The undergraduate research apprenticeship - improving the relevance of science teaching through authentic research experience.

The undergraduate experience is arguably the most important in shaping the future career trajectories of students. It is here that early exposure to the widest possible range of disciplines and practical experiences will have the most impact. In the face of a reduction in the number of students entering both undergraduate science and research as a career option, we must urgently initiate strategies to engage and retain students in science. This can be achieved by a research experience in a ‘mentored apprenticeship model’ in the context of an authentic laboratory/field during their formative undergraduate years. It is widely acknowledged that an interactive, enquiry-based approach to learning provides the most meaningful and lasting learning experience for students. It is similarly accepted that, within science, undergraduate research experiences are pivotal in providing context to student learning and providing a true sense of what it means to be a 'scientist'. In this discussion forum we will summarise research-based experiences currently available for Bachelor of Science (BSc) students at The University of Queensland (UQ). We will then look in detail at a proposed new ‘mentored apprenticeship model’, being examined for introduction into the UQ BSc from 2008 following the recent major review. The proposed model builds on the existing UQ Advanced Study Program in Science combined with the University of Michigan’s Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program and aims to: • achieve an increased level of student engagement to complement other strategies for motivating students who are in large first year classes • show students the functional/practical relevance of the core content of their course material • provide students with a personal experience of doing science so that they can plan their future studies from a more informed perspective • minimize the attrition rate from the first year science cohort • provide a mentored cohort experience to engage and support under-represented groups such as indigenous and international students • actively build on the tremendous investment in institutes at UQ by increasing the direct involvement of these research academics in the undergraduate science program (for example, places for 25 students have already been committed by one of the UQ research institutes) • increase the number of students proceeding to postgraduate education as the next step to a worthwhile and personally rewarding career trajectory in science. The proposed ‘mentored apprenticeship model’ provides a step-wise approach to a student’s growth as an apprentice scientist. As undergraduates progress through their degree-program their learning experiences in science should also progress closer and closer to those of a ‘scientist’ until, on graduation, they are fully-prepared for their science-related career. The new model achieves this through establishing strong working partnerships between students and research groups, supplementing traditional practical components of undergraduate courses by ‘doing’ more science and providing students with an opportunity to talk more about science. Within this forum participants will be asked to explore: • How are the theoretical frameworks of enquiry-based learning being translated into practical applications? • What are the outcomes of an undergraduate research opportunity? • How do we assess this learning? • What are the experiences of other institutions – how have they met the challenge of an authentic research experience, in a research-intensive university, for large numbers of students? • Are there discipline-specific variations to these approaches

Exploring User Needs in the Development of a Virtual Reality-Based Advanced Life Support Training Platform: Exploratory Usability Study

Background: Traditional methods of delivering Advanced Life Support (ALS) training and reaccreditation are resource-intensive and costly. Interactive simulations and gameplay using virtual reality (VR) technology can complement traditional training processes as a cost-effective, engaging, and flexible training tool. Objective: This exploratory study aimed to determine the specific user needs of clinicians engaging with a new interactive VR ALS simulation (ALS-SimVR) application to inform the ongoing development of such training platforms. Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with experienced clinicians (n=10, median age=40.9 years) following a single playthrough of the application. All clinicians have been directly involved in the delivery of ALS training in both clinical and educational settings (median years of ALS experience=12.4; all had minimal or no VR experience). Interviews were supplemented with an assessment of usability (using heuristic evaluation) and presence. Results: The ALS-SimVR training app was well received. Thematic analysis of the interviews revealed five main areas of user needs that can inform future design efforts for creating engaging VR training apps: affordances, agency, diverse input modalities, mental models, and advanced roles. Conclusions: This study was conducted to identify the needs of clinicians engaging with ALS-SimVR. However, our findings revealed broader design considerations that will be crucial in guiding future work in this area. Although aligning the training scenarios with accepted teaching algorithms is important, our findings reveal that improving user experience and engagement requires careful attention to technology-specific issues such as input modalities

Particulate Matter, an Intrauterine Toxin Affecting Foetal Development and Beyond

Air pollution is the 9th cause of the overall disease burden globally. The solid component in the polluted air, particulate matters (PMs) with a diameter of 2.5 μm or smaller (PM2.5) possess a significant health risk to several organ systems. PM2.5 has also been shown to cross the blood–placental barrier and circulate in foetal blood. Therefore, it is considered an intrauterine environmental toxin. Exposure to PM2.5 during the perinatal period, when the foetus is particularly susceptible to developmental defects, has been shown to reduce birth weight and cause preterm birth, with an increase in adult disease susceptibility in the offspring. However, few studies have thoroughly studied the health outcome of foetuses due to intrauterine exposure and the underlying mechanisms. This perspective summarises currently available evidence, which suggests that intrauterine exposure to PM2.5 promotes oxidative stress and inflammation in a similar manner as occurs in response to direct PM exposure. Oxidative stress and inflammation are likely to be the common mechanisms underlying the dysfunction of multiple systems, offering potential targets for preventative strategies in pregnant mothers for an optimal foetal outcome.</jats:p

