StAR PROPOSAL. Expanding the Scope: A Whole-Scale Digital Microscopy Upgrade for the Biology Student

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1 StAR PROPOSAL Title: Expanding the Scope: A Whole-Scale Digital Microscopy Upgrade for the Biology Student Point Person: Florian B. Reyda, PhD Biology Department 120 Science I Amount Requested: $200,000 Proposal Summary: Telephone: florian.reyda@oneonta.edu The objective of this proposal is to enhance and modernize the experience of biology majors and other majors in biology courses that utilize compound and/or dissecting microscopes. This will be accomplished by a whole-scale upgrade of the compound microscopes and dissecting microscopes in our teaching labs, and by integration of digital microscopy into our curriculum. The proposed upgrade will enhance active and experiential learning via increased availability of microscopes and via increased capacity for digital image capture with several state-of-the-art wireless digital cameras. Instruction will also be enhanced by additional microscope camera systems for on-screen projection.

2 PROPOSAL Section I Narrative A. Significance and Objectives. Most organisms are microscopic. As a result, both compound microscopes and dissecting microscopes are an integral part of any biology curriculum, and are utilized in laboratory sessions throughout the course of study. This is true at SUNY Oneonta, where our 650+ biology majors represent approximately 11% of the enrollment at the college. In the Biology I and II core courses (BIOL 180 & 181), students first gain experience with compound microscopes to examine either temporarily or permanently mounted specimens on glass slides, viewed at magnifications of times. Further experience with compound microscopes is gained in advanced courses such as ecology or microbiology, or advanced courses in the topic areas within botany or zoology. While taking the core courses, students also gain exposure to dissecting microscopes that are used to display larger intact specimens, or dissected specimens, magnified 7 35 times. Dissecting microscopes are also an integral part of many of our advanced courses. Biology faculty have prioritized instruction of proper microscope use. We not only use microscopes as a means to study phenomena ranging from the cellular to whole-organism and population scales; we view microscope use (i.e., microscopy) as a skill that is fundamental, both for success during our program, and for success after, in graduate school or in professional school in the allied health sciences, and in post-graduation careers. In spite of the importance of microscopy for the biology curriculum, the microscopes that are available to our students, with some exceptions, are woefully inadequate. The basis for this statement is twofold. First, only one of the four teaching labs in which compound microscopes are routinely used for majors is equipped with microscopes that are binocular. That set is incomplete (i.e., there are fewer than 24 microscopes, the number of student seats in a teaching lab); thereby limiting class size. Each of the other three teaching labs is equipped with compound microscopes that are monocular rather than binocular. The primary problem with monocular compound microscopes is that having only a single ocular with which to view a specimen can be an impediment to the experiential learning we so deeply value; our vision is binocular, and it is counter-intuitive to utilize only one eye to view specimens while closing the other eye or allowing it to wander, and prolonged viewing can be tiring. In addition, monocular microscopes limit our ability to train students in microscopy; students are unable to adjust the inter-pupillary distance, as they would with binocular microscopes. In fact, most newly hired faculty express surprise upon arrival to our department when realizing that we have monocular microscopes, models generally considered barely appropriate in K-12 levels. The second reason our current microscopy is inadequate is that most of the machines themselves are quite old, older than some of our faculty. Although we do have binocular dissecting microscopes, two of the three teaching labs in which dissecting microscopes are frequently used are equipped with models that date back to the 1970s, or 1960s. The binocular dissecting microscopes are relatively good models and have endured heavy usage, but their limitations when compared to newer models include a smaller range of magnification capacity, a limited working surface for specimen placement, and equally old accompanying light sources that are falling apart. Many of our monocular compound microscopes are also so old and worn that the gears themselves do not turn easily, impeding use. The objective of this proposal is to transform the experience of the biology major, and for other majors enrolling in our courses. This will be accomplished by a whole-scale upgrade of the compound microscopes and dissecting microscopes in our teaching labs, and by integration of digital microscopy into our curriculum. This is a request for funds for 75 binocular compound microscopes, 18 of which will be equipped with wireless digital cameras, 50 dissecting

