{"675158":{"#nid":"675158","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Two College of Sciences Faculty Earn Innovation Incubator Grants","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EPrincipal Academic Professionals\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/linda-green\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELinda Green\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E from the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/people\/mary-e-peek\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMary Peek\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/a\u003Efrom the School of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EChemistry and Biochemistry\u003C\/a\u003E have been awarded\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/blog.ctl.gatech.edu\/2024\/04\/26\/transformative-teaching-and-learning-announces-13-grant-recipients-and-launches-new-resource\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EInnovation Incubator grants\u003C\/a\u003E from the Institute\u0027s\u0026nbsp;Transformative Teaching and Learning (TTL) initiative.\u0026nbsp;The\u0026nbsp;grants support the development, implementation, and evaluation of transformative teaching projects in undergraduate courses and focus on CUREs (course-based undergraduate research experiences).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThey are part of the second round of TTL grants awarded to Georgia Tech faculty\u2014and the first to go to faculty from the College of Sciences. Peek\u0027s initiative in the Biochemistry Laboratory II class will enable students to engage in hands-on research, while Green\u0027s Urban Ecology students will focus on studying the impact of green infrastructure in urban settings.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cThe projects proposed by these College of Science faculty will bring the real world into\u2014and beyond the traditional classroom,\u201d says\u0026nbsp;Kate Williams, QEP faculty co-director for the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/oue.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EOffice of Undergraduate Education\u003C\/a\u003E and a senior academic professional for the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ctl.gatech.edu\/home\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ECenter for Teaching and Learning (CTL)\u003C\/a\u003E who leads faculty-facing efforts for the TTL initiative. \u201cWe congratulate Peek and Green who earned these grants, but the real winners are the students who will benefit from these exciting experiential education programs.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMary Peek: Next Level Biochemical Education, Learning through Mini-CUREs\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EIn Peek\u2019s\u0026nbsp;CHEM 4582 \u2013 Biochemistry Laboratory II class, students will design and conduct experiments to support research projects spearheaded by Biochemistry faculty.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cAs a career educator, I am always looking for ways to transform and improve both teaching and learning,\u201d says Peek. \u201cWith this grant, I am especially excited to empower my students to\u0026nbsp;stop thinking of themselves as students \u2014and start thinking of themselves as scientists.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EBiochemistry Laboratory II students will begin the semester doing planned experiments to learn the basics of working in a laboratory and then conduct their own research, proposing an experimental design to investigate the established problems presented by faculty. Biochemistry professors and their designated liaisons will serve as \u201cclients\u201d for the student teams.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cWe hope to transform student learning by establishing a real-world research scenario where students take more ownership of their contributions, defend their work, and gain an appreciation for how challenging scientific discovery can be,\u201d says Peek. \u201cIf the students generate quality data that has merit and addresses the problem effectively, they even have the potential to get their work published.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThroughout the semester, there will be frequent opportunities to consult and collaborate with research faculty, teaching assistants, and other students in the class. The course culminates in seminar-style presentations of students\u2019 work.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cMy goal is for the Biochemistry Teaching Laboratory Mini-CUREs to inspire more critical and creative thinking,\u0026nbsp;motivating students to integrate their knowledge and skills, collaborate more effectively, and become life-long learners,\u201d sums up Peek.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELinda Green: Testing the Impact of Green Infrastructure in Urban Ecology\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EGreen will use the award to add an experiential component to her\u0026nbsp;BIOS 4803: Urban Ecology\u0026nbsp;class.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cThis grant provides an opportunity to immerse students in the outdoors and provide valuable hands-on research to supplement their classroom experience,\u201d says Green.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EStudents in the class will explore interactions between nature and people in city settings, investigating the impact of nature on the supply of healthy air, water, and food, as well as the human impact of climate change, pollution, and habitat alteration on urban biodiversity.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cNature exists within the gray infrastructure of buildings and roads,\u201d says Green. \u201cI\u2019m excited to see where the students take their research\u2014to not just find connections between nature and city life\u2014but then share that knowledge with others.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EStudents will be challenged to develop a project around an element of green infrastructure, then document its effectiveness in improving the community.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cFor their final projects, I\u2019m envisioning a website where student findings will be highlighted in museum-style infographics to communicate the science to a public audience,\u201d says Green.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECollege of Sciences faculty Linda Green and Mary Peek were recently awarded Innovation Incubator grants to advance experiential learning in their courses. Peek\u0027s initiative in the Biochemistry Laboratory II class will enable students to engage in hands-on research, while Green\u0027s Urban Ecology students will focus on studying the impact of green infrastructure in urban settings.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"College of Sciences faculty Linda Green and Mary Peek were recently awarded Innovation Incubator grants to advance experiential learning in their courses. "}],"uid":"36607","created_gmt":"2024-06-20 14:07:28","changed_gmt":"2024-08-15 13:38:36","author":"ls67","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-06-24T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2024-06-24T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"674231":{"id":"674231","type":"image","title":"Linda Green and Mary Peek","body":null,"created":"1719248044","gmt_created":"2024-06-24 16:54:04","changed":"1719251559","gmt_changed":"2024-06-24 17:52:39","alt":"Headshots of two female faculty members","file":{"fid":"257721","name":"Linda Green and Mary Peek.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/06\/24\/Linda%20Green%20and%20Mary%20Peek.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/06\/24\/Linda%20Green%20and%20Mary%20Peek.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1088257,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/06\/24\/Linda%20Green%20and%20Mary%20Peek.jpg?itok=JbchiwyU"}}},"media_ids":["674231"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/ctl.gatech.edu\/ProjectShowcase","title":"CTL\u0027s Teaching and Learning Project Showcase"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"85951","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"13972","name":"Innovation Grant"},{"id":"27081","name":"Linda Green"},{"id":"174016","name":"Mary Peek"},{"id":"192865","name":"Transformative Teaching and Learning"},{"id":"166928","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39431","name":"Data Engineering and Science"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELaura S. Smith\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003ECommunications Officer II\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003ECollege of Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["laura.smith@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}