Meeting Abstract 137-3  Sunday, Jan. 7 14:00 – 14:15  Mud, Salt, and Inspiration: Project Oceanology and the Next Generation Science Standards JACOBS, MW; Project Oceanology mjacobs@oceanology.org Since 1972, students at Project Oceanology have been getting their hands wet and their feet muddy while learning about marine science. This type of hands-on education is always valuable and memorable […]

Meeting Abstract 137-4  Sunday, Jan. 7 14:15 – 14:30  Motivating students to read the textbook before class PEPPER, RE; University of Puget Sound rpepper@pugetsound.edu Many faculty in STEM courses assign textbook reading in advance of lecture, yet evidence shows few students actually read the textbook. Those students that do read often do so only after the material […]

Meeting Abstract 137-8  Sunday, Jan. 7 15:15 – 15:30  Implementing Informal Science Learning into Biology Curriculum for Non-Majors to foster Socio-Scientific Argumentations Skills LAZEBNIK, M./B.*; KUNZ KOLLMANN, E.; LEDLEY, F./D.; Bentley University ; Boston’s Museum of Science; Bentley University mlazebnik@bentley.edu https://faculty.bentley.edu/details.asp?uname=mlazebnik For non-majors, business students, biology class might be the last exposure to science, so the idea […]

Meeting Abstract 137-7  Sunday, Jan. 7 15:00 – 15:15  Dancing Biology: Teaching Evolutionary Biomechanics Through the Art of Dance SWANSON, B*; OSTERSMITH, S; Gonzaga University; Gonzaga University swansonb@gonzaga.edu Communicating complex scientific ideas to broad audiences continues to be a challenge for those of us in the integrative biology community. Here, we describe a project that uses dance […]

Meeting Abstract 137-2  Monday, Jan. 7 13:45 – 14:00  To be or not to be homologous: Evolution of cell type identity of the echinoderm larval skeletogenic cell ERKENBRACK, EM*; THOMPSON, JR; Yale University; University of Southern California eric.erkenbrack@yale.edu http://embryos-and-evolution.com Cell types have diversified prodigiously since the dawn of multicellularity. During development, cell types are specified by cohorts […]

Meeting Abstract 137-4  Monday, Jan. 7 14:15 – 14:30  The Shape of Weaver: The Evolution of Carapace Shape Disparity in Orb-Weaving Spiders (Arachnida: Araneae: Araneidae) KALLAL, RJ*; MOORE, AJ; HORMIGA, G; The George Washington University; Stony Brook University; The George Washington University bobkallal@gmail.com Orb-weaving spiders have long been recognized to show substantial variation in body size, both […]

Meeting Abstract 137-1  Monday, Jan. 7 13:30 – 13:45  Sponges: Degenerate Form or Ancestral State? SPILLANE, JL*; LESSER, MM; MACMANES, MD; PLACHETZKI, DC; University of New Hampshire; University of New Hampshire; University of New Hampshire; University of New Hampshire jlh1023@wildcats.unh.edu The ability of organisms to co-opt genes for new purposes, or to neofunctionalize gene duplicates, is a […]

Meeting Abstract 137-3  Monday, Jan. 7 14:00 – 14:15  Novel Placental Structure in the Mexican Lizard, Mesaspis viridiflava. STEWART, JR*; MENDEZ DE LA CRUZ, FR; East Tennessee State Univ.; Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico stewarjr@etsu.edu Yolk sac placentation is a distinctive characteristic of the evolution of squamate viviparity yet knowledge of the patterns of variation is limited […]

Meeting Abstract 137-7  Monday, Jan. 7 15:00 – 15:15  Impacts of parental genotypes on nestling gene expression NEWHOUSE, DJ*; GONSER, RA; BALAKRISHNAN, CN; East Carolina University; Indiana State University; East Carolina University newhoused12@students.ecu.edu http://danielnewhouse.wixsite.com/home Parents can have profound epigenetic effects on offspring fitness. Little, however, is known about the epigenetic impacts of parental care variation in offspring […]

Meeting Abstract 137-5  Monday, Jan. 7 14:30 – 14:45  How is the endoderm regionalized in chondrichthyans? BONILLA, MM*; SHUBIN, NH; University of Chicago; University of Chicago mmbonilla@uchicago.edu The endoderm, through extensive anterior–posterior (AP) patterning, gives rise to an array of specialized cell types and organs. This regionalization is the result of transcription factors and other signaling molecules […]