Two Hampden-Sydney professors recently received the Virginia Mathematics and Science Coalition's "Programs That Work" Award, which recognizes exemplary programs for which there is evidence of a positive impact on student or teacher learning.
Elliott Associate Professor of Biology Mike Wolyniak was chosen for work done in conjunction with Assistant Professors of Biology Ed Lowry and Erin Clabough, utilizing hops as a central organism for a redesigned Principles of Biology (BIOL 151) lab based on authentic research experiences and experiential learning. During the course, students learn basic technological techniques from molecular biology, microbiology, ecology, and other biological fields and use them to formulate and conduct their own experiments on the microbes that grow on and potentially influence hops growth.
Elliott Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Kristian M. Hargadon '01 was selected for a laboratory module he developed at the College for use in his Genetics and Cell Biology (BIOL 201) course. The module integrates work from Dr. Hargadon's melanoma research into the classroom, introducing students to various cutting-edge molecular biology techniques for investigating gene expression at the single-cell and population levels. Students learn these techniques while studying the expression of a single gene as a class, then develop their own projects to investigate how a novel gene of interest might influence melanoma progression. The hands-on and dynamic lab helps students better understand the process of gene expression, a difficult but central concept to many sub-disciplines of biology.