3 microscopes with light sources included, one digital microscope camera system complete with compatible compound and dissecting microscope, compatible compound and dissecting microscopes for the completion of two other currently owned digital microscope camera systems, and two other compound microscopes specialized for phase contrast and dark-field applications. This newly acquired equipment will result in the following: Microscopes available for individual student use: Three teaching labs each with sets of 24 compound microscopes, a subset of which will be equipped with wireless digital microscope cameras; two of three teaching labs will also be equipped with sets of 24 dissecting microscopes. Microscopes equipped with wireless digital cameras available at each student lab table: Each student lab table, which seats 4-8 students, will have one compound microscope equipped with a wireless digital camera enabling images to be captured and sent to student-owned or college-owned electronic devices (e.g., tablets, laptops), or to course websites, so that image libraries can be built by student working groups who will then use those image libraries as study references. These cameras can be switched between compound and dissecting microscopes. Three teaching labs equipped with microscope camera systems for on-screen projection: Instructors will be able to project images of specimens observed with either compound or dissecting microscopes onto the large screen in front of the lab via a digital camera that can be interchanged between the two types of microscope. A Microscopy laboratory for student research: There is designated space in the basement of Science I for a small microscopy research laboratory. This would be equipped with 3 compound and dissecting microscopes, a phase contrast microscope, and a dark field microscope. B. Contributions to the Strategic Plan of This proposal supports two of the six pillars of the SUNY Oneonta Strategic Plan: 1) Teaching, Learning and Scholarship; 2) Student Engagement. The requested equipment will allow us to more effectively teach both biological content and microscopy skills to the many biology majors and other majors who take our courses. The acquisition of microscopes will promote active learning because every student in the relevant courses will have access to a microscope. The enhanced microscopy infrastructure in the department will promote scholarship by making available the necessary microscopy for our many students involved in undergraduate research projects. The digital component of this microscopy upgrade will facilitate student engagement by enabling students to take ownership of the process of observing specimens (by doing it themselves) and by enabling students to build their own digital image libraries (i.e., study guides) using the wireless digital cameras. C. Linkage to College Priorities. This proposal will increase the amount of experiential learning in our courses because students will be able to individually use microscopes during the laboratory process of observing biological specimens. It will result in the curricular infusion of pillars as described above in section B. A major thrust of this proposal is technology-enhanced learning in an area unprecedented in our program. Students will benefit from the most recent technological advancements in educational microscopy (i.e., affordable, digital wireless microscope cameras). These advancements are exciting for both students and faculty. One component of this proposal, the dark field microscope to be used for Lyme disease diagnostics, will promote interactions with public and private entities by offering a diagnostic service to the surrounding communities. D. Description of Evidence that Contributed to the Proposal. The primary motivation for the number of microscopes requested in this proposal is the glaring gap that microscopy represents in our curriculum. Both students and faculty have provided feedback on this issue for several years. The need for microscope improvement has been clear in both introductory and upper-