The STEM Ecosystem: building cross-disciplinary leadership capacity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) are critical for national productivity and global competitiveness. Demand for tertiary graduates with cross-disciplinary STEM skills will continue to exponentially exceed supply in Australia in the next 25 years (McLaughlin &amp; Reid, 2012). Leadership in the promotion of STEM cross-disciplinary learning and teaching is critical to the development of future graduates. With these identified skills shortages across the STEM professions, there is a growing need for academic staff to impart knowledge from their own disciplines across new STEM learning boundaries and build skills in providing cross-disciplinary STEM opportunities for future graduates. This project, through the connection of industry, STEM academics and students created these opportunities and demonstrated the emerging potential in cross-disciplinary learning and teaching. The project also forged new patterns of learning opportunities in STEM tertiary education across Australia and crossed discipline and Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) boundaries

Nedd4 and Nedd4-2: Ubiquitin ligases at work in the neuron

Ubiquitination of proteins by the Nedd4 family of ubiquitin ligases is a significant mechanism in protein trafficking and degradation and provides for tight spatiotemporal regulation. Ubiquitination is gaining increasing recognition as a central mechanism underpinning the regulation of neuronal development and homeostasis in the brain. This review will focus on the Nedd4 and Nedd4-2 E3 ubiquitin ligases that are implicated in an increasing number of neuronal protein-protein interactions. Understanding of the contribution of Nedd4 and Nedd4-2 in regulating key functions in the brain is shedding new light on the ubiquitination signal not only in orchestrating degradation events but also in protein trafficking. Furthermore, the description of several novel Nedd4/4-2 targets in neurons is changing the way we conceptualize how neurons maintain normal function and how this is altered in disease

The Opinion Editorial: teaching physiology outside the box

Improving the public understanding of science is an important challenge for the future professional scientists who are our current undergraduates. In this paper, we present a conceptual model that explores the role of mass media as community gatekeepers of new scientific findings. This model frames the benefits for undergraduate science students to learn about media genres so that they can learn to communicate science more effectively to nonprofessional audiences. Informed by this Media Role model, we then detail a novel writing task for undergraduate physiology students, the Opinion Editorial (Op-Ed), and an accompanying Peer Review. The Op-Ed genre was directly taught to the students by a professional journalist. As an assessment task, students presented a recent, highly technical paper as an Op-Ed. This was assessed by both faculty members and peers using a detailed assessment rubric. Most students were able to replicate the features of Op-Eds and attained high grades on their writing tasks. Survey data from final-year physiology students (n = 230) were collected before and after the implementation of the Op-Ed/Peer Review. These indicated that most students were aware of the importance of scientists to effectively communicate their knowledge to nonprofessional audiences, that the Op-Ed writing task was challenging, and that they believed that their ability to write to nonprofessional audiences was improved after explicit teaching and feedback

Albumin transport and processing by the proximal tubule: physiology and pathophysiology

Purpose of review Significant epidemiological and clinical trial evidence supports the association between increased urinary albumin excretion, cardiovascular events and renal failure. An increase in albumin excretion has traditionally been considered to reflect a 'glomerular' leak of protein; however, it is now recognized that significant tubular reabsorption of albumin occurs under physiological conditions that may be modified by genetic determinants, systemic disease and drug therapies. Recent findings The endocytosis of albumin by the proximal tubule is a highly regulated process depending on protein-protein interactions between several membrane proteins and scaffolding and regulatory molecules. The elucidation of these interactions is an ongoing research focus. There is also mounting evidence for a transcytotic pathway for retrieval of albumin from the tubular filtrate. The molecular basis for the role of albuminuria in both interstitial renal disease. and cardiovascular pathology continues to be defined. The clinical implications of albuminuria due to a glomerular leak vs: reduced tubular reabsorption of albumin area however;, now under consideration. In particular, the prognostic implication of microalbuminuria induced; by the more potent 3-hydroiy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors is under study: Summary The currently defined mechanisms underpinning the tubular reabsorption of albumin, how these are modified by pathology and pharmacology, and the clinical implications are the subject of this review

ClC-5: A chloride channel with multiple roles in renal tubular albumin uptake

ClC-5 is a chloride (Cl-) channel expressed in renal tubules and is critical for normal tubular function. Loss of function nonsense or missense mutations in ClC-5 are associated with Dent&#039;s disease, a condition in which patients present with low molecular weight (LMW) proteinuria (including albuminuria), hypercalciuria and nephrolithiasis. Several key studies in ClC-5 knockout mice have shown that the proteinuria results from defective tubular reabsorption of proteins. ClC-5 is typically regarded as an intracellular Cl- channel and thus the defect in this receptor-mediated uptake pathway was initially attributed to the failure of the early endosomes to acidify correctly. ClC-5 was postulated to play a key role in transporting the Cl- ions required to compensate for the movement of H+ during endosomal acidification. However, more recent studies suggest additional roles for ClC-5 in the endocytosis of albumin. ClC-5 is now known to be expressed at low levels at the cell surface and appears to be a key component in the assembly of the macromolecular complex involved in protein endocytosis. Furthermore, mutations in ClC-5 affect the trafficking of v-H+-ATPase and result in decreased expression of the albumin receptor megalin/cubulin. Thus, the expression of ClC-5 at the cell surface as well as its presence in endosomes appears to be essential for normal protein uptake by the renal proximal tubule