Democratizing Bioinformatics Research
in a High School Biology Classroom
Bertram C. Bruce, Umesh Thakkar, Eric G. Jakobsson, Jo Williamson, Paul R.
Lock
U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Bioinformatics
• Just as astronomy was transformed through the invention of the optical telescope, and later, the radio telescope, biology is becoming a new science, one which links studies of biochemistry, genetics, cellular processes, anatomy, physiology, and evolution through the structure and properties of macromolecules (Gibas & Jambeck, 2001)
• A major tool in this transformation is Biology Workbench (Subramaniam, 1998)
Biology Workbench
• Sequence alignment• Visualization• Digital library• New knowledge: potassium channels; compare
sequences from various cells, tissues, & organisms; insights into the structural correlates of ionic selectivity, permeability regulation, toxin sensitivity
• Available since June 1996• 11,000 registered users; 150,000 computing
sessions a month
Mr. Lock’s information Ecology
• University connections• Projects in which “students have to … [find]
things that really aren’t covered in the book.” • Students have access to technologies that
professional scientists use everyday in their work.
• Collaborative learning• Articulation of learning
Inquiry-Based Learning
learning tools that are "open-ended, inquiry-based, group/teamwork-oriented, and relevant to professional career requirements”
National Science Foundation (1998). Information Technology: Its impact on undergraduate education in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. Arlington, VA: National Science Foundation.
Inquiry Unit
• Ask: How are different organisms related? How can we show their evolutionary history?
• Investigate: Identify the evolutionary history of a group of organisms through protein sequence analysis.
• Create: Show how similar organisms are related using phylogenic trees (cladistic diagrams) .
• Discuss: Present findings in a poster session.• Reflect: Examine the learning process.
Chain of Use
1) The teacher educator needs to understand and value the technology
2) Education students need to be able to use and learn from the technology
3) The education student/teacher needs to take it from the college classroom to the school
4) High school biology students need to be able to use and learn from the technology