November 8, 2017
In this Issue:
  • NABT Election Results Announced
  • Reminder: Special Session: Improving Genomic Literacy: Identifying Resources, Dissemination Strategies, and Future Needs
  • Meet Us at NABT2017
  • Christine Marshall-Walker Receive NABT Genetics Education Award
  • The Community College Innovation Challenge Returns!
  • NAS Livestream of Science of Science Communication III
  • Spotlight on Sponsors - Carolina's Top 5 Reasons to Teach Forensics
NABT Election Results Announced

Thank you for voting for the next leaders of the National Association of Biology Teachers. All ballots were collected and results certified in accordance with the  NABT Constitution & Bylaws . 

The final results of the NABT election are listed below. All elected Board Members and Regional Coordinators will begin their terms of service on January 1, 2017.

  • President: Sherry Annee
  • Director-at-Large: Brian Dempsey
  • Region IV Coordinator: Anna Hiatt
  • Region X Coordinator: Elissa Odgren

NABT would also like to express our gratitude to all of the candidates who ran for office in 2017. We appreciate their continued service to the association.
Reminder: Special Session
Improving Genomic Literacy: Identifying Resources, Dissemination Strategies, and Future Needs

Space is still available for the special GLEE Breakout Session at the upcoming NABT Professional Development Conference . GLEE stands for Genomic Literacy, Education, and Engagement and this NHGRI/NIH initiative aims to enhance genomic literacy commensurate with the pace of genomic advances

You're invited to join a diverse group of K-16 educator stakeholders to learn what teachers consider to be high-quality genomics education resources that could be used for teaching. Help us identify high-quality genomics education resources, lend your expertise to inform the development of a rubric to evaluate genomic resources, and discuss the future/anticipated needs of K-16 educators in genomics.

The session will be held on Sunday, November 12 from 9:00am - 11:00am and please visit  https://nabt.org/Events-GLEE-Workshop RSVP for the session in St. Louis. 

If you are interested in getting involved in the project, but can't make it to the NABT Conference session, please still visit https://nabt.org/Events-GLEE-Workshop to indicate your interest and we'll keep you informed of updates and opportunities.
Meet Us at NABT2017

With so many great sessions and speakers, it’s easy to concentrate solely on the conference offerings. But the NABT Conference is also an ideal ideal time to learn more about the many ways to get more involved in our community.

The  Board of Directors ,  Committee & Section Chairs , and  Regional Coordinators  will be on hand to highlight NABT programs, answer questions, and give away a special treat from NABT. Look for us in the Pegram Space (off the Exhibit Hall) or at committee meetings. A full list is available on page 11.
Thursday, November 9
Committee & Section Chairs
6:00PM - 7:00PM
Friday, November 10
Board of Directors & Regional Coordinators 
4:00PM - 5:00PM
Christine Marshall-Walker Receive NABT Genetics Education Award

The mind of a student is a strange and wondrous thing. And few appreciate this more than Dr. Christine Marshall-Walker, a “neurobiologist-turned-educator.” Christine utilizes her extensive research background to infuse cutting edge genetics into her courses at Phillips Academy in Andover, MA. She has been at Phillips for the last ten years, and teaches Topics in Advanced Biology , Bioethics: Humanity in a Post-Genomic Era , and has designed a comprehensive Laboratory Research Course for Molecular and Cellular Biology. She deploys a number of different strategies to teach about heredity and genetics within the context of each course, but she embraces one guiding philosophy throughout her curriculum design. “Relevance fuels deep learning and excitement about genetics,” Christine said in a statement. She added “Coming of age in a fast changing, post-genomic world, it is critical that adolescents begin to understand some of the bioethical choices they may face regarding genetic testing, GMO’s or reproductive technologies.”

NABT, joined by the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) and the Genetics Society of America (GSA) , are proud to recognize Dr. Christine Marshall-Walker with the 2017 NABT Genetics Education Award . The award recognizes innovative, student-centered classroom instruction to promote the understanding of genetics and its impact on inheritance, health, and biological research.

Christine received her Ph.D. from Columbia University, where her doctoral research “explored the genetic drivers of cell fate choices among neural progenitors in the mammalian forebrain.” She was awarded the Brunie Prize for STEM Cell Research at Columbia, and continued her postdoctoral research at Harvard Medical School. It was there that she turned her “focus to understanding the genetic controls of regional growth and development within the human cerebral cortex.”

It was through her extensive experience mentoring undergraduate and graduate students that Christine said she “developed a vital love for teaching science.”

