Sharing Expertise through the MALT Program

This fall I am sharing my upper-level cell biology class and laboratory at Gannon University, where I am a professor of biology, with Zach Murphy, a graduate student in the lab of James Palis at the University of Rochester. This collaboration is part of the ASCB’s Mentoring in Active Teaching and Learning (MALT) program offered by the Education Committee. Education Committee ex-officio member Mike Wolyniak, who directs the MALT program, paired Zach and me using a regional approach, as Erie, PA, and Rochester, NY, are about 180 miles apart. Travel between the two cities is quite easy. The MALT program pairs established faculty from primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) who use active learning techniques in their classes with graduate students or postdocs who are interested in teaching undergraduate students.

Our collaboration began with emails and phone calls and progressed to in-person visits; I travelled twice to Rochester, and Zach travelled once to Erie. In our conversations, we discussed what life was like for faculty at a PUI, as well as Zach’s research project. The Palis lab is a substantial contributor to the field of hematologic development, specifically with critical publications exploring embryonic blood cell development. In addition, this lab is at the forefront of imaging flow cytometry, largely under the direction of Kathleen McGrath, a leader in this field. Zach will spend four days at Gannon University over the course of a month, teaching in my Cell Biology lecture and laboratory. While MALT affords Zach the opportunity to learn about, and actually engage in, active learning in an undergraduate classroom, it affords me the opportunity to become knowledgeable about advancements in flow cytometry. In addition, Zach will bring his research to the students in the laboratory course, affording them the opportunity to participate in an authentic research experience.

We are funding this collaboration through internal grants at our respective institutions. I am using my faculty development grant to cover Zach’s lodging and meals while he is at Gannon, not only for the teaching opportunities, but also for an invited seminar on his research. This seminar will be open to all students and faculty in Gannon University’s School of Sciences and to regional faculty interested in flow cytometry. In addition, I used internal funds to cover the cost of my travel to the University of Rochester. Zach is using funds provided to graduate students and postdocs through the University of Rochester’s Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training program, a program funded by the National Institutes of Health that focuses on pedagogical training, to cover his travel expenses to and from Rochester.

We are also using a teleconferencing program called Zoom to bring Zach into lectures and labs. This program not only lets Zach and my class see each other, it also lets us stream video and PowerPoint presentations during the teleconference. This way I can allow my students to become familiar with Zach before he arrives on campus. Zach is excited about putting his pedagogical training into practice, I am excited about my opportunity to gain hands-on experience with new flow cytometry equipment and analytical software, and my students are thrilled to be participating in actual research experiments instead of carrying out tried and true lab procedures. Zach and I plan on presenting the results of our scientific and teaching collaborations at the 2017 ASCB Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA, and disseminating these results in cell biology journals with my undergraduate students as co-authors.