I. Suggestions for Capstone Course

• A. Instruction
  • 1. First half of the semester faculty will team teach the course.
    • a. Mathematics Professor - probability with applications to genetics;

    • b. Biology Professor - genetics and history of genetics research;

    • c. Education Professor - discuss lessons in genetics using hands-on, constructivist approaches;

    • d. Philosophy Professor - discuss the ethics involved in genetic engineering;

    • e. Possible Others - Law Professor to discuss the legalities involved in genetics and the uses of genetics in legal cases.

• B. Projects
  • 1. Second half of the semester the students will work on their semester projects. The faculty who are involved in the course will serve as mentors and offer help and guidance when needed, as well as insuring that appropriate topics are chosen and progress is being made. The students will present their research to the class at the end of the semester.

  • 2. Possible Projects
    • a. Contact some of the groups involved in the discussion of the ethics of genetic engineering. Get copies of their arguments and discussion papers. Summarize the arguments, concerns, etc. Make a position statement of your own with appropriate defense arguments.

    • b. Thoroughly evaluate a software package for use in a classroom. Make a group of lesson plans on genetics to use in a classroom which include developing projects using the software.

    • c. Research a scientist (other than Mendel) involved in genetic research. Include aspects of his or her life, a detailed description of the research. If appropriate develop hands-on experiments for use in a classroom based on the scientist's work.

    • d. Replicate, using the computer, Mendel's experiments. Discuss your results using an appropriate statistical analysis. Determine if Mendel's results were mathematically probable.

    • e. Interview a forensics specialist to learn what training was needed to enter this profession, what equipment and procedures are used in evaluating genetic evidence. Give an example, from beginning to end of a real-life evalua- tion of evidence which has been collected.

    • f. Research how paternity is determined. Use the same ideas as were in (e) above.

    • g. Conduct the set of projects which have been developed in the Natural History of Genes Utah project or the Hands-On Science for Pre- Service Elementary School Teachers. "I Don't Know, Let's Do the Experiment" Microscopes, Cells, DNA and You" Washington State projects included in this report. Evaluate for appro- priateness of level, interest and knowledge for your future students.

    • h. Explore the internet for resources which would be appropriate to use for elementary and middle school genetics lessons. Give examples of how you would use the information at each site in your classroom.

II. Assorted Background Materials

• A. Brief biographies of scientists involved with pioneering the study of genetics
  • i. Avery, Oswald (1877-1955)
  • ii. Bateson, William (1861-1926)
  • iii. Beadle, George (1903-1989)
  • iv. Crick, Francis (1914 - )
  • v. De Vries, Hugo (1848-1935)
  • vi. Dobzhansky, Theodosius (1900-1975)
  • vii. Mendel, Gregor (1822-1884)
  • viii.Morgan, Thomas (1866-1945)
  • ix. Muller, Hermann (1890-1967)
  • x. Sanger, Frederick (1918- )
  • xi. Tatum, Edward (1909-1975)
  • xii. Watson, James (1928- )
  • xiii.Wilkins, Maurice (1916- )

• B. Genetics

• C. Plant Breeding

• D. Genetic Engineering

• E. Resources for the mathematics involved in the study of genetics
  • i. Probability Module developed by MCTP participants (not included here)

  • ii. need books

III. Selected Software and Video Sources (for our college level students)

• A. Logal, Suite 10B, 125 Cambridge Park Drive, Cambridge, MA 02140 (800-564-2587)
  • i. Genetics - "simulates reproduction of diploid organisms. prepared curriculum activities include: monohybrid and dihybrid inheritance; genotype and phenotype; dominant and recessive alleles; homozygote and heterozygote; meiosis, crossing over and gene mapping; Mendelian dominance, incomplete dominance, codominance, sex lingage, multiple and lethal alleles; Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium. Links visusl models to graphs, spreadsheets for analytical thinking. Multiple representations of data helps connect concrete observations to theory and science to mathematics."

• B. JLM Visuals, 1208 Bridge Street, Grafton, Wisconsin 53024-1946 (414-377-7775) (videos)
  • i. Proteins: Structure and Function and The Genetic Code - "The first program examines proteins - polymers built from only 20 basic amino acids. In the second, the structure and role of the nucleic acids, DNA and RNA, are investigated." Produced by the University of Maryland and the Educational Film Center.

  • ii. The Cell - " A dramatic introduction to cells. Explains basic concepts of cell biology including cell membranes, nucleli, mitochondria, DNA, differentiation, mitosis, meiosis, and more.

