Stevenson Biology Teacher Wins National Honor

Byline: Mark Spencer Daily Herald Staff Writer

She constantly seeks better ways to teach students about the inner workings of life's organisms.

Stevenson High School biology teacher Theresa Knapp lives the subject she teaches.

For her diligence, Tandy Corp. and Radio Shack recently gave her the prestigious 1996 Tandy Technology Scholars award.

A 25-year veteran, Knapp is one of 100 teachers nationwide to win the award, which recognizes excellent teachers and students in science, computer science and math.

"What I try to do is have the students work as much as they can on projects," Knapp said.

Students in her freshman biology classes Monday analyzed results from a recent experiment. They looked at how goldfish respiration rates changed in water of different temperatures.

In another experiment she recently introduced at the freshman level, students build their own experiment around yeast. Students develop their own question - maybe to see how different foods or temperatures affect its growth - and set out to answer it

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Biology Class Views Surgery

Students in Keystone Oaks High School's advanced placement biology class are participating in real-life observations and experiments outside the classroom, teacher Suzanne Deemer says.

Last month, 15 AP biology students were able to observe open- heart surgery at Allegheny General Hospital as part of its surgery observation program.

In April, the entire class of about 20 juniors and seniors is set to work in a biology lab at the University of Pittsburgh to conduct tests on corn-based food items to learn whether they have been genetically modified.

This was the second year Ms. Deemer and her class have been able to watch a surgical procedure at Allegheny General. Last year, they witnessed a heart-valve surgery, and this year it was an opportunity to see a heart bypass.

"There are so many students interested in going into the medical field," Ms. Deemer said of her class. She estimates about half of them are considering such careers.

"It opens their eyes," she said.

Often, students think medical careers are limited to doctors and nurses, but there are many more opportunities in the field, such as physicians assistants or anesthesiologists. They could also be perfusionists, who operate the heart bypass machine during surgery, she said.

The open-heart surgery observation program, coordinated by Allegheny Health Network's Cardiovascular Institute, started in 2008. Since then, more than 8,000 students from schools throughout Western Pennsylvania have been able to witness a procedure.

"Students learn why biology, chemistry and physics are such important subjects," said Pat Wolf, program coordinator.

"This experience makes a strong impression on those students who are considering a career in medicine. They also see the consequences of smoking and a diet high in fat," she said. "We hope this experience will help them make healthy lifestyle choices

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Biology Students Dissect Right Blend for Tasty Dressings; Trial and Error Is Educational and Nutritious in This Glynn Academy Class

Add a sprinkling of garlic powder, spash of lemon juice plus a smidgen of Italian herbs and you have the recipe for an innovative lesson taught to freshman biology students at Glynn Academy.

James Freeman, 14, looked puzzled for a second or two, then smiled in recognition after tasting a concoction he and his classmates created Wednesday during their science lab.


Across the room, Ryan Godley, also 14, looked surprised after tasting his group's pepper-speckled creation.

"It's a little spicy, but it's good," he said. "I'd eat this at home."

James and Ryan were among about 240 ninth-grade students who created homemade salad dressings incorporating common kitchen ingredients and spices as part of a science experiment developed by their teachers, Leigh Ann Truesdale and Sonja Guilbeau.

The students have been learning about scientific research -- in this case, the testing of a hypothesis using a carefully documented and controlled experiment -- and how it can apply to everyday life.

"What I love about this lab is that the kids are really into it," said Truesdale, a teacher for 17 years. "It's hard to get kids excited these days. But here they are, going to their classmates saying, 'Here, try this. Try this!' They are using their creativity and what they have learned about science."

Truesdale and Guilbeau came up with the idea of having the students create their own salad dressings to learn about science.

"This is a new lab. The kids love food," she said. "And this is one of those things from school that they will always remember because it's fun."

The students were required to make two dressings: one tangy and one sweet. They were allowed to use any combination of ingredients, such as vegetable oil, vinegar, garlic powder, salt, pepper, sugar and Italian seasonings

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BIOLOGY TEST WON'T DERAIL DIPLOMA Compromise Removes Graduation Requirement

OLYMPIA - High school seniors who failed to pass a biology assessment test this year are likely holding their breath and crossing their fingers, wondering if their diplomas will materialize.

The verdict is in, and they can breathe out and uncross.

Odds are pretty good they'll be full-fledged high school graduates in a couple of weeks, thanks to a deal legislators announced Thursday that makes changes to the testing system.

