Chatroom 17 July 2001 Laurel F. Appel, Wesleyan University

I will be live on the Wesleyan University Pre-Frosh Chatroom Tuesday, July 17 from 7-8 pm, talking about:

• Human Embryonic Stem Cells: the Science and the Ethics
  (see Stem Cell Background Page and self-guided Cloning & Bioethics Questionnaire which you might go through in advance, to examine your own opinions and preconceptions)
  
  
• Research, Introductory Coursework, and Support in the Life Sciences
  (How can I get into a lab to do research? Which Intro Bio course is most appropriate for me? How can I get into a study group? Can I do a semester abroad? What's genomics, and can I major in it?)

My research is on Developmental Genetics of Drosophila -- how gene expression is regulated and coordinated in the developing fruitfly. I work in particular on gene hierarchies in the early embryo that help tell cells in different positions to go on and become different structures. I combine old-fashioned fly-crosses with transgenics, making use of markers that are over eighty years old, and genome data that is only months old, to ask how artificially changing the levels of my gene of interest, ppa (partner of paired) changes expression of downstream genes it regulates. I collaborate with another Wesleyan professor, Michael Weir, and various undergrad and grad students. When not at my desk and computer, you might find me at the microscope with a fine paintbrush in one hand, and a vial of flies in the other.

I teach courses in Development and Genetics, often focussing on Drosophila as a model system, and what it can tell us about human conditions. Because I teach Biol 190, the alternative entry to the Bio and MBB majors, I spend a lot of time at the beginning of the semester helping first year students find the right course to start with. See Should_I_take Bio/MBB 190 or 205 or 225? for some advice if you wish, and be aware that we make it easy to switch between the courses in the first few lectures.

I coordinate various programs under the auspices of a multi-year grant to Wesleyan from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute:

• the Mentored Study Group Program connects students in introductory life science courses with classsmates and a mentor for weekl group study sessions..
• the Hughes Summer Program provides stipends for students to spend the summer doing research with a faculty member in the Life Sciences, and weekly seminars and workshops to supplement the research experience.
• the student/staff/faculty group Wesleyan Women in Science sponsors speakers, discussion lunches, outreach to schools, and networking within and beyond the Wesleyan community.

Public Understanding of Science is a particular interest of mine, which is why I like teaching courses for non-majors as well as courses for majors, and have set up Public Science Panels. See Genomics Links -- for an annotated list of good Web resources for Genomics and other genetics/bioethics/biomedical sites, for the interested NON-expert, that I wrote in conjunction with one of the panels.

Stem Cell Background Page

Cloning & Bioethics Questionnaire

Dr. Appel's Homepage

Some K-12 Math and Science Links