MATH IS A TOOL (Psst, It Doesn’t Matter Whether or Not You Like It) Bio-Link Summer Fellows 2007 Lisa Seidman Madison Area Technical College

DNA is present in a stock solution at a concentration of 1 μg/mL. You need 50 pg of DNA for a reaction. How much of the stock do you need?

Convert the weights to the same unit: ? = mL = 0.05 μL

WHAT DOES STUDENT NEED TO KNOW? What is a microgram, picogram, and so on Conversion strategy Distinguish concentration and amount Strategy to calculate amount needed Understand dilutions Contextual information What the question is asking

MATH APPLICATIONS Math itself is relatively simple -- multiplication, division, fractions but… Lots of applications – vital tool “Hands-on applications”, all “word problems” Math problems arise when students are focusing on something else

Vocabulary, context unfamiliar Units essential and are often unfamiliar Errors have serious consequences

RESULT Students often frustrated Math barrier to success for many High attrition in first semester of program

APPROACHES TO HELP STUDENTS WITH MATH Sending students to take math courses either before beginning program courses or concurrently Unsuccessful

The Biotechnologist The Mathematician Math is a Tool Math is Beautiful

NEXT APPROACH Evaluated needed math skills and incorporating into first lab class: –Ratios and proportions –Metric system –Graphing –Concentration and dilution –Growth curves –Mean and standard deviation

NOT THE ANSWER Because: Too much time taken from lab skills Not enough math time for some students Too much time for others, want to do biotechnology

SUCCESSFUL SOLUTION New course in biotechnology laboratory math –Required for some students based on test scores –Addresses needs in a biotech lab -- Math as a tool –Low key –Lots of practice –Independence –Collaborative

COURSE HAS IMPROVED STUDENT SUCCESS Students develop confidence, reflected on evaluations Students’ skills improved Students’ attitudes improved Lower attrition in first lab classes Some students go on to take more math courses

WHY DID WE CREATE OUR OWN COURSE? – ** Logistic, scheduling ** –Technical math serves several programs and they have different needs

LATEST APPROACH Required for all students On-line, independent study version is available