 Scott Strobel (center), shown with part of his class during a trip to the Ecuadorian rain forest this spring, believes it is important to give the students "ownership" of their research projects. |
— By Bill Hathaway
T H I S
Strobel's students rediscover scientific
'wonder' on rain forest expedition
Starting at about the fourth grade, schoolchildren have their interest in
science slowly driven from them, says Scott Strobel, chair of the Department
of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale.
They are asked to memorize thousands of facts that they must cram neatly on graph
paper and are graded on how closely the experiments they perform conform to preordained
results.
The casualties, he contends, are surprise and wonder.
“The average third grader asks all kinds of great questions; they probe,
poke and manipulate,’’ Strobel says. “Then somewhere around
fourth grade we drive the interest in science right out of these kids. People
conclude they can’t do science, but in reality they have been doing science
all their lives.’’
Strobel was determined to fix the problem, even if he had to drag students to
another continent. With the ?help of a $1 million grant from the Howard Hughes
Medical Institute, that is exactly what he did.
In late March, Strobel returned from his second trip to the Amazon River basin,
where he and his team led 18 undergraduates who had signed up for the popular “Amazon
Rain Forest Expedition and Laboratory.” In the rain forest of Ecuador,
they searched for exotic plants and took plant samples back to Yale labs. This
summer they will culture microorganisms they found in plants, design experiments
to characterize those organisms, and screen them for novel, and perhaps even
therapeutically useful, molecules.
The real payoff from Strobel’s perspective won’t come until later — when
and if the students develop a love and appreciation for science.
When Strobel, a world leader in understanding catalytic reactions triggered by
RNA, was searching for a way to trigger a love of science in students, he knew
he had to instill in them the thrill of scientific discovery. He found his inspiration
in the research of his own father.
Gary Strobel of Montana State University is one of the few scientists in the
world who studies endophytes, a class of microorganisms found within the tissues
of plants. He has discovered many novel and potentially beneficial organisms,
including an endophytic fungus found in the yew tree that produces the blockbuster
cancer drug Taxol.
Almost no one goes bio-prospecting for endophytes in the Amazon rain forest.
Scott asked his father to guide them on the expeditions. Both men knew the students
would likely find things no one before them had discovered.
Scott Strobel also wanted to give students control of their own research. Each
undergraduate had to define his or her own project. The research could be seemingly
pragmatic, like that of one student who went searching for plants native women
use to alleviate monthly cramps, or it could be whimsical, like that of the student
who went hunting for plants similar to the ones found in Harry Potter novels.
The practicality of the students’ projects made no difference to Strobel. “The
goal of the course is to give students ownership of their projects,’’ he
says. “It energizes them in a way no other course I have been involved
with does.”
When students from the 2007 trip got back to the lab, every student found novel
endophytic organisms, and most screened the compounds from the organisms for
biological activity. Strobel expects students on this year’s trip to do
even better.
And if the 2007 trip is an indication, Strobel will again get the payoff he was
hoping for.
“This has been the experience of a lifetime and a key reason why I’m
pursuing graduate work in the biological sciences,” says Carl Ma, a member
of the 2007 expedition. Ma, who graduated last spring, will be studying next
year in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California
at Berkeley.
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Ten appointed members of American Academy of Arts & Sciences
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Ian Shapiro chosen to join American Philosophical Society
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Yale to celebrate 307th graduation
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Scientist Joan Steitz wins nation’s largest prize in medicine
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Mary E. Miller named Sterling Professor of the History of Art
Joseph Roach appointed Sterling Professor of Theater
Dr. Madhav Dhodapkar is the new Bunker Professor of Hematology
Dr. Richard Edelson is the first Lerner Professor of Dermatology
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In Yale-led study, astronomers discover nine young galaxies . . .
Research on male mating behavior suggests brains may be unisex . . .
Paul Anastas honored as the founder of ‘green chemistry’
Town-gown partners honored with Elm-Ivy AwardsSCHOOL OF MEDICINE NEWS
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Study: No ‘Hollywood heart attack’ symptoms for most women
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Noted gastroenterologist named chief medical officer at YMG
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Symposium on pain management aimed at medical school students
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Two student-curated shows focus on the medium of photography
Library creates digital archive of ‘oldest college daily’
Two seniors will study at the University of Cambridge as Gates Scholars
Campus leaders discuss strategies for increasing staff diversity
Former Bucknell chaplain is named new pastor of University Church
Professor Miroslav Volf will co-teach class with . . .
Tony Blair
Council of Masters honors 10 juniors for their scholarship . . .
Conference focuses on ‘Women and Men in the Globalizing University’
The future of ‘Computers, Freedom and Privacy’ to be addressed . . .
Karyn Frick honored for contributions to women’s health
Campus Notes
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