D IGITAL M ICROSCOPY : I MPROVING I DENTIFICATION & Q UANTIFICATION IN A F RESHMAN B IOLOGY C LASSROOM Elizabeth Smith West Aurora High School RET fellow, 2010 University of Illinois-Chicago NSF Grant CBET-EEC

O UTLINE My RET experience My School, My Students Technology: Present & Future Objectives & Standards Lessons & Applications (6) Grant Request Acknowledgements References & Resources

B ACKGROUND : M Y RET AT UIC Dr. Michael Cho’s lab Effects of Extracellular Topography on Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Our District (%) State Averages (%) Low Income45 Mobility Limited-English Proficient Graduation Rate PSAE Meets & Exceeds: Reading Math Science Writing B ACKGROUND : M Y S CHOOL, M Y S TUDENTS

ALL students take some Biology Biology: 50/50 Freshman & Sophomores Most students: Read below grade level ~30% of students have parents that attend Open House or Conferences or attempt to contact the teacher

T ECHNOLOGY 9 Biology classrooms Each has computer + LCD projector 6 Compound Light Microscope sets 13 scopes each 2 scope cams Technology: Cameras are old, only show B/W images TVs are small, whole class can’t see Students: Less than half have used a microscope Students have little concept of what they are seeing! Current TechnologyCurrent Challenges

T ECHNOLOGY USB-based microscope ($700+) OR USB-based microscope camera ($350+) 1.3 Mega Pixel camera Calibration slide for accurate measurements Software: Motic Images 2.0 Capture stills & video Measurements (including area) JPG, etc. to /print Combine images Image processing & more! A SolutionMOTOCAM 1000

O BJECTIVES Use the MOTOCAM 1000 to: Show the whole class proper microscope technique Capture videos for later use & posting on school website Includes narration software Capture images for statistical analysis Quantifying Biology! Compatible with Excel

I LLINOIS S TANDARDS Goal 11 Inquiry and Design A.3a Formulate hypotheses that can be tested by collecting data. A.4b Conduct controlled experiments or simulations to test hypotheses. A.4c Collect, organize and analyze data accurately and precisely. A.4d Apply statistical methods to the data to reach and support conclusions A.3e Use data manipulation tools and quantitative and representational methods to analyze measurements. A.3g Report and display the process and results of a scientific investigation. Goal 12 Concepts and Principles A.3a Explain how cells function as “building blocks” of organisms; describe the requirements for cells to live. A.5a Explain changes within cells and organisms in response to stimuli A.4b Describe the structures and organization of cells and tissues A.3c Compare and contrast how different forms and structures reflect different functions Goal 13 Science, Technology and Society A.4b Assess the validity of scientific data by analyzing the results, sample set, sample size, similar previous experimentation, possible misrepresentation of data presented and potential sources of error. A.3c Explain what is similar and different about observational and experimental investigations

T EACHING : M ICROSCOPY T ECHNIQUES Students learn how to use a microscope Wet mount slides Letter “e” Crossed threads Printed paper Misc. prepared Slides (bugs, etc) Analyze Which way is the image facing? What happens when you move the slide left? Why can’t you focus on both threads at once? Show students what “in focus” looks like! Avoid the “Bubble Eureka!” moment Intro to Microscopes Digital Microscope Application

T EACHING : P LANT V. A NIMAL C ELLS Have students create & examine 3 cell samples: Onion skin cell Elodea cell Human Cheek cell Analyze Compare & Contrast the 2 plant cells Compare & Contrast the plant v. animal cell The first time that many students see cells! Most have no idea what the are seeing: which things are cells?! Capture stills Great for referring back or for absent students Capture video of moving chloroplasts Comparing Cell Structures Digital Microscope Application

T EACHING : O SMOSIS Using Elodea samples, create a slide, observe Flood the slide with saline solution, observe Analyze What happens to the cell? How could you reverse the process? Record video samples of the lab to share with absent students & when teaching about hyper-/hypo-tonic solutions Watching Water Move Digital Microscope Application

T EACHING : M ITOSIS & THE C ELL C YCLE Use Onion Root tip or other premade mitosis slides Students find & sketch examples of interphase, mitosis (PMAT), and cytokinesis Identify cell membrane, cell wall, chromosomes, cleavage furrow, cell plate Analyze Compare & contrast mitosis in plant & animal cells Before lab, use digital projector to identify the parts of mitosis in real cells In lab, have students take turns capturing & printing images of different parts of the root tip. Count the # in each phase Create a graph to show number of cells in each phase Analyze : Which phases are the longest? Shortest? Seeing Mitosis Digital Microscope Application

T EACHING : P OND W ATER & P ROTISTS Depression slide + pond water, Sketch, identify, and label the structures. Cell membrane, cytoplasm, chloroplasts, cilia, flagella, nucleus Analyze Beside each, describe: Unicellular or multicellular? Autotroph or heterotroph? How does this protist move? How does this protist feed? Have the class work as a group to capture an image of each new organism Volvox & ameobae are rare most years; capture a video to share with other classes Use pictures captured to label in later assessments Protists in the Water! Digital Microscope Application

T EACHING : P LANT A DAPTATIONS Have students exam cross sections of a dicot leaf; draw & label: Cuticle, epidermis, palliside mesophyll, spongy mesophyll, vascular bundle (xylem + phloem) stomata, guard cells Analyze Describe how each helps with photosynthesis or protection Have each group capture a picture of the epidermis from a tropical & a desert biome Count the number of stoma in the same size area What differences do you see? Why? Anatomy of a Leaf Digital Microscope Application

T ECHNOLOGY R EQUESTED Quote by Scope Shoppe (scopeshoppe.com) $500 UIC/NSF Funding NSF Grant CBET-EEC $218 West Aurora High School (44% funding match) $718 Two (2) MOTICAM 1000 Digital Microscope cameras Software Included $359 each (Free Shipping) Total students affected? 750 Every Year

A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS NSF Grant CBET-EEC Prof. A. Linninger, RET Program Director Dr. Michael Cho, Research Mentor Brandon Lutz and Hannah Wirtshafter, fellow researchers University of Illinois- Chicago

R EFERENCES & R ESOURCES Illinois Interactive Report Card Swift Optical Resources Scope Shoppe Pictures yourself%20mitosis.jpg yourself%20mitosis.jpg T.jpg/ /handbook-microscope_noshadow-T.jpg T.jpg/ /handbook-microscope_noshadow-T.jpg g g