| | Claudia Husseneder, an entomology researcher, has served as a mentor in the Biotechnology Education for Students and Teachers (BEST) summer program. (Photo by Mark Claesgens) |
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| | Jim Oard, agronomist (seated), is one of the LSU AgCenter researchers who directs research projects for high school students and teachers in the summer BEST program. (Photo by John Wozniak) |
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| | Robert Godke, at right, Boyd Professor in the Department of Animals Sciences, helps BEST high school students and teachers learn about biotechnology. (Photo by John Wozniak) |
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Biotechnology Education for Students and Teachers, the BEST program, was established in 2001 with a $2.5 million donation from the Gordon A. Cain Foundation. The purpose is to raise the level of science education in Louisiana and prepare the state’s youth to become the researchers our society needs for a prosperous future.
Each spring since 2002, six talented Louisiana high school teachers have received a phone call from Richard Tulley, coordinator of the LSU AgCenter’s BEST program, saying they have been selected to participate in the BEST summer program. This is quite an honor because the competition is stiff and the rewards are many.
Each teacher then selects one of his/her students to pair up with for six weeks of intensive training in biotechnology on the LSU campus. Both the students and teachers receive a stipend for the summer – $6,000 per teacher and $3,000 per student – along with paid housing for the session. In addition, each laboratory that hosts a BEST pair receives funds for supplies and equipment.
The summer session includes two introductory weeks of classroom and laboratory instruction followed by four weeks in individual laboratories working under the direction of LSU AgCenter researchers. The teachers and their students initially learn basic laboratory techniques including culturing cells, transferring genes, transferring antibody resistance to bacteria, and separating proteins with antibodies. They then conduct an actual biotechnology research project and report on their results at a faculty seminar at the end of the session.
“When I was in school, a lot of this was theoretical. To come back and see this is amazing,” said Paul Morein, a teacher from Valley Park Alternative High School in Lafayette, who participated in the program in 2004.
Holden High School science teacher Kay Gersch, also in the 2004 session, received the hands-on experience she said she needed to improve her teaching.
“The students are interested. They hear about DNA. They hear about how crime scenes are investigated,” Gersch said.
Gersch and her student Casey Davidson worked with LSU AgCenter entomologist Claudia Husseneder.
“We enjoy seeing people get excited about our research,” Husseneder said. “For us, it is routine. But for them, light bulbs go off. It’s a great experience.”
Now in its fourth summer, the BEST summer program provides high school science teachers with the know-how, tools and research skills to enhance their teaching with more biotechnology education, Tulley said.
“This experience will encourage science as a career and inspire further scientific study that will ultimately benefit Louisiana and the world,” Tulley said. “The program also encourages high school teachers to go on for advanced degrees.”
In addition to the summer high school program, BEST includes an undergraduate research program, graduate assistantships, funding for postdoctoral researchers, and a 3-credit course at LSU that serves as an overview and introduction to biotechnology, which Tulley teaches with guest lectures from LSU AgCenter scientists.
BEST Undergraduate Program
The undergraduate program provides students with a platform on which to form a research relationship with a faculty mentor. Each undergraduate receives a $5,000 stipend and $2,000 for research supplies for his or her project.
For example, during the 2004-2005 school year, Megan Purpera studied gene expression patterns with Robert Godke and Ken Bondioli, professors in the Department of Animal Sciences.
BEST Graduate Program
The BEST program includes fellowships for graduate students to become skilled in various aspects of biotechnology. Three positions in the graduate program provide students with $20,000 annually plus $5,000 for research supplies and other costs.
BEST Postdoctorate Program
To increase the level of biotechnology research at the LSU AgCenter, the BEST program has also created a postdoctorate program. Researchers accepted into this program receive a stipend of $40,000 per year, fringe benefits and $10,000 for supplies.
BEST Class
The “Introduction to Biotechnology” class was added to the LSU curriculum to provide students with an overview of this field of study and encourage them to choose research in biotechnology as a career goal.
Impact
As of the summer of 2005, the BEST program for high school teachers and students has brought 24 pairs to Baton Rouge for summer sessions. In addition, the BEST program has supported nine undergraduate projects with a total of 12 students, three graduate students and 11 postdoctoral researchers.
“The impact is more than the numbers may indicate,” Tulley said. “For example, the teachers educate their students and other teachers on biotechnology, which has a snowball effect.”
Tulley said the program provides undergraduates the chance to go on to other opportunities. Several are in graduate school, and one is in medical school. One of the former postdocs is working in the field of human in vitro fertilization. One is on the faculty at Ohio State University. And two are currently continuing with research at the LSU AgCenter.
BEST Benefits Louisiana
BEST raises the level of science education in the state.
- High school teachers with an understanding of the benefits of biotechnology who can pass on this knowledge to their students.
- High school students given the opportunity to work closely with leading scientists and be inspired to carry on their scientific work.
- Better educated science teachers with advanced degrees.
- A working relationship between Louisiana high school science programs and the LSU AgCenter.
- Improvement in the quality of training in biotechnology at LSU at the undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral levels.
- A cadre of graduates for the biotechnology-related industries equal to any in the nation.
BEST goals coincide with the goals of the LSU AgCenter research program in biotechnology:
- Development of transgenic plants and animals that can be used to enhance human health, such as for treatment of cancer and heart disease.
- Development of transgenics for disease-resistant plants and animals that will reduce the need for antibiotics and pesticides.
- Production of medical and pharmaceutical compounds in plants.
- Nutritional biotechnology related to diet, enhanced food quality and food safety.
For more information about the program, contact Richard Tulley at (225) 578-7879.