KABT BioBlog

I have created a pdf file of selected photographs from the KABT Fall Meeting last weekend.  It should automatically open within your browser assuming that you have Adobe Acrobat Reader.  I used Abobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition 3.2 to create the file.  It is easy to use and a FREE download from Adobe link provided.  Also, you can right-click and save any of the images that you would like to segregate and keep.

KABT Meeting 2008 pdf Slideshow

I had an enjoyable time, and I hope you did too!

BLOGS, WIKI’s, and Facebook–oh my…

Plan on attending KABT’s fall meeting scheduled for Sept. 13th at KU. We’ll meet on the first floor of the school of education’s JRP building just west of the football stadium at 8:30 a.m. for preregistration. We are charging a modest $10 registration fee. There is no registration form but leave me a comment to this post if you think you are coming so we can get an idea of the numbers. KU’s school of education tech department has graciously made their computer labs available for this meeting. Most of the meeting will feature hands-on computer explorations of WEB 2.0 applications and their impact on biology education. The day is scheduled in 45 minute blocks. Two blocks have concurrent sessions.

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Despite nearly $4 a gallon gas and a 6-8 hour drive 16 KABTer’s and their families made the trip to the Morrill Museum in Lincoln, NE, Niobrara State Park and Ashfall State Park this past weekend. Harry, Charlotte, Brad, Carol, Randy, Josie, Tiffany, Brian Alex, Abbie, Julie, Charlotte, Jennifer, Kayla, Stan, and Janet all took a trip into the Cenozoic of Nebraska. Unlike the last trip north there was no weather issues to confront. Most of the party met up at 10:00 on Saturday morning at the Morrill Museum. This is a good place to get a handle on the diversity of Cenozoic mammal fossils that are found in Nebraska. Many don’t realize it but Nebraska is one of the best places to find a diversity fossil elephants like mammoths and mastodons. Here’s some shots from the Elephant hall in the museum:

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To all Life Science teachers,Join Kansas biology teachers September 22, 2007 for the Annual KABT Fall Conference at the TimberRidge Adventure Park 12300 S. Homestead Ln. Olathe, KS. See map.

Registration and refreshments will begin at 8:00 a.m. and presentations begin at 8:45 a.m. Pre-register via email or RSVP (lunch count) to rdixon@olatheschools.com or register on site Saturday morning. Cost is $30.00 and includes a hot lunch by Greg Krenke BBQ and Olathe FFA.

For further information contact Randy Dix at rdixon@olatheschools.com or http://www.kabt.org/membership-application/

Morning Presentations —- 30 or 60 minute presentations by outstanding biology teachers on the following topics:

Advance Placement topics on enzymes by Wendy Haas,

Using RNA interference in HS (info from Dolan DNA Learning Center) by Randy Dix

Kansas Natural history presentations by Scott and Kylee Sharp.

Enzyme Catalyst (BSCS style) by Bill Welch

Global Warming Data by Sandy Collins

Modeling and Case Studies: Activities that Engage Students in the Nature of Science by Todd Carter

Afternoon Activities

After lunch participants may attend a session in Bird watching, Fly fishing ,or a special event by George Pisani of the KS Biological Survey. George and Mindy Walker of Rockhurst University have been actively collecting Timber Rattlesnakes from a near by site, surgically implanting either PIT tags or radio transponders and relocating to a Top Secret Location.

Mark your calendars for the Fall KABT meeting at Kill Creek Timber Ridge Adventure Center near Desoto, KS. The event will feature some of the newest lessons Kansas biology teachers will be using this year in their classrooms. Registration will begin at 8:00am and sessions begin at 8:45. Presenters will be asked to share twice if the group attendance is large enough to split. All attendees have the opportunity to actively participate in  every presentation.  The sessions will be 30 or 60 minutes in length and may include Advance Placement topics on enzymes, biotechnology topics of RNA interference or microarrays, and Kansas Natural history presentations. Lunch will be included in your registration fee.  Get ready to sign up as more details become available. I hope to get the plan put together this week.

Click here to download a pdf of the Worm Lab Directions

Key terms: toxicity, pulse rate, blood circulation, Phylum Annelida, Class Oligochaeta, freshwater invertebrate

Purpose: a model for students to conduct real experiments that they design based on a simple “model organism”known as black worms. With very little effort it is possible to provide students

The student will be able to observe and record the pulse rate of Lumbriculus variegatus ( an aquatic segmented worm).

The student will design and carry out an experiment showing the effect of various substances on the pulse rate of Lumbriculus variegatus.

Follow the link to an Adobe PDF copy of this lab developed by Randy Dix and the American Physiology Society. Additional teaching resources at my site.

http://teachers.olathe.k12.ks.us/~rdixon/workshop.htm

These worms were made famous by the late Charlie Drewes and many of the techniques are of his design. His website is an invaluable resource and many thanks go to those that maintain and support his teachings. http://www.eeob.iastate.edu/faculty/DrewesC/htdocs/ Read the rest of this entry →

KABT folks:

This is a partial reposting from the Teaching Biology Blog…

We had a great time at the KABT Fall meeting at Cowley County College.
Thanks to Michelle, the presenters and others.

Todd, Bill and others should have a report from the meeting. I’m adding some picts that I took:

Getting fueled and ready to go:

One of the “hands-on” lab experiences. In this case a lab that investigates CO2 data sets and the effects of heating different amounts of CO2 in closed containers.

Maybe Sandy was catching a wiff of something more than CO2….

We’ll try and get a program up and more reports on the meeting here in KABT news….

In the afternoon some of us went out to the Chaplin Nature center. One of the beasts observed was this antlion:

Antlion pits from another site:

During the field trip out at Chaplin Nature center a group of us came across large numbers of caterpillars defoliating catalpa saplings. The trees themselves were difficult to identify (since they were defoliated and small saplings) and we weren’t sure about the caterpillars. I guessed that they were some sort of horn worm—well guesses sometimes workout. We apparently had found the dark form of the Catalpa sphinx (hormworms). Here’s a link that includes images.

http://www.ag.auburn.edu/enpl/bulletins/catalpasphinx/catalpasphinx.htm

or
http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/cimg305.html
or

http://entomology.unl.edu/ornamentals/pestprofiles/catsphinx.htm

Ours matches the dark form in the bottom of this image:

http://www.ag.auburn.edu/enpl/bulletins/catalpasphinx/photo6.htm

or in this image:

http://www.ag.auburn.edu/enpl/bulletins/catalpasphinx/photo2.htm

BW