Although there is growing national recognition of the need to reform undergraduate biology education, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) have comparatively been slow to respond. Slow response primarily is due to a lack of resources, including faculty training and professional development opportunities. The goal of this proposal is to conduct microarray technology workshops for faculty teaching high proportions of underrepresented minority undergraduates. The first workshop, to be held at Morehouse College, will be organized by Dr. A. Malcolm Campbell (Davidson College) and Dr. Edison R. Fowlks (Hampton University), members of the Genome Consortium for Active Teaching (GCAT; www.davidson.edu/GCAT). Future workshops will be held at similar settings, facilitating attendance of faculty in the region. The workshops will provide background information on microarrays, software training, hands-on experience with microarray data analysis, and wet-lab experiences with DNA microarray hybridization. Workshop participants are expected to integrate microarray technology into their courses. Participants will be able to provide their students the opportunity to work with real DNA microarray data so they can discover first hand how biology is an informational science and organisms are complex systems. Faculty at HBCUs, HSIs, and TCUs will be recruited for participation. For more information, contact Dr. Edison Fowlks at 757-727-5836 (edison.fowlks@hamptonu.edu) or Dr. Malcolm Campbell at 704-894-2692 (macampbell@davidson.edu).