If you haven't passed your math or English language assessment test, however, you'll still need to do more to get that diploma.

Members of the class of 2017 who failed the biology assessment test but had all other requirements to graduate will get their diplomas. Lawmakers agreed to "de-link" that test from graduation requirements through 2021.

Those who didn't pass the math or English assessment test will have more chances to demonstrate they are proficient in those subjects. Starting in 2019, those tests will be given during students' sophomore years, and those who fail will have more time and options to demonstrate proficiency if they fail

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ECC Names Biology Lab for Teacher

An Elgin Community College pioneer was honored Wednesday for her work as one of the teachers who shaped the school and its curriculum when lessons were still taught in empty Elgin High School classrooms.

Helen Kettering sat with tears in her eyes as school officials, staff members, students and friends watched college President Michael Shirley dedicate a biology laboratory in the school's Math and Science Center in her honor.

"I'm so full of emotion, I can't even tell you," said the 98-year-old Elgin woman.

A shiny plaque with a drawing of Kettering and a dedication detailing her years of service as a biology teacher was mounted on the wall next to room 115.

"It's beautiful, but I don't deserve it," she said.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the school.

"What you thought was ordinary work, we now think of as extraordinary," Shirley said to Kettering. "We want to honor all of you guys who have made the college what it is today."

Kettering and her colleagues would spend endless hours of their time ensuring the college met the needs of its students.

Longtime friend and fellow biology teacher Gus Stuart told the group about Kettering's start at Elgin High in 1929, after teaching for a few years in the Dundee area

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Biology Textbooks Hit in Study by Science Scholars' Association

Middle and high school biology textbooks are filled with splashy pictures, arresting graphics and tons of ideas, but they fail to explain the big picture of how science affects students' lives, a national study has found.

"Few kids will learn much biology by using current textbooks on the market," said George Nelson, who leads Project 2061, a nationwide math, science and technology education reform project at American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

details," said Mr. Nelson, a former NASA astronaut and astronomy professor who joined the association in 1996.

None of the biology textbooks - all popular with school districts around the country - received high marks from two independent teams of biology educators who spent 100 hours per book, per each of four subject areas in making what they called "painstaking" evaluations. Those areas studied included cell structure and function, matter and energy transformation, molecular basis of heredity and natural selection and evolution.

High school textbooks scored slightly higher than those used in middle schools, although both had serious flaws in content and instructional design, the group's researchers said.

The fragmented approach to subject matter hurts children who have different learning styles and hinders teachers who "must compensate for the poor textbooks," despite limited resources and teaching time, said Jo Ellen Roseman, directory of the study.

"At their best, the textbooks are a collection of missed opportunities," Mrs. Roseman said.

While their accuracy is not suspect, the textbooks ignore important concepts in favor of technical terms and trivial details that are easy to test, she said. Illustrations often are complicated and "inadequately explained," and students, while given end-of-chapter activities to work on, receive little help in interpreting concepts they are supposed to grasp

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Keep a Close Eye on Synthetic Biology

A presidential commission lays out a reasonable path forward in exploring the potential of synthetic biology, a possible boon to energy, environmental cleanup, and medicine. But its report should also spark an ongoing debate.

The emerging field of synthetic biology epitomizes the promise and perils of our biotechnological age.

New organisms that have never existed in nature, but instead come from government or commercial laboratories, could produce wonders: inexpensive and abundant biofuels, substances that render toxic wastes harmless, or new drugs.

But they bear the potential for great mischief, too, if thoughtful and sufficient precautions are not firmly in place.

A US presidential commission looking into synthetic biology issued 18 recommendations for action on Dec. 16. The panel's work offers an important first step in understanding the ethical and environmental questions being raised. But the recommendations should be seen as just that - a first step - and not a final blueprint.

The 188-page report from the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues suggests that the White House itself oversee research into synthetic biology, though it stops short of calling for a special "czar." No new laws or regulations are needed at this time, it says, nor is a moratorium on research or deployment of new organisms.

The report does call for making public all US government-funded projects involving synthetic biology within the next 18 months. It also recommends mandatory ethical training for those working in the field. And it urges the creation of an independent fact-checking website that would provide the public with accurate information, and debunk wild rumors about the emerging field.

It says any synthetic organisms should have built-in "suicide genes" or other fail-safe features that would prevent them from spreading in the environment on their own.

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