The 15° Laboratory is currently housed in Room 223-F of Peabody
Hall and is affiliated with the Graduate Studies Program of the Department
of Curriculum and Instruction at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.
The Lab is the hub of research activity for the associates, rather than
a singular workspace where all projects are completed. The Lab contains
equipment for analog and digital time-lapse photography, video-probe microscopy,
multiple-camera video imaging; video copy stand work, video
titling and coloring; TV sound effects generation; special video effects
generation; TV sound and video editing, VHS recording, and video monitoring--as
well as computer video to standard broadcast TV video signal conversion.
Its computer system permits construction of large-scale semantic networks,
micro and macro concept maps, and qualitative non-numerical unstructured
data indexing, searching, and theorizing analyses. Through recent grant
funding, the Lab currently has a well catalogued, high quality imagebase
of more than 40,000 color photographs stored on more than 400 Photo CD-ROMs
that can be used by the associates in creating science graphics for research.
This represents approximately .26 terabytes of visual data and it allows
the Lab to begin research on diagnostic assessment of biology students'
conceptual understanding using carefully selected, photograph-based, visual
probes. The Lab's visual cognition testing equipment includes: high-speed test scorer;
electronic visual acuity tester; Keystone View driver vision screener Model VS-II with
remote control; precision R-G colorblindness testing plate sets, handheld Sense-a-Color
electronic colorimeter that measures X,Y,Z tristimulus values and determines CIELab color
co-ordinates , and an inattentional blindness research studio with the world's fastest LCD
display, custom high-speed subject response boxes, millisecond timing accuracy, and custom
visual cognition software.
| LSU is a major university, enrolling over 30,000 students, and is located
in the metropolitan area surrounding the state's capitol--on the banks
of the mighty Mississippi River. It is a sports mecca. Its campus features
hundreds of huge Live Oak trees (draped in Spanish Moss) that shade its ~2,000
acres. The Live Oak trees on LSU's campus have been valued at $36 million. LSU's
landscaping was called "a botanical joy" in its listing among the 20 best campuses
in America in Thomas Gaines' "The Campus as a Work of Art".
LSU is classified as a Doctoral/Research-Extensive University-- the highest
ranking given the Carnegie Foundation, the only such university in the
tri-state area, and one of less than 100 such universities in the USA.
It has strong programs in both pure and applied sciences. The Laboratory
maintains close ties to the life scientists and the cognitive scientists
on campus, and all Ph.D. students associated with the Lab must also take
some graduate-level science coursework. |
 |
Dr. Wandersee is the Wm. LeBlanc Alumni Professor of Biology Education, a Fellow of AAAS,
and a full member of the Graduate Faculty at LSU. Along with his teaching
and research loads, he currently serves as the major professor for many
master's students and for 12 active Ph.D. students in the Department of
Curriculum and Instruction. The University's science education faculty is
located in that department. All 12 doctoral students are associated with the
Laboratory, working and doing research in the field of biology education
or related areas, and preparing themselves for leadership positions in bioeducation
or science education. Some plan to pursue university appointments in science education
or medical education, others seek science education leadership positions in
science centers, botanic gardens, arboreta, museums, and public aquaria.
There may be an opening for one or two more qualified Ph.D. students
who want to become associated with the Lab. Ideally, they should have a
high capacity for work, have at least 3-5 years of successful science teaching
experience, be enthusiastic and polished communicators, have done some
advanced coursework in the life sciences, and have already earned a master's
degree. They should be interested in and willing to pursue a Ph.D. dissertation
research question that falls within the scope of the Lab's mission statement.
They must first be accepted into the Ph.D. program of LSU's Department of Educational Theory, Policy, and Practice (the
degree awarded is in ETPP). The Department has a strong science education faculty with internationally recognized scholars,
as well as a leading curriculum theory group. It also houses a number of major journals. The LSU College of Education has
three state-of-the-art computer laboratories that ETPP students can use.
While the Lab can currently offer no financial support for new associates'
graduate studies, the cost of living in Louisiana is relatively low by
national standards--as is tuition. University Fellowships are available
through the LSU Graduate School, but are highly competitive. Some graduate
assistantships are available through the Department. The LSU catalog is available on-line at the University's web site,
http://www.lsu.edu.
