwithhimtoAntarctica,hesays,thetripwillhavealastingimpact.Withtheirfastpaceandsteeplearningcurves,thesetripstransformstudentsintoconfidentresearchersinafewshortweeks,hesays.“Youcanseeitwhenthey’reback[oncampus],too.There’snothingyoucangivethemafterthisexperiencethatthey’llfailat.They’lljustkeeptryinguntiltheygetit.”

“The success of the entire expedition might lie in their hands.”

25HHMI Bulletin / Fall 2014

“They learn how to articulate and defend their ideas, and how to work collaboratively.”—tracyjohnson

Jane KondevBrandeisUniversityWaltham,Massachusetts

Tracy L. JohnsonUniversityofCalifornia,LosAngelesLosAngeles,California

Joseph M. JezWashingtonUniversityinSt.LouisSt.Louis,Missouri

Christopher D. ImpeyUniversityofArizonaTucson,Arizona

Mark GoldmanUniversityofCalifornia,DavisDavis,California

Susan S. GoldenUniversityofCalifornia,SanDiegoLaJolla,California

Brian R. CraneCornellUniversityIthaca,NewYork

Ariel D. AnbarArizonaStateUniversityTempe,Arizona

2014 HHMI Professors

Muhammad H. ZamanBostonUniversityBoston,Massachusetts

Aydogan OzcanUniversityofCalifornia,LosAngelesLosAngeles,California

Andrew MurrayHarvardUniversityCambridge,Massachusetts

Jeffrey S. MooreUniversityofIllinoisatUrbana-ChampaignUrbana,Illinois

Anne J. McNeilUniversityofMichiganAnnArbor,Michigan

Susan K. McConnellStanfordUniversityStanford,California

David R. MarchantBostonUniversityBoston,Massachusetts

christopher impey University of Arizona

Project: Bringinginteractivelearningandresearchtomassiveopenonlinecourses.

AstronomerChristopherImpeyhasbeentryingtoanswerbigquestionsabouttheuniverse:Howdidgalaxiesgrowtotheircurrentsizes?Howdosomeoftheuniverse’smostimmenseblackholesgrow?

Butintheyearstocome,he’llpursuehisbiggest,mostaudaciousvisionyet:harnessingthepoweroftensofthousandsofstudentscientiststomovehisresearchforward.

In2013,Impeylaunchedhisfirstmassiveopenonlinecourse(MOOC)throughthewebsiteUdemy.Thecourse,“Astronomy:StateoftheArt,”attractedastunning14,000studentsfrom175countries.

WhiletheenthusiasmforMOOCshasswunginrecentyearsfromred-hotardortocoolsuspicion,ImpeybelievesthatthepotentialofMOOCsisonlybeginningtobeexplored.Inhis27yearsasateacher,Impeyhasimplementedseveralinteractivetechniques,includingreal-timecomprehensionsurveysandhands-ongroupwork.He’sreadytobringthemostsuccessfulapproachestoonlinelearning.

Impeyplanstobuildstudentparticipationintohisonlinecoursesbyaddingrealresearchandcollaborativewebsitescalledwikis.Hewillreplicateclassroomlectureswithshortvideolectures.Smallonlinegroupsofstudentswillagreetomeetataspecifictime;they’llworktogetherinrealtimetofilloutwikisaboutthevideo’stopic,withthehelpofafacilitator.

Asstudentsprogress,Impeywillaskthemtodomodest—butreal—research,forexample,classifyinggalaxies,whichcomeindiverseshapesandsizes.“Studentsgetasetofarchetypestolearnfrom,”hesays.“Theylearnwhatmakesaspiral,whatmakesanelliptical,howtorecognizeimagery,whatsymmetriestolookfor,andsoon.”

Throughtheseprojects,Impeyhopestoleadhisstudentstothekindof“lightbulbmoments”thatturninteractionsintolearning.“There’satimeintheclassroomwhengroupsgetengagedindiscussions,evenarguments,astheytrytoassimilateunfamiliarmaterial.It’schaotic—amixtureofheatandlight—wherelearningtakesplace,”hesays.“Iwanttotrytotakethoselightbulbmomentsonline.”

“Students are capable of classifying galaxies [just] as well as PhD astronomers.”