Armstrong Biology Department Awarded Major National Science Foundation Grant
Press release from the issuing company
Thursday, June 18th, 2015
The National Science Foundation, an independent federal agency that supports research and education in science and engineering through grants and cooperative agreements, recently awarded $144,777 to Armstrong State University’s Biology department.
The two-year grant, which began June 15 and runs through May 2017, will allow the Biology department to fund the operation of a Next-Generation Genetic Sequencer, which gives scientists the ability to analyze an organism’s genetic code and is rapidly becoming a game-changer in the medical world with the ability to solve complex patient issues.
The Biology department will also purchase 3-D technology, a flow tank and advanced computer software with the intent of helping students fully understand evolution.
“Evolution is a core concept in biology,” says Armstrong Assistant Biology Professor Jay Hodgson. “It’s the unifying theme in biology. Our grant will allow us to improve how we teach evolution to our entire biology major.”
Frequent student misconceptions about evolution are what led Hodgson and fellow professors, Aaron Schrey and Austin Francis, to apply for the grant, titled, "Integrating Evolution Across the Biology Curriculum."
“Evolution is one of the concepts that many students struggle with,” notes Hodgson. “There is evidence of teaching and learning that shows that even after students take a dedicated lecture class, they still have a lot of misconceptions.”
Set with hands-on, inquiry-based, outcome-driven program directives, the program will roll out during the Fall 2015 semester. Armstrong professors will weave a continuous thread throughout the biology major with a series of classes, giving students the ability to analyze the structure and function of a hammerhead shark over a two-year period.
Biology majors will 3-D scan the mallet-shaped head and manipulate it with computer software. Able to produce a physical model of the marine predator’s anatomy on the 3-D printer while using specialized equipment, like the flow tank, students can measure flow and sensory properties of the shark’s head while genetic sequencing analyzes data.
NSF funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering to more than 2,000 colleges, universities, K-12 school systems, businesses, informal science organizations and other research organizations throughout the U.S. The foundation accounts for roughly one-fourth of federal support to academic institutions for basic research.
NSF receives approximately 40,000 proposals each year for research, education and training projects, of which approximately 11,000 are funded.