4 division courses where significant amounts of instruction time were lost to helping students with issues related to outdated microscopes, and where coverage of biological content has been limited due to the limited number of usable microscopes. The partial sets of new compound and dissecting microscopes that have been available during the last few years have enabled us to assess the benefits of using new microscopes. One example is BIOL 244 (Entomology), a course that has been taught by the same instructor before and after the acquisition of new dissecting microscopes. Prior to acquiring new microscopes, the instructor was not able to teach the use of insect wing vein patterns as a means of insect identification because the field of view in the old microscopes was too small. The acquisition of new dissecting microscopes with larger fields of view enabled the addition of this critical component of insect identification. The motivation for the digital microscopy component of this proposal is based on two observations. First, the use of compound and dissecting microscope camera systems that were purchased with funds from TLTC grants has enhanced the courses that are offered in the teaching lab where this equipment is housed, such as Parasitology (BIOL 346). In Parasitology, the compound microscope with camera has enabled the instructor to teach, for example, the detailed reproductive anatomy of a tapeworm by projecting an image of the specimen transmitted from compound microscope via camera to the big screen and pointing out individual structures while students view the same structures in similar specimens at their individual microscopes. This type of experience has intrigued other faculty in the department and increased demand for class time with the microscope camera systems. I therefore wish to extend these capabilities to the other teaching labs in the department. The second observation that motivated the choice of a digital microscopy component of this proposal is more recent. In both General Biology II and Parasitology during the last few semesters I have noticed that students are using their iphones to take pictures of specimens on microscopes by positioning their iphone viewfinder directly above the ocular of the microscope. The resulting image is generally poor in quality, but the students are motivated to do this so that they have images available for study back in their residence halls. The availability of wireless digital cameras at each student table in the three teaching labs will be a powerful study tool. E. Assessment of Activity. It would be poor educational practice to continue to force some laboratory sections to use outdated microscopes for the purpose of assessing increased efficacy. For that reason, the value added of the proposed microscopes will be assessed in two alternate ways. First, laboratory grades in General Biology II will be compared from before and after the deployment of new microscopes for those laboratory sessions that use the microscopes, and on the laboratory practical in the course. Similar data will be collected for BIOL 236, an upperlevel botany course that also heavily uses microscopes. Second, teaching faculty will be surveyed in the Spring 2014 semester to determine the approximate amount of classroom time spent on operational issues with the new microscopes. Faculty will be re-surveyed after the deployment of new microscopes to assess whether there has been a decrease in lost time. F. Implementation Strategy and Timeline. The newly acquired equipment will be implemented into the curriculum in a variety of course offerings beginning in fall G. Additional Information. The list of courses that the proposed microscopy upgrade will directly affect includes, but is not limited to: BIOL 180, 181, 203, 205, 206, 236, 238, 244, 250, 282, 296, 342, 346, 362, and 367. Majors served by these courses include Biology, Education, Dietetics, Environmental Sciences, and Biochemistry. This proposal was prepared following discussion and input from Biology Department faculty J. Heilveil, D. Vogler, S. Robinson, K. Schillo, J. Withington, G. Chen, D. Wong, K. Yokota, P. Lord and C. Nersesian.

5 Proposal Title: Point Person and contact information Name: Campus Phone: Campus Department/Unit: StAR Proposal -- Budget Template* Expanding the Scope: A Whole-Scale Digital Microscopy Upgrade for the Biology Student Florian Reyda florian.reyda@oneonta.edu Biology Budget Detail please enter whole dollars; enter fractions of positions in decimals (e.g. 1/2 time = 0.50) 1-time Costs by year Recurring Number of (ongoing) Positions Costs: Total 1-time Costs Use of Funds Description Personnel Costs: Ongoing Salaries (PSR) $0 Temporary Salaries (Temp Service) $0 Student Employment (Student Temp Service) $0 Other Than Personnel Costs (OTPS) and Campus Recharges: Materials & Supplies $0 Travel (not related to Professional Development) $0 Contractual Services $0 Student Scholarships $0 Professional Development $0 General Equipment $200,000 $200,000 Contracts related to Equipment Maintenance $0 Campus Storehouse $0 Campus Telephone $0 Campus Mail $0 Campus Print Shop $0 Capital Costs -- renovation $0 Capital Costs -- new construction $0 Total Costs: 0.00 $0 $200,000 $0 $0 $200,000 Other Funding Sources: New Funds (i.e. projected revenue generation) Lyme disease bacterium screening at $30/tick * 100ticks/year (estimated) Projected Amount Available: $3,000 Reallocation of funds from existing resources (include account number, funding source) Total Projected Other Funding Sources: $3,000 * Updated 12/2/2013