Clifton L. Kussmaul - US grants

The Muhlenberg College Departments of Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics and Computer Science are jointly integrating bioinformatics into multiple biology and biochemistry courses at three levels: introductory, intermediate, and advanced. There are two major educational goals for this project: 1) to improve undergraduate sophistication about bioinformatics, and 2) to increase the mathematical content in the biology and biochemistry curricula. The project is serving approximately 200 biology, biochemistry and neuroscience majors each year. One introductory biology course, three intermediate level biology laboratory courses, and three advanced courses in biology and biochemistry are introducing new bioinformatics components or are expanding and improving existing components. Laboratory curricula feature multiple-week investigative experiences that build on existing experimental schemes. The curricular goals are being supported by a new genomics and proteomics core laboratory facility that features real-time PCR and 2-D gel electrophoresis. In addition, multiple laptop computers are enabling students in introductory and upper-level courses to work on challenging problems in smaller discussion sections and laboratories. The new computers allow instructors to explore computational applications, and the underlying mathematics, more effectively in the classroom. Faculty development, in the form of a one-time week-long inter-disciplinary on-site bioinformatics course, is supporting the curricular goals, inspiring faculty in the use of the new technology, and encouraging collaboration among biologists, biochemists, and computational scientists. The increased faculty expertise and interdisciplinary collaboration is also resulting in undergraduate research projects in bioinformatics or projects that rely on bioinformatics as an integral tool within the research design.

Intellectual Merit: The project adapts and implements published curricular suggestions for improving undergraduate education in biology and bioinformatics. The over-arching mission is to educate more quantitatively-literate biology students. Faculty development, the potential for new collaborations in courses and student research, and the new laboratory core facility itself are having a significant impact on the local science environment. The value of bioinformatics as a tool for improving quantitative instruction and the specific instructional schemes themselves are being assessed through student surveys and other instruments as appropriate.

Broader Impact: Familiarity with basic bioinformatics and computational approaches is increasingly a necessity for professionals in a range of areas related to the life sciences. The assessment of curricular outcomes from the project is being disseminated broadly to provide a reference point for the development of similar strategies and projects at other undergraduate institutions.

The OpenPath project will improve undergraduate computing education by developing a learning pathway through the computing curriculum that will help address key challenges of computing education via student exposure to and participation in Humanitarian Free and Open Source Software (HFOSS) projects. HFOSS is open source software that improves the human condition, addressing needs in areas such as health care, disaster management, education, economic development, and accessibility. Students will be provided with opportunities to positively impact their communities or others, which will engage and motivate traditionally underrepresented minorities and women to pursue careers in computing. As a result, the OpenPath project will improve student learning and content retention, and will help students to develop professional skills and personal attributes.

OpenPath will integrate two existing research initiatives: participation in HFOSS, and Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning in Computer Science (CS-POGIL). In CS-POGIL, students work in small self-managed teams using specifically designed materials to construct their own knowledge. In this project CS-POGIL will be used to scaffold early learning and help students develop team and process skills. This early learning will support a transition to more independent learning in HFOSS environments. Working in an HFOSS project provides students with the skills and professional experience needed to ensure a smooth pathway to the computing professions. Multiple types of evaluations will enable the research team to track the progress of the project, to determine the legitimacy of the model created and its mapping to the curriculum, to understand the impact of the faculty and student activities, and to identify the student learning that occurs through participation in an HFOSS project.