Clark University - Clarknews fall 2004
In Closing (fall 2004)
Outreach for teachers—and fungi
In this issue of Clarknews, there are several great examples of how students and faculty engage with the Worcester community by taking their education beyond the classroom. But another kind of community engagement at Clark happens in the classroom.
For the second consecutive year, biologist David Hibbett welcomed high-school teachers and students into the biology laboratories to learn about recent advances in fungal biology. Funded through a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Hibbett offered a two-day workshop in fungal biology and a two-week short course in fungal molecular systematics. Both programs were free and conferred professional-development points (PDPs), which help teachers retain their certification. The short course also provided a stipend for the teachers.
According to Hibbett, the Biology Department as a whole is interested in K-12 education‹in preparing undergraduates to go into the field of teaching, and in helping current teachers stay abreast of new knowledge. For example, biologist Deb Robertson has offered a four-week research opportunity to high-school teachers for the last two years, also with support from the NSF. This summer, two teachers from the University Park Campus School participated in what Roberston describes as "a rigorous research schedule." The teachers, who also earn PDPs, contributed significantly to the ongoing research of her lab, Roberston adds, and she remains in contact with the teachers during this school year to discuss how their research experience informs their teaching.
In addition, Todd Livdahl has high-school teachers across the country collecting and sending him mosquito eggs for his research. Other biology faculty, such as Denis LaRochelle, have high-school teachers on their research teams.
"There's a fairly significant outreach in the sciences," Hibbett says.
The teachers in Hibbett's workshop and short course‹including his own high-school biology teacher, Dan Bockler, from Arlington, Mass.‹learned about fungi while participating in basic research. The two-day workshop provides an intensive overview of fungal biology and recent advances in ecology and evolutionary biology. Participants in the short course undertake fieldwork and identification and work with DNA isolation, sequencing and analysis. Graduate students and postdoctoral researchers also worked with the teachers, incorporating almost every level of education in the workshops.
"We've learned a lot about fungi just recently," Hibbett says. "I also wanted to show them aspects of fungi that they can use in their classes to teach general biology concepts." Fungi and their functions, he explains, have implications for the environment, human health and biotechnology, among many other areas of biology and other sciences.
Hibbett hopes the teachers will be able to integrate some fungal biology into their classes and, in turn, provide a little positive public relations for fungi.
"Most people consider my subject pretty weird," Hibbett says, describing the funny looks students give him when he first mentions fungi in class. "I hope these teachers introduce fungi to their students, so they're not surprised by it in college."
Learn more about David Hibbett, his research and workshop and short course for high-school teachers on the Web at www.clarku.edu/faculty/hibbett. | 