That love for teaching and mentoring extends beyond the traditional classroom setting. Christine also serves as a faculty mentor for the outdoor education program at Phillips and is a residential house counselor in a large girls’ dormitory, where she lives with her husband, three children and two cockapoos.

Christina is a devoted colleague who freely shares her insight and course materials through her blog at www.laboratoryforlearning.org . She often encourages her fellow instructors to use methods that are research-based, and hosted a seminar series at Phillips on the science of memory consolidation and sleep. Christina also recently received a grant to do research on the mindset of students in upper level science courses.

We congratulate Dr. Christina Marshall-Walker on receiving the 2017 Genetics Education Award, and look forward to seeing where the passion of this “neurobiologist-turned-educator” takes her next.

The NABT Genetics Education Award is sponsored by
The Community College Innovation Challenge Returns!
 
The National Science Foundation and the American Association of Community Colleges have teamed up for the 4th annual Community College Innovation Challenge ! They are looking for teams of three to five community college students, alongside a faculty mentor and community/industry partner, to submit innovative solutions to real-world problems. These can be local to global concerns - and anything in between!

This year's #CCIChallenge is open to all areas of STEM. The 10 finalist teams will attend a four-day Innovation Boot Camp on June 11-14, 2018, in Alexandria, VA where teams learn about innovation and design thinking, entrepreneurship, business planning, strategic communications, stakeholder engagement and more. While at the boot camp, teams will compete for cash prizes and showcase their project and college on Capitol Hill, while engaging with members of Congress and other dignitaries.

Student team members will receive $1,500 each for first-place teams and $1,200 each for second-place teams. The 2017-2018 CCIC closes at 11:59 pm EST on February 14, 2018 . Also, all finalist faculty mentors will receive a $500 honorarium at the Innovation Boot Camp. Submit your entry today .
NAS Livestream of
Science of Science Communication III

Climate intervention…fracking…vaccines…human genome editing…artificial intelligence… with so many complex, important, and sometimes uncertain scientific issues facing our society, there has never been a more critical time to communicate effectively.

Watch the National Academy of Sciences Arthur M. Sackler Colloquia on the Science of Science Communication III live online November 16 - 17 to hear from researchers, practitioners, content experts, and philanthropists, all vested in ensuring that evidence-based science communication thrives. http://nas-sites.org/climate-change/images/nas-logo.png

Register to watch the livestream at  https://ssc3_webcast.eventbrite.com
Spotlight on Sponsors -
Carolina's Top 5 Reasons to Teach Forensics

Have you considered bringing forensics into your classroom? If you’ve had reservations, consider these 5 reasons you should teach this science.

1. Make a real-world connection
Teaching forensic science is a simple and impactful way to bring the real world into your classroom. Your students are probably familiar with forensics from the news, TV shows, and online articles. Forensics brings together the techniques and the science that law enforcement and crime scene investigators use to recreate crime scenes. Some of the most sought-after careers are those in the forensics field. Set up a crime lab and let your students be crime scene investigators for the day. Challenge them to use critical thinking and scientific reasoning to solve a case.

2. Teach a true interdisciplinary science
Forensics is deeply rooted in biology, chemistry, and physics. When you teach forensics, students are challenged to use their knowledge of these sciences to evaluate evidence. From using different chemical compounds to develop latent prints and how they interact with biological secretions in fingerprints, to studying fluid mechanics of blood trails and analyzing bullet trajectories.

3. Meet performance standards
Meet your school and state performance expectations by teaching forensic science. Carolina’s new kits correlate with Next Generation Science Standards* (NGSS)!

4. Incorporate other disciplines across your curriculum
Forensics connects other disciplines within math and science. It can be directly applied to courses in government and civics. Forensics experts often testify in court cases. Understanding the law that governs their jurisdictions and being able to present detailed reports and findings is integral to the role of personnel in forensics.

5. It’s fun!
Students are inquisitive by nature. Who doesn’t want to solve a mystery? Foster that curiosity in an interactive and rewarding way. Help your students build analytical skills and encourage them to use the scientific method when studying a crime. You can incorporate a range of activities from DNA fingerprinting, analyze bloodstain patterns, and recreate bullet trajectories, just to name a few.

Whether your students learn about field or lab forensic techniques (or both), they’re sure to have a blast. And so are you! 
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Phone: (888) 501-NABT 
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2017 NABT Professional 
Development Conference 
November 9-12, 2017
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