Join the Biological Engineering Revolution

Many people familiar with the sorts of programs we promote at WISE have asked me (a Physicist) "Hey, all that robotics and physics stuff is pretty cool, but what can you help us biologists with?"

Well boy have I got a good one for you. A couple of weeks ago, Chris Harrow and I visited Dr. Tom Knight at MIT's CSAIL laboratory to learn about iGEM, the International Genetically Engineered Machine competition. Tom, incidentally, in addition to being the "Patron Saint of Synthetic Biology," is one of the charter members of the WISE advisory board, and my old grad school adviser! Here are links to a Boston Globe article and a Technology Review Article on the 2007 iGEM meeting.

iGEM is basically the genetic engineering equivalent to the FIRST robotics competition, wherein student teams compete to take fundamental DNA building blocks and use them to design and build their own artificial organisms that solve interesting problems. See the 2007 iGEM Wiki here, and a short intro to the iGEM program here.

The real beauty of the challenge is that a mere few hundred dollars worth of basic bio tools like test tubes, pipettes, a refrigerator and an oven (things that most schools already have lying around) are all you need. Well, that and some creativity and some basic lab skills (i.e. like being able to pipette from one tube to another without poking yourself in the eye) will let you make some truly novel living organisms.

Here are a couple of examples from past year's competitions, from ultra-sensitive arsenic detectors that are basically free (okay you need sugar to feed the bacteria) to living computer building blocks. Projects are only limited by your creativity and willingness to pipette and bake.

UCSF and Lincoln High School's Synthetic Assembly Scaffolds,

Berkeley's Bacto-blood, a cost-effective red blood cell substitute constructed from engineered E. coli bacteria designed to safely transport oxygen in the bloodstream without inducing sepsis, and to be stored for prolonged periods in a freeze-dried state.

Alberta's Butanol bio-fuel producing bacteria,

Duke's Macroscopic Bacterial Systems projects,

Glasgow's Environmental Bio-sensor project,

Melbourne's buoyant light-programmed bio-brick.

There are dozens of other projects, with all of their notes and results published on the wiki, so you can get an idea of what is involved. Despite the fact that most of the teams were from Universities, their were many high school participants, and Dr. Knight was particularly interested in getting more high schools involved.


Sign up here at the iGEM 2008 page to receive news or express interest in fielding a team! Or email me and I can hook you up with Tom.

Don’t Panic! It's Okay If You Don't Know the Aswer.

A Monograph on WISE Philosophy

In fact, I would go even farther to say that life in general is better and more interesting when you don’t already know all the answers, because that means there is some puzzle, or conundrum, or problem at hand which offers an opportunity for creativity and exploration. All of you are certainly aware that even if a teacher KNOWS the answer to a question, it is often better for students if a teacher avoids answering them directly. Here, I offer an extension of that same idea.

Now I will admit that it seems a little odd, telling teachers not to worry about knowing the answers. After all, traditional pedagogy places a teacher at the head of the class giving lectures, demonstrating their knowledge, dispensing wisdom, and assessing whether students know and understand what they have been taught. And while it’s true that most of us have gone through our academic career being penalized for not knowing something, or for having forgotten some fact or date, WISE espouses a shift in the traditional pedagogy and overall mind-set in science and technology education. Instead of grading people on whether or not they know something, we emphasize how well students figure something out that they don’t already know. To be sure, this is a very different process than simply checking off memorized facts on a multiple choice test against a Scantron key, but the results are worth the mind-shift and the change is not a difficult one once understood.

One reason that this shift in emphasis is important arises from the fact that most traditional science classes test for facts and figures, and the ability to solve problems that are but slight variations of problems students have already been given in prior homework and classroom examples. This approach is then testing for science as subject matter, and completely misses the point that while there is certainly a lot of subject matter to learn, the most important aspect of science is as a PROCESS. In that sense, learning science in the traditional lecture and rote lab pedagogy never actually gives students an opportunity to participate in the PROCESS of science, but rather has them memorizing how others have already done so. If students are never given the opportunity to engage in novel research and discovery by personally practicing the scientific process on real rather than contrived pre-solved problems, they will never experience the true wonder and excitement of really discovering something for themselves. That very feeling is the crown jewel of science gratification and the secret to keeping children engaged in the subject.

Worse yet, students passing through such a system have been trained to be adept memorizers and test takers, but have had very little exposure to, or practice in, innovating, discovering, or being creative. The only level of critical thinking such a curriculum fosters is that of deciphering what a teacher wants and responding to respond appropriately on tests and homework in order to maximize grades. With the emergence of web search technologies like Google, however, there is no remaining need or utility for memorization of obscure facts when a 3 second web query will result in an almost instant answer. We are left training people who are “book smart” but have little practical experience in using the smarts to create novel solutions.