  • iii.The Gene - "Presents information on how genes were discovered, what a gene is, and how it works. Dramatized the history of genetic discovery. With the help of computer graphics, students learn about the genetic code, mutations, cloning, cell physiology, recomobinant DNA, and more"

• C. Projected Learning Programs, Inc., Post Office Box 3008, Paradise California 95967-3008 (800-248-0757) http://www.pinsight.com/~plp
  • i. Videos - Cell Biology Resource Modules:
    • Introduction to Living Cells
    • The Molecular Building Blocks of Life
    • The Chloroplast and Photosynthesis
    • The Mitochondrion and ATP Synthesis
    • DNA Struture and Replication
    • The Genetic Code: Transcription and Protein Synthesis

  • ii. Software - Interactive Multimedia Biology Courseware
    • a. Genetics - "Contents include genotypes and phenotypes; meiosis with an animated demonstration; genetic crosses wiwth an animaties demonstration; mutation; and selection."

    • b. Introduction to Genetics - " This computer aided learining package has nine Units and more than one hundred individual program lessons covering topics from genetic ratios, mitosis and meiosis to DNA, RNA, and chromosome aberrations."
      • Unit 1 - Mendel's Peas and Genetic Ratios
      • Unit 2 - Chromosome, Mitosis and Meiosis
      • Unit 3 - Sex Determination, Sex Linkage
      • Unit 4 - Human Pedigrees
      • Unit 5 - Multiple Alleles and Blood Types
      • Unit 6 - DNA, RNA and Proteins
      • Unit 7 - Crossing Over and Mapping
      • Unit 8 - Euploidy and Aneuploidy
      • Unit 9 - Chromosome Aberrations

    • c. Nucleic Acids - "DNA and RNA are compared structurally. Three basic differences between them are shown. Replications of DNA is explained in detail, including the productions of the leading and lagging strands, Okazaki fragments, the action of helicases, single-strand binding proteins,..."

    • d. PopGene - "A collection of commonly used population genetics simulations, including: Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium, Multiple Allele Inheritance, Multiple Loci Inheritance, Natural Selection, Genetic Drift, Mighration, Mutation, and Inbreeding. Simultaneous viewing of simulation parameters, data plots and a dynamic graph.

  • iii. CD-Rom Software
    • a. Focus on Genetics - "Basics - Mendel's laws, Punnett Square activities on mono and dihybrid crosses, dominance sex determination and linkage, effects of inbreeding simulation. Transmission Genetics - designing a genetics system, predicting outcomes and using crosses to disccover the genetic make-up of the parent organism. Variables include number of autosomes, sex chromosome system, gene type, locus and function,... extensive lab activities."

    • b. Exploring Genetics and Heredity - "Using art, photographs, and photomicrographics, this program describes DNA structrure, meiosis, mitosis, and the compostition and regulation of genetic material.... Mendel's work around inherited characteristics."

    • c. Genetics - "...looks at the origin of genetic study by Gregor Mendel and discusses probabilities. ALso examines the work on DNA as genetic material as an example of biologic- al research. Includes the experiments of Grif- fith with transformation in Pneumococuus, the transformation and fractionation experiments of Avery, MacLeod , and McCarty, and the labeled bacteriophage work of Hershey and Chase."

    • d. Heredity - "... basic Mendelian genetics, including the concepts of a gene, allele, dominance, and recessiveness. Students learn to solve problems using simple Mendelian analysis. More advanced problems involving 2 or 3 genes, inccluding linkage and mapping are also analyzed..."

IV. Internet resource materials for elementary - high school materials science lessons focusing on genetics

• A. The Natural History of Genes http://raven.umnh.utah.edu/

  "The Natural History of Genes is a project to develop a hands-on genetic science curriculum for middle and high school teachers." This is a joint project sponsored by the University of Utah School of Medicine, the Eccles Institute of Human Genetics, and the Utah Museum of Natural History and funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Precollege Science Education Initiative for Biomedical Research Institutions.

  The Natural History of Genes provides Utah teachers with a genetic science curricululm and with hands-on experimentation kits that bring disease genetics, conservation genetic, human diversity, forensics and DNA into the real world for students."

• B. Genetic Education Center http://www.kumc.edu/instruction/medicine/genetics/ lessonpl.html

  A source for 19 lessons on various aspects of genetics geared for high school level students.

• C. Hands-On Science for Pre-Service Elementary School Teachers. "I Don't Know, Let's Do the Experiment" Microscopes, Cells, DNA and You" http://chroma.mbt.washington.edu/outreach/intro.html

  "The Seattle School District, The Boeing Company, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and MBT, working together in a partnership, have designed a proposal aimed at creating a K-5 hand-on science program in the Seattle Public School District. The main objective of the program is to bring inquiry based, hands-on science training to all Seattle School District elementary teachers and students in grades K-5. ... The training focuses on learning the pedagogy of inquiry-based hands-on science through the use of well-tested science kits...."

