We work in two areas. The first is traditional cell and molecular biology, focussed on the molecular mechanisms underlying mesoderm formation, and neural crest induction, and tissue and organ patterning, We use the clawed frog Xenopus laevis for these studies, which are increasing focussing on the understanding the roles of poorly understood proteins in intact organisms and tissues. The other area of my efforts is in how to design, assess, and effectively teach students to understand, appreciate, and make use of molecular biology (which includes the foundations of all other biological disciplines). This includes and understanding of evolutionary mechanisms and systems behavior. The goal being to prepare students to be competent and confident teachers of science, through the CU Teach program.
keywords
cell and molecular biology of early embryonic development, mesoderm formation, neural crest induction; organ formation; course and curricular design, the evaluation and improvement of biology education
