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K-HHMI Visiting Fellows
Modules in Emerging Fields Program
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| Professor Ruth Grahn teamed with Dr. Brian Kalman in the CD-ROM "Stress Hormones in Humans" |
The W. M. Keck-Howard Hughes Medical Institute Visiting Fellows Modules in Emerging Fields program is a faculty development program designed to bring experts, including renowned scientists, to Connecticut College to work with our faculty in incorporating emerging and changing sub-fields into courses and laboratories.
The material developed is being incorporated into models in existing courses and being distributed to other colleges and universities to assist faculty with curricular development.
The modules contain all the material required to incorporate the emerging field into a typical college course, e.g. CD-ROMs with lecture notes, figures, a basic review describing the fields, an annotated bibliography and appropriate software.
CD-ROM's now available: (How to obtain CD-ROMs)
Volume 1: Combinatorial Chemistry. Dr.
Timo Ovaska, Connecticut College, Visiting
Expert Dr. Stephen Wilson.
Combinatorial chemistry has become an important new tool for discovery. The technique encompasses many strategies for the rapid synthesis of large collections of compounds. These collections are often called chemical libraries, or combinatorial libraries. In general, combinatorial methods produce collections of molecularly diverse compounds that are used for rapidly testing, either for biological activity or some other useful and desired property.The rapid advance of combinatorial chemistry, has also stimulated advances in several related areas including spectroscopy, analytical methods, computer modeling and databases. Also, advances in automation have allowed compound synthesis to be completely controlled by machines.
Volume 2: Nanotechnology
Dr.
Arlan Mantz, Physics, Connecticut College and Visiting
Expert Dr. D. M. Cox.
This program is designed to introduce the vast emerging field of Nanotechnology
into the academic environment. Nanotechnology encompasses almost any work
or device involving construction and utilization of structures and devices
which have at least one physical dimension or critical property on the
order of one to a few hundred nanometers (10-9 to 10-7 meter) in size.
The topics range from the impact of nanoscale on future technology, research
possibilities, recent discoveries, and nanotechnology in electronics and
the computer industries.
Volume 3: Indigenous Cultures of Spanish America
Dr.
Frank Graziano, Hispanic Studies, Connecticut College and
Visiting Expert Dr. Luis Millones.
Introduces the "Indigenous Cultures of Spanish America" into
the academic environment and to facilitate the study of indigenous and
syncretic cultures in the undergraduate curriculum.Not intended as a comprehensive
or even representative offering of current scholarship, but rather a sampling
to suggest approaches to indigenous cultures in themselves, in response
to conquest, and in interaction with dominant cultures across the centuries.
Each scholar is responsible in style and in content for his contribution.
Volume 4: Genomics and Proteomics
Dr.
Martha Grossel, Biology, Connecticut College and Visiting
Expert Dr. Lucienne Ronco.
This module focuses on the fields of genomics and proteomics. Genomics
is the study of genes and the genomes – the blueprint to make an
organism. Proteomics is the field that studies proteins and their functions.
Proteins are the workhorses of the cell, the machinery that conducts vital
cellular functions. While we learn by understanding the coding sequence
of an organism, it is the study of proteins that will help us to understand
how the cell functions in health and disease. This CD will further define
and explore these topics. It includes a variety of pedagogical resources
designed to allow instructors to mesh new material with existing course
syllabi and to target the learner's academic level.
Volume 5: Assessing the Stress Hormone Cortisol
Dr.
Ruth Grahn, Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, Connecticut College
and Visiting Expert Dr. Brian Kalman.
The goal of producing this CD-ROM was to provide psychology instructors who do not have extensive experience with biochemical assays a procedure for measuring a hormone that is known to mediate the impact of stress in humans. It can be applied in a variety of situations because the sampling procedure is non-invasive (i.e. blood sampling is not required) and the assay can be completed in a short time with minimal laboratory training and equipment. We anticipate that using this CD-ROM will allow instructors to incorporate a laboratory module into their courses that matches their student’s ever-increasing interest in neuroscience. The CD-ROM includes background information about the stress response system, teaching materials, assay instructions, sample student projects and suggestions of how to incorporate the module into a course.
Volume 6: Bioanalytical Applications of Bioluminescence |
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Volume 7: Data Mining, Version 2 Dr.
Gary Parker, Computer Science, Connecticut College and Visiting
Expert Gregory Piatesky-Shapiro.
Introduces liberal arts and computer science students to data mining
and its use. Data mining looks for correlations in database information,
machine learning using algorithms, and artifical intelligence. The CD
includes presentations, syllabi, intro course, and viewable lectures.
Volume 8: Aging, Health, and Wellness
in Late Adulthood
Visiting Experts Dr. Sue Levkoff, Dr. Hongtu Chen, Dr.
Leslie Curry, Beatrice Demitte; Connecticut College's Sarah Barr, Dr.
Sunil Bhatia, Dr. Jennifer Fredricks,
Dr. Sara Radlinski, Dr.
Peggy Sheridan., and Dr.
Michelle Dunlap of the Human Development department.
This will prepare liberal arts students to understand the issues related
to health, wellness and aging during late adulthood by including related
material, site visits, and models. The CD serves as an example for other
institutions to provide content in order to create a new program or enhance
an existing program. Included for faculty and students are: a project
proposal, the development process, site visits, and the results including
a revised syllabus.
Volume 9: Computer Modeling of Human Thought
and Behavior
Dr. Jason Nier and Dr.
Ann Devlin, Department of Psychology, Connecticut College, and Visiting
Expert Dr. Andrzej Nowak.
This prepares liberal arts students to understand the dynamics of
models, simulate phenomena, and analyze results through lecture material,
presentation, computer lab models, and computer enhanced courses. We
hope to increase financial range of our and other colleges by connecting
to other institutions that have needed resources. The CD will introduce
cognitive neuroscience, familiarize people with how to work in the lab,
familiarize people with the theory of dynamical social psychology research.
Volume 10: Folk Saints: Cultures of Devotion
A photo gallery by Dr.
Frank Graziano, Hispanic Studies, Connecticut College.
The photos in this CD-ROM gallery were taken during research for the book
Cultures of Devotion: Folk Saints of Spanish America, which will be published
by Oxford University Press in 2005. Folk saints, known variously in Spanish
America as santos populares, santos paganos, and almas milagrosas,
are deceased individuals (some of entirely constructed identity) popularly
recognized as miraculous and receive the devotion of a substantial cult,
but who are not canonized or officially recognized by the Catholic Church,
such as Nino Fidencio, Gaucho Gil, Juana Figueroa, Pedro Jaramillo, Almita
Sivila, Pedro Sangueso, Sarito Colonia, Difunta Correa, Pedro Mariscal,
Nino Compadrito, Nino Perdido, San la Muerte.