Another powerful motivating factor for the shift in emphasis from fact and memorization to process and discovery is in how it aligns the motivations and goals of both teacher and student. This alignment mitigates one of the most prevalent barriers to the enjoyment and adoption of science as a profession, the fear and anxiety that arises from NOT KNOWING SOMETHING. This fear of NOT KNOWING is hardly a surprising result given that students are largely graded on whether they know or remember. It is a completely natural response to worry about how one will perform, and when tests penalize a failure of memory then of course anxiety will arise in response.

Unfortunately, this completely natural result of traditional pedagogy is exactly contrary to the goal of a strong science education, which is to train students in the practice of science. The conflict arises because the whole goal of science (the profession and the process) is to figure out and discover things that we don’t already know. But if students are trained, however inadvertently, by our misplaced emphasis on science facts and our testing and assessment methodologies to get nervous when they don’t know something, then we are teaching people to be nervous when they should really be excited and interested. We are conditioning students against enjoying science.

When scientists discover something they don’t understand or realize that they don’t know something, that generally means there is something interesting to discover. There is an “aha!” or a “Eureka!” in the wings. In this sense, lectures and the testing of memorization and repetition of demonstrated problems actually foster math and science anxiety. In my experience it is this very interaction that drives many students to say things like “I’m not good at science,” and it is this very sort of interaction which drives students away from science. The sad truth is that many of these students never had a chance to practice real science or to realize the wonder of discovery contrary to the pain of failed memorization. What they fear is being tested about science history and mistake that for science proper.

Now consider what happens in a realigned pedagogy which places the teacher as a guide to exploration rather than as a font of wisdom, facts, or pre-defined processes. It is then possible for both teacher and student to enjoy moments of not knowing together. It even becomes possible to model by example and mutually share in the enjoyment of NOT KNOWING. Students and teachers are thus encouraged to be comfortable not knowing, and to seize that opportunity to discover, understand, and explain phenomena. Science and math anxiety vanish and interest flourishes as a result. Even students who never considered themselves “good at science” discover new interests and empowerment.

Now stated as a philosophy, the goal of this shift from fact to process is straightforward but the task of practically implementing that philosophy in a classroom setting is somewhat subtle. Please don’t mistake the title’s statement for the idea that it’s okay if a teacher doesn’t know ANYTHING about the topic at hand since both teacher and student can discover together. In order to be an effective mentor and guide to exploration, the WISE science teacher needs to be practiced at the PROCESS of science, and conversant with the tools and techniques pertinent to the topic at hand. And while it’s okay to not know an answer, a well-trained teacher should be familiar with several different METHODS relevant to DISCOVERING an answer. Classes and teaching environments can then shift from teaching facts to teaching methods and techniques, approaches to problem solving, and relating constructive processes in critical thinking that break large problems into a series of smaller more approachable ones.

In some sense, the very notion of a science class can then shift to encompass collaborative learning which gets students to jointly experience the process of discovery. Since facts and memorization become less important, worries about cheating and copying vanish when it is practice in the process that is more important. The goal of the teacher can then become how to prepare class materials so that students have repeated opportunities to learn tools and techniques, to practice the techniques and then use them to discover things.

Note that this proposed shift is more of a change in pedagogy than a change in curriculum. The subject matter, and in fact, much of the teaching materials can remain constant as long as there is a change in how the material is related, and how answers are not given directly, and instead of lecturing and relating facts, the materials are offered as things to be discovered through collaborative processes. So performed properly, the subject matter and facts can be learned as part of, and motivated by, the discovery process. It's not as if we don't expect either the teachers or students to learn or remember the key material, but we do espouse shifting the balance of HOW the materials are learned to a more scientific process.

If you are unsure as to how to begin applying these principles in your school or classroom, well, that is what WISE is for. We advise and support schools to help them set up laboratories where students can come in on their free time to explore, discover, and work in a mentored environment at their own pace to learn the necessary skills and tools. Each WISE lab is connected to all the others with simple video-conferencing software, and Teachers that become involved in the WISE labs gain an immediate support network where questions can be asked and frequent brainstorming sessions ensue, and where resources that describe best practices are freely available.

Stay tuned for specific examples. In the meantime, think process and discovery instead of fact and memorization. Please do post questions or suggestions to this web log or email them to me at alvelda@westminster.net, because we really do want to hear from you!

How Can WISE Help a Teacher

Extra-curricular Curriculum Support
WISE can most effectively support teachers who keep the institute informed at a high level as to their class schedules and broad curriculum outlines. With even a little bit of advanced notice, WISE can be sure to keep the labs and web logs stocked with complementary experiments, materials, and pointers for research that will extend what teachers discuss in class. We welcome suggestions or brainstorming or requests for anything that might help us better support you.

