Atlanta Christian to Offer Major in Biology

Beginning this fall, Atlanta Christian College will offer a major in biology – the first natural science major at ACC. The College announced today that it had received approval from the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to offer a biology program.

“The biology degree will serve as a launching pad for additional science degrees in the future,” said Dr. Kim Macenczak, vice president for academic affairs. Courses within the biology program encourage students to reflect on the relationship between the life sciences and the Christian faith, while honing skills in critical observation, analysis and precision.

“Plans are underway for study abroad programs for biology majors, as well as the use of venues in metro Atlanta for detailed study of the natural sciences,” Macenczak added.

Atlanta Christian’s new Department of Math and Science is chaired by Emory University graduate Dr. Dedra Woolfolk.

Atlanta Christian College’s mission is to educate students for Christ-centered service and leadership throughout the world. Founded in 1937, the College enrolls more than 900 students. The College’s board of trustees is currently in the process of selecting a new location for the main campus in order to accommodate further growth. Atlanta Christian College is affiliated with the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ.

New Doctoral Program in Cancer Biology Links Winship With Graduate School

A new interdisciplinary doctoral program in cancer biology will allow students with a primary interest in cancer research to train with faculty associated with Georgia’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer center — the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University.

Emory University’s Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (GDBBS), a division of the Laney Graduate School, in partnership with Winship, is creating a new doctoral program in Cancer Biology and will begin accepting students in the spring of 2011 for fall enrollment.

The Cancer Biology graduate program will provide students with the ability to focus their course work and training specifically in all domains of cancer research. Although graduate students have been able to work in laboratories at Emory specializing in cancer, organizers expect the new program to expand training and research opportunities.

“There has been considerable interest in cancer among applicants to the GDBBS, yet no single program existed to capture students who have a primary interest in cancer research. Our goal is to recruit the brightest young scientists interested in cancer,” says Erwin Van Meir, PhD, professor of neurosurgery and hematology and medical oncology, and the program’s founding director.

Students will be able to tailor their training, addressing areas such as the basic cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive cancer initiation and progression, or the more clinical and translational aspects of cancer therapeutics and drug discovery.

“The creation of a graduate program in cancer biology aligns with Winship’s strategic vision, which includes education of the next generation of cancer scientists,” says Walter Curran, MD, executive director of Winship. “This is an important program that will influence the field of cancer research in the years to come.”

Like other PhD training programs in the GDBBS, the Cancer Biology program stands outside a single departmental base. As such it will draw from a diverse base of Emory faculty with active research labs representing several departments within the School of Medicine, the School of Public Health, the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory College departments including Chemistry, Biology and Physics, and the nearby Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“It’s important to recognize that the Cancer Biology program will enhance and complement the other graduate programs within the GDBBS,” says Keith Wilkinson, professor of biochemistry and director of the GDBBS. “Because of its interdisciplinary approach and large number of training opportunities, the Cancer Biology program will fit well within the GDBBS.”

Lisa Tedesco, PhD, Laney Graduate School Dean, is enthusiastic about the new program. “The Cancer Biology program promises to be an outstanding area for doctoral student preparation, in its contributions to new science and new cures, with high impact in basic, translational and clinical research.”

The new program will initially accept six new students per year with matriculation starting in Fall 2011 and applications opening this month. The Cancer Biology program will represent the ninth PhD program within GDBBS, and the first new program in over a decade.

Paula Vertino, PhD, Emory professor of radiation oncology, will serve as director of graduate studies. Lawrence Boise, PhD, professor of hematology and medical oncology, will serve as director of recruitment.



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UGA Researchers Receive $ 1.3 Million NIH Grant to Develop 3D Animated Biological Science Lessons for High School Students

After using 3-dimensional models and animation successfully for years to help veterinary students understand complicated biological processes, University of Georgia researchers now want to take the user-friendly lessons to Georgia high school students.

J. Steve Oliver, associate department head of science and math education in UGA’s College of Education, is principal investigator of the project, which received a 5-year $ 1.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Science Education Partnership Program. Oliver and several other UGA researchers and state partners will create and evaluate 3D animated biology lessons for high school students in hopes of enticing more of them to choose careers in science. The grant is funded by the National Center for Research Resources, a part of the NIH.

“We’re deeply concerned about the general lack of interest in science among young people in our country,” said Oliver. “We believe at least part of the reason is that many don’t understand the relevance of science to their lives. The animated lessons will help them to see biology as ‘real,’ and not just a list of facts and terms.”

Oliver’s UGA co-PIs on the project include Jim Moore, Cindi Ward, and Scott Brown, professors in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Four other professors from vet med, Gaylen Edwards, David Hurley, Oliver Li and Tom Robertson, along with Randall Tackett, a professor in the College of Pharmacy, and Mike Hussey, an associate professor of dramatic media, will help create the 3D animations. Al Cohen and Sara Templin in the College of Education will coordinate the evaluation efforts when the new materials are used in schools. Other partners include faculty at Augusta State University, high school science teachers and the Biological Science Curriculum Study Organization., a group in Colorado Springs, Colorado that has been developing biology curricula for middle and high school students across the nation for more than 50 years. The BSCS will guide aspects of the biology curriculum and oversee national distribution upon completion of the project.

Researchers will create and then evaluate the effectiveness of the lessons, which present five vital biological processes—filtration, passive and active transport, blood pressure and glucose homeostasis in the body. The 3D animations will compare the function and structure of a healthy kidney to one affected by diabetes. Students will examine each of the biological processes in the normal kidney, and then investigate how they are altered in the diseased kidney, subconsciously learning the material while enjoying the experience.

“The typical student doesn’t appreciate the potentially damaging effects on their cells and organs of lifestyle choices they make every day,” said Jim Moore, who teaches UGA veterinary students. “For example, the incidence of diabetes is increasing in pet animals the same way it is in the human population—and perhaps for the same reasons: a lack of exercise and obesity. We believe that some high school students will be better able to explore the consequences of the disease in a pet animal than might be possible with a disease they believe only affects humans.”

To introduce high school students to the clinical reality of diabetes in humans and pet animals, the researchers will host visits to UGA’s Colleges of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy. During the visits, students will see animals with diabetes, learn how veterinarians and physicians evaluate kidney function in humans and animals, and see how clinical trials are performed to evaluate the effectiveness of new treatments.

“By coupling this unique learning method with on-site visits, we believe students will be far more receptive to choosing a science-based career path, be it as a scientist or a science teacher,” said Oliver.

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