Faculty Professional Development Activities relating to Teaching
“I have a real interest in their (my students') success, and many of them get back to me—
telling me where they're teaching or where they're practicing medicine, for instance.
Some of my best friends today are former teaching assistants.”
Biological Sciences faculty take advantage of professional development activities to improve their teaching. Faculty have attended, made presentations, and participated in discussions at professional meetings at the local, State, national, and international levels. Professional meetings attended by faculty have been within the discipline as well as specific to teaching and learning. At the College level, faculty from Biological Sciences have joined other Natural Sciences and Mathematics faculty to discuss innovations in teaching at “Brown Bag” seminars. Additionally, faculty have attended “Friday Forum” events sponsored by the College which are designed to bring in outside experts from across the nation to facilitate discussion of alternative pedagogies and teaching innovations. Department faculty have also participated in forums sponsored by the CSU and CSUS to improve teaching (CSU Summer Institute, Teaching Scholar Group, workshops sponsored by the Center for Teaching and Learning). Faculty have worked with the Office of Community Collaboration at CSUS to improve teaching by incorporating Service Learning activities into courses and by inviting members of the community to campus. Faculty have interacted with other faculty locally and nationally by working with community college faculty to develop inquiry-based laboratories and by participating in multi-campus studies (site testing) of alternative pedagogies.
MOSS LANDING MARINE LABORATORIES
Since establishment in 1966, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML) has grown an international reputation for excellence in marine science research and education, and is the second oldest marine lab on Monterey Bay. MLML is operated by a consortium of seven California State University campuses (Fresno, Hayward, Monterey Bay, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, and Stanislaus), with consortium undergraduate and graduate students taking courses or pursuing their Masters of Science degrees at MLML. The lab is situated in an excellent location for the study of the marine world. The Monterey Submarine Canyon, the largest such feature on the west coast of North America, begins within a few hundred meters of the Moss Landing harbor and the MLML research fleet. Researchers can be over 2,000 m water depths with one hour steaming out of Moss Landing. To the east of MLML is the Elkhorn Slough, one of the largest unspoiled estuarine wetlands off the west coast of the United States, and an important site for shorebirds and fishes. To the north and south are sand dunes, sandy beaches, and extensive kelp forest habitats along the rocky shoreline. Some of the most productive kelp forests and intertidal areas can be found in this region. MLML also is located between two large upwelling centers, which provide nutrients that stimulate an incredible amount of productivity but also provide a wealth of opportunities to study coastal oceanic processes.
The MLML mission is to: "Provision the Pioneers of the Future." We do this through a hands-on, field-oriented approach to our curriculum, which places our students at the frontiers of marine science where discoveries are being made. The expertise of nine full-time MLML faculty is strongly complimented by a number of adjunct professors and affiliated researchers, and we serve approximately 120 students with the support of about 50 talented staff. Because MLML is associated with the California State University system, the primary responsibility of the faculty is teaching. In addition to emphasizing well-taught courses and mentoring of graduate students, the MLML faculty and associated researchers are regional leaders within their research disciplines. The combined emphasis on teaching and research provides a unique setting for graduate student education. The great wealth of nearby marine resources, the faculty emphasis on mentoring and teaching with integrated research, and the excellent facilities, staff, and marine operations contribute to make this one of the best programs for a Master of Science in Marine Science the United States.
M.B.I.G. Molecular Biology Interdisciplinary Group
The nature of doing research at a primarily undergraduate institution presents many challenges for our faculty in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics here at CSUS. These challenges include limits on funding, space, and time. The Molecular Biology Interdisciplinary Group (MBIG) supports faculty and students who are currently involved in molecular biology and biochemical research. Currently MBIG is establishing a facility that enables faculty and students to share resources and knowledge while providing a modern molecular laboratory for both research and instruction. By encouraging the interaction between a diverse range of scientists MBIG seeks to maximize the use of resources, create a coopertive environment for the production of high quality scientific research, and establish a space for students to master a variety of contemporary molecular biological techniques.
Welcome to the Dept. of Biological Sciences' Critter Page
Students in the Biological Sciences are exposed to a variety of experiences as part of their education. For convenience and ease of observation, many of the courses taught in our department include use of preserved, or "pickled," specimens. However, convenient or not, a preserved specimen can in no way replace the beauty and complexity of a living creature. For this reason, our department maintains a collection of live animals for observation by students.
Life for these animals has advantages and disadvantages. They have shelter, a ready supply of food and water, and no threat of predation. However, THEY ARE COMPLETELY DEPENDENT UPON HUMAN CARE AND THE QUALITY OF THEIR EXISTENCE IS ONLY AS GOOD AS THE CARE THEY RECEIVE FROM US. Their home can either be a jail or a refuge. They may experience overcrowding or cramped quarters (imagine yourself sitting in an airplane seat indefinitely with no control over when you can leave). They may experience hunger or thirst. They may be exposed to disease. Any or all of these may happen if we do not ACTIVELY prevent it. Being more dexterous and "smarter", we have taken it upon ourselves to divorce these animals from their existence in the wild. Let us remember that the animals have given FIRST in allowing us to observe them on a regular basis. In return, they have a right to adequate food, water, shelter, and avoidance of disease conditions. All of our animals are "pets" in the sense that the only way they are used, in our department, is for observation and enrichment of more traditional teaching material.
Students (mostly, but not exclusively, pre-vet students) are given an opportunity to learn about the care of various invertebrates - from insects to crustaceans and mollusks, as well as vertebrates including snakes and other reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and fish.
If you are a pre-vet student, or taking a zoology course, you will be able to supplement what you are studying formally with observations of animal behavior and external morphology. You will have an opportunity to work with more exotic species. Beyond this, you will have a chance to contact other living beings in a non-verbal, very basic way. Practically speaking, you will have a special experience for the resume, whether you are headed for a career in medicine, animal health, laboratory sciences, field biology, or teaching.
Make the most of the experience. If you are interested in becoming an Animal Care Assistant visit here for more information, or contact Jana E. Shober, Sequoia 16C
(278-7677)
