MRI: Development of a Biology Research Laboratory for Art and Communication Students

芝加哥哥伦比亚学院科学研究所的Zafra Lerman博士和Ken Ilio博士获得了一笔赠款，用于建立一个最先进的细胞和组织培养实验室。拟议的实验室将支持Kenneth Ilio博士（共同PI）对前列腺发育的研究，他将与参加科学研究所课程的学生一起进行研究。特别是，他正在设计一种分离干细胞的方法，干细胞是成年前列腺膜组织中最原始的细胞。这项研究的一个主要组成部分是细胞培养，特别是确定将候选原始干细胞分化为更分化的成体细胞的培养条件。这项研究的长期目标是建立来自前列腺干细胞的特定谱系的正常和转化细胞系。从干细胞产生的分化细胞可以作为研究前列腺正常和异常发育，特别是癌症发展的细胞培养模型的有价值的工具。细胞培养实验室补充了ScienceInstitute现有的实验室，即（1）科学可视化和通信实验室，学生可以制作科学概念和过程的2-D和3-D模型，以及（2）分析实验室，学生可以执行和复制类似于法医和环境调查中使用的复杂实验。拟议的实验室将服务于科学研究所教授的所有生物学课程的细胞培养需求。学生将获得动手接触和细胞生物学的基本理解在微观和分子水平。此外，收购细胞培养实验室将使科学研究所网络中的芝加哥公立学校教师能够在夏季和学年期间开展项目。这些研究项目将改进教师在课堂上的教学方法和教材。这门课程对公众的好处是通过为哥伦比亚学院的电视，广播，新闻，教育和其他学生提供强大的科学背景，以及芝加哥公立学校的教师，科学研究所通过这些专业人员积极影响数百万人的教育。为这些传播和教育学生提供第一手的研究经验将保证科学的准确和积极的形象将传达给公众，并将大大提高公众对科学的理解。预计教师接触到这一拟议的设施和科学研究所开发的创造性教学方法将增加寻求科学职业的学生人数。项目结果将在专业会议和科学期刊上报告，除了定期报告科学研究所计划的印刷和电子媒体。

A grant has been awarded to Dr. Zafra Lerman and Dr. Ken Ilio at the Science Institute of Columbia College, Chicago to establish a state-of-the-art cell and tissue culture laboratory. The proposed laboratory will support the research of Dr. Kenneth Ilio(co-PI) on prostate development that he will be conducting with students taking Science Institute courses. In particular, he is devising a method to isolate stem cells, the most primitive cells in the adult prostate membranous tissue. A major component of this research is cell culture, particularly defining culture conditions that will shiftdifferentiation of candidate primitive stem cells to a more differentiated adult cell. The long-term goal of this research is to establish both normal and transformed cell lines of specific lineages that are derived from the stem cells of the prostate. The differentiated cells that arise from stem cells could be valuable tools as cell culture models for the study of prostate normal and abnormal development, particularly cancer development. The cell culture lab complements existing laboratories in the ScienceInstitute, namely (1) the Science Visualization and Communications Laboratory where students can produce 2-D and 3-D models of scientific concepts and processes, and (2) an analytical laboratory where students can perform and replicate sophisticated experiments similar to those used in forensic and environmental investigations. The proposed laboratory will service the cell culture needs of all the biology courses taught at the Science Institute. Students will gain hands-on exposure in and basic understanding of cell biology in both microscopic and molecular levels. In addition, acquisition of the cell culture laboratory will allow Chicago public school teachers in the Science Institute's network to conduct projects during the summer as well as during the academic year. These research projects will enhance the teachers' instructional methods and materials in their classrooms. The benefits of this curriculum to the general public are substantial by providing a strong science background to Columbia College's television, radio, journalism, education and other students, and to teachers in the Chicago public schools, the Science Institute ispositively influencing the education of millions of people through these professionals. Providing these communication and education students with first-hand research experience will guarantee that an accurate and positive image of science will be communicated to the public, and will dramatically improve the public understanding of science. It is anticipated that the exposure of teachers to this proposed facility andto the creative methods of teaching developed by the Science Institute will increase the number of students seeking careers in the sciences. Project results will be reported in professional conferences and in scientific journals, in addition to the print and electronic media that regularly report on programs of the Science Institute.