Biology Education (CUBE) initiative ... CUBE project at IAN annual meeting 2013, Allahabad ... include: mechanism of olfactory responses, life cycle duration in.
! ! Concepts that classically fall within the domain of Neuroscience, learning and memory for instance, are scattered across basic and applied sciences in current college syllabi. Native isolates of simple animal models, such as Daphnia (water flea), Drosophila (fruit fly), can be setup and maintained in high school & college labs. These can be used to develop contexts based on the textbook concepts — a fabulous twist in our dayto-day teaching.%
!
Find out at this session how to do that in your own classrooms!%
!
See select examples here.
CUBE@IAN
INNOVATION IN NEUROSCIENCE EDU CATION
Curabitur leo
Maecenas
CUBE
!
Collaborative Undergraduate Biology Education (CUBE) initiative was started three years ago at Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, TIFR, Mumbai.%
!
IAN Indian Academy of Neuroscience is the premier organisation for promoting research and education in the field.
Cover image: Divya Bhatia & Divya Saxena, former students from Centre for Converging Technologies, University of Rajasthan; present findings from their CUBE project at IAN annual meeting 2013, Allahabad
Research in Simple model systems % in networked colleges across India
C A L L F O R D E L E G AT E S CUBE invites science teachers and students to our session on education during the annual meeting of the Indian Academy of Neuroscience, at Panjab University, Chandigarh (Oct 31-Nov 2, 2015). Participants will come away with pragmatic tools for taking “inquiry-driven” approach to prescribed syllabus: “Biology we teach must reflect the Biology we do”
Enthusiastic students at CUBE Meet on May 20, 2012, at Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, Mumbai
❖
Using simple models isolated from their surroundings, CUBE aims to encourage students to address questions on concepts
SIMPLE MODELS, ADVANC ED Q UESTIONS Daphnia, or water flea, (pictured on the right) can be cultured in labs in 1l bottles, with only a drop of milk a day added to the water. In low-oxygen environment, Daphnia turns red from increased expression of haemoglobin. Apart from a great example of geneenvironment interaction, this setup offers the advantage of understanding lab practicals on dissolved oxygen.
they read about in textbooks ❖
College labs in most cases are “cookbook science” with series of disjointed experiments — students follow regimented protocol without understanding why or how of anything, simply because they are told.
❖
Pursuit of science is nothing without an appreciation for scientific inquiry . To do that while simultaneously covering prescribed syllabus is what CUBE aims to achieve.
Image: wiki.cgb.indiana.edu
R EGE N ERAT ION IN TH E E ART H WOR M MODEL Students in Jaipur and Mumbai developed, in collaboration, the Rapid escape response (RER) assay — to study regeneration in the earthworm model. Worms with their ventral nerve cord lesioned (red curve) showed gradual regaining of function (aversion to conc. NaCl). Earthworm is a simple model to study behaviour or pursue advanced questions in gene expression changes in injury & regeneration. T RAPP IN G N AT IVE D ROSO PH IL A Drosophila can be easily trapped for experiments by setting fruit traps. For a widely used model, not much is known about the natural history of fruit fly — a wide-open topic of investigation for high school/college students. Some of current research questions include: mechanism of olfactory responses, life cycle duration in different parts of India (wonderful collaboration opportunity!), phototactic behaviour, etc.
Trap for native fruit flies, Patna Women’s College students
Trap for native fruit flies, IIS University, Jaipur