• D. On Growth and Form: Learning Probability Concepts by "Doing Science". http://miranda.bu.edu/~trunfio/cps-ogaf.html

  "Analyzing fractal patterns of nature. In each module, students typically start with a hands-on activity...to mimic randomness imvolved in forming structures such as lighning bolts, ...DNA nucleotide sequencing, ... students turn to computer simulations, which demonstrate how fundamentally random microscopic events can give rise to fractal macroscopic patterns. The programs can be downloaded right from this page."

• E. MendelWeb http://www.netspace.org/MendelWeb/ or http://www.stg.Brown.edu/MendelWeb/

  "MendelWeb is an educational resource for teachers and students interested in the origins of classical genetics, intorductory data analysis, elemntary plant science, and the history and literature of science."

Morgan is a multimedia tutorial that covers the basic principles of genetics, suitable for an advanced high school class or introductory college biology. Morgan will eventually be comprised of six levels. Each level will present a major topic in the field of genetics. Morgan is a hypermedia program. Underlined words are hypertext links to frames or pages containing additional information in the form of animations, text, and graphics. Morgan has been optimized for Netscape 3.0! Netscape 3.0 is strongly recommended. To enjoy all of the multimedia features of Morgan, you should obtain the Chemscape Chime plugin, and install it in the "Plugins" folder inside the Netscape folder.

GenScope introduces a new paradigm for educational technology, a hypermodel, that uses the computer to bridge the gap between a model and the physical world the model represents, between the "facts and figures" offered us by the natural world and the mental associations we construct to explain them. In the traditional textbook approach to teaching science the goal is primarily to give students information. GenScope helps them turn that information into knowledge. To illustrate genetic phenomena GenScope starts with a fictitious species -- dragons. These creatures are drawn in an appealing Walt Disney style and have a simple genetic structure that is useful pedagogically and does not prematurely raise such sensitive issues as the pros and cons of genetic engineering.

Bob Desharnais and Gary Novak, California State University. Simulation of fly breeding, in which students determine the rules of genetic inheritance based on "experimental" results.

Understanding Gene Testing represents an effort by the National Cancer Institute and the National Center for Human Genome Research to provide basic information about gene testing and key genetic concepts.

Interactive exercises, tutorials, and quizes on Mapping and Sequencing the Human Genome

About the Human Genome Project; Hereditary Colon Cancer: Genetic Discoveries Offer Hope for Prevention; How to Conquer a Genetic Disease; A Basic Key to Genetics. From the National Center for Human Genome Research.

Graphical maps illustrating the myriad aspects of human biology, pathology, and relationships with other organisms that can be revealed by analysis of genes and their protein products. From the National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Institutes of Health.

Introduction DNA Genes Chromosomes Mapping and Sequencing the Human Genome Mapping Strategies Genetic Linkage Maps Physical Maps Low-Resolution Physical Mapping Chromosomal map cDNA map High-Resolution Physical Mapping Macrorestriction maps: Top-down mapping Contig maps: Bottom-up mapping Sequencing Technologies Current Sequencing Technologies Sequencing Technologies Under Development Partial Sequencing to Facilitate Mapping, Gene Identification End Games: Completing Maps and Sequences; Finding Specific Genes Model Organism Research Informatics: Data Collection and Interpretation Collecting and Storing Data Interpreting Data Mapping Databases Sequence Databases Nucleic Acids (DNA and RNA) Proteins Impact of the Human Genome Project Glossary

V. Resource Materials from Other Sources

• A. UMAP - Modules in Undergraduate Mathematics and Its Applications COMAP, Inc., Suite 210, 57 Bedford Street, Lexington, Ma 02173 (617j-862-7878)

  Published in cooperation with the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, the Mathematical Association of America, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges, the Institute of Management Sciences, and the American Statistical Association.

  • 1. Selection in Genetics - Module 70: Applications of Calculus to Biology and Genetics.

  • 2. Genetic Counseling - Module 456: Applications of Probability to Medicine.

  • 3. The Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium - Module 738: Applications of Probability to Genetics and Biology.

  • 4. Epidemics - Module 73: Applications of Calculus to Medicine.

• B. Math Horizons, April, 1995 and September, 1995.

  Articles by Keith Devlin describing how Dr. Leonard Adleman of University of Southern California performed new computation using strands of genetic molecule DNA to encode the data and bichemical reactions.

VI. Ethical Considerations

• A. Jessica Mathews, This Map Won't Show Us the Way, Washington Post, May 12, 1996, C9.

  Raises many of the ethical concerns of genetic information which will face scientists and judges.

• B. Kathleen Day, Genetics Research Begets Questions, Washington Post, May 8, 1996, A1, A20, A21.

  Useful references to groups considering the ethical implications of genetic engineering, etc.

• C. Rick Weiss, It May be Over for Biotech Oversight Panel, Washington Post, May 29, 1996, A17.

  Background information on the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee and the current controversy surrounding the committee and the issues of gene therapy.