by Eric Kessler
October 2, 2011 in Events
The Controversy Surrounding DNA Patenting
Thursday, October 13
6:00 pm
UMKC Law School
Thompson Courtroom
Patent Attorney Dan Ravicher faces off against Hans Sauer, representative for the biotech industry, in what promises to be a lively debate about the future of gene patenting.
For more details on the controversy and debate participants, click here.
by Eric Kessler
February 5, 2011 in KABT News, Nature, Teaching Resources
Week of January 31, 2011
Click on the logo above to go the the NPR Science site, or use the links below to navigate one of the stories that I thought may interest you.
I tried to embed these videos for snow day viewing pleasure but I couldn’t. All of these videos are about the snowflake research conducted by Dr. Ken Libbrecht, a Caltech physicist.
by Eric Kessler
September 19, 2008 in Labs, Student Research Ideas, Teaching Resources, Technology
This post is meant to inform those unable to attend the Dolan DNA Learning Center workshop at the Stowers Institute on Genes to Cognition. This is a site that you will want to delve into when you have a bit of time on your hands. Well, that is if you are interested in learning and teaching about the connect between genes, cognitive behaviors, and their related brain disorders.
The student-friendly essential question that this site helps students and teachers to explore is, “What good is a brain?”
In all honesty, the site reminds me of Thomas Huxley’s book The Crayfish through which he demonstrates that the subject of zoology could be taught via a single model organism.
In a similar manner, Genes to Cognition facilitates the teaching of biology at all levels of complexity, from the molecular communication networks of our cells to the behaviors that emerge from their collective actions. At the same time, students will realize that there are numerous unanswered scientific questions awaiting research.
Having had little time to digest the material presented, I currently don’t know where I will integrate Genes to Cognition into my courses but “What good is a brain?” it is quite an appropriate question for students to ask and begin to explore. The site is presented from a perspective that, on one hand acknowledges the importance of the reductionist approach, while fostering the burgeoning systems based perspective.
NABT BioBlog