With strong support from dedicated teachers, WISE is building an environment where students can explore subjects on their own free time to whatever depths their motivations might drive them. Opportunities abound for students to use what they learn in the formal classes and labs, and motivate what future lessons might hold for them.

Student Inspiration and Motivation
The initial student and teacher feedback from our earliest efforts has been uniformly positive. Several students have reported an increase in interest and inspiration where they have begun to realize science is really applicable to interesting things outside of the classroom. Even students who never considered themselves "science types" have enjoyed moments of novel inspiration, creativity and discovery using the tools and techniques learned in the WISE lab. Our goal is to generate as much enthusiasm as possible, and our hope is that as a result, we will all see much more engagement in the classes as well as the complementary extracurricular science activities.

Broader Teaching Support and Networking Opportunities
The initial roster of schools contemplating membership in the WISE network includes some of the leading academic institutions across the United States. Linking these participants into an extended community through WISE web logs, events, sabbaticals and so on, will facilitate the sharing and dissemination of best practices around science and technology education. These materials will become universally accessible resources available to all participating teachers. Students will likewise benefit from more opportunities to visit other schools and universities and to network, collaborate, and compete with other similar students approaching similar challenges at science fairs, robotics competitions, summer camps and technical internships.

Professional Development Opportunities
As WISE develops relationships with research universities and scientifically and technically oriented businesses, one of the Institute's goals is to organize paid summer sabbaticals at leading campuses for participating faculty. There, WISE teachers will participate in ongoing scientific research programs and learn how these might be transferred back to their home schools. These WISE faculty would then serve as mentors, demonstrating by example how science is actually performed, rather than just discussed, in effect teaching through the recruitment and mentorship of students into real science and engineering research projects.

In many ways, this approach offers exciting and unprecedented professional development opportunities for teachers to learn the latest techniques, tools, and software while actually participating in the latest scientific discoveries. With this enrichment will come professional relationships and skills to enhance and broaden both teaching and general scientific and engineering contribution.


Mentorship Opportunities for Renaissance Teachers and Students
Westminster has a history of pioneering programs that develop student leadership through mentorship opportunities like the Discovery Outdoor Leadership program, the Campus Conservation Corps, and all of the philanthropic outreach programs. WISE intends to foster a similar model where both teachers and students can continually advance in responsibility with training and experience in WISE methods, philosophy, and technical disciplines. Ultimately, the best WISE labs should become student-run over time.

Financial Support
WISE does realize that many of these plans will require not only commitment and support from dedicated and inspired teachers, but funds to pay for everything from scientific instruments and consumable experimental materials (though we actually do a lot to ensure that core opportunities are quite inexpensive with plenty of boot-strap strategies). WISE even plans to invest in your extra efforts with expanded teacher payments and stipends for additional hours or off-hour event support, and even potentially, the hiring of additional teachers to cover WISE labs, clubs, and events in addition to normal teaching loads. This is where our experience in raising both investments and philanthropic support on both local and national scales will come into play, in helping to organize and in some cases even help finance the growth of the WISE network of schools.

It is becoming increasingly clear to this nation's civic and business leaders that our country's economy, and in the long term, the American way of life itself, depend on our ability to train 21st century citizens that can create new industries and truly innovate. Together, we can all build WISE into a most powerful fulcrum that will truly leverage the awesome talents of this great generation of students.



Tell Us If We are Missing Anything!
In closing, please consider this a heartfelt request for any suggestions, guidance or feedback that might help WISE support you better. We have thick skin and are primarily motivated by learning to improve our institute along with improving opportunities for both students and teachers!

Go Science, Technology and Math!

The WISE Mission

The Westminster Institute for Science Education [WISE] was founded in order to enrich and extend K-12 science education in schools across the United States. This is a broad mission and involves initiatives aimed at supporting both teachers and students.

The central challenge of WISE is to create, and train teachers to support, environments in K-12 schools which allow students to explore science on their own, to perform their own unguided, mentored research, and to actually create what has never existed before. This mission is intended to be an extension of, and complementary to, existing science curricula rather than a replacement. The principal difference is that WISE pedagogy and curricula is intended to foster open exploration without boundaries and offer students opportunities where they must exercise creativity and innovative problem solving skills, rather than complete specific pre-fabricated experimental or word-problem objectives.

In addition to running programs for specific classes and events, WISE labs exist as places interested students can go in their free times, study halls, lunch, before and after school. There they will find professional grade tools, instruments, and materials where they may construct and experiment with whatever they might imagine in a supervised environment with experienced mentorship. The WISE labs are the science and technology equivalent of a school library.

In support of this mission, WISE also coordinates in-house programs for student and teacher training and professional development as well as summer sabbaticals at leading technical and scientific universities and commercial laboratories.