Current 15° Lab Associates and the science
domains in which they are doing biology education-related research:
| Elaine Beck --------------------------------------- |
Cloze Captioning and Life Science Concept Learning |
| Lindsay Bratton ---------------------------------- |
Bioscience Learning Research in Nursing Education |
| Pamelia Derozan ------------------------------- |
Effects of Image-Based Items on Assessing Anesthesiology Learning |
| Jennifer Ellis ------------------------------------- |
Learning Dimensional Analysis in Chemistry Visually |
| Stacie Gregory ---------------------------------- |
How Do Children Come to Understand Properties of Materials Visually? |
| Vaneshette Henderson ----------------------- |
A Visual-Spatial Approach to Pre-College Minority Engineering Education |
| Katherine Law ----------------------------------- |
What Makes College Biology Difficult? |
| Mary Legoria ------------------------------------- |
A National Study of Learning at the US' New Children’s Botanic Gardens |
| Adrienne Lopez ---------------------------------- |
How Do Students Interpret Microscopic Images? |
| Kate March --------------------------------------- |
Informal Bioscience Learning Research at an Aquarium |
| Tracey Morris ------------------------------------ |
Visual Strategies for Recruiting Women into Engineering |
| Phyllis Pedersen ------------------------------- |
Visually Assessing Learning Progress in Nursing Education |
| Helen Peterson ---------------------------------- |
Role of Ethnobotany in Learning H.S. Biology |
| Marene Shepherd ------------------------------- |
Using Concept Mapping as a Learning Tool in Nursing Education |
| Rachel Somers ---------------------------------- |
A Marine Science Middle School's Impact on Learners |
| Angela West ------------------------------------- |
Designing Green Chemistry Laboratories for AP Biology Instruction |
| Trudy Witt ----------------------------------------- |
Effects of Using Electronic Sensorware in College Biology |
|
Former Associates of the Laboratory who successfully finished
their grad. programs at LSU and who are now pursuing their own research programs
include:
| Titled Professor Eleanor Abrams, Ph.D. ---------------------- |
University of New Hampshire |
| Professor JoDale Ales, Ph.D. ------------------------------------ |
Baton Rouge Community College |
| Leo Amiot, Ph.D. ----------------------------------------------------- |
Crowley High School Science Dept. Chair |
| Dilek Buchholz, Ph.D. ---------------------------------------------- |
EBR Parish Schools |
| Professor Lynda Britton, Ph.D. ---------------------------------- |
LSU Health Sciences Center |
| Professor Renee Clary, Ph.D. ----------------------------------- |
Mississippi State University |
| Susannah Craig, Ph.D. --------------------------------------------- |
LA Dept. of Education Tests and Measurements |
| McGuire Educator Jamie Creola, M.A. ----------------------- |
FL Museum of Nat. History |
| Professor Linda Easley, Ph.D. ---------------------------------- |
LSU Shreveport |
| Sharon Flanagan, Ph.D. ------------------------------------------- |
BR Community College |
| Professor Debbie Fox, Ph.D. ------------------------------------ |
Our Lady of the Lake College, Biology |
| Sheila Goins, Ph.D. ------------------------------------------------- |
WBR Parish Schools Asst. Principal |
| Phyllis Griffard, Ph.D. ----------------------------------------------- |
NW State University, LA |
| Professor Sandra Guzman, Ph.D. ----------------------------- |
Baton Rouge Community College, Biology |
| Professor emeritus Marcella Hackney, Ph.D. ------------- |
Baton Rouge Community College, LA |
| Professor Juliana Hinton, Ph.D. --------------------------------- |
McNeese State University, LA |
| Vanessa Hunt, Ph.D. ------------------------------------------------ |
McNeese State University, LA |
| Professor Christine Hypolite, Ph.D. ---------------------------- |
Nicholls State University |
| Exhibit Designer Kodi Jeffery, Ph.D. -------------------------- |
Based in American Fork, UT |
| Professor Gary Lyon, Ph.D. -------------------------------------- |
Governors State University, Illinois |
| Cynthy McCormick, Ph.D. ---------------------------------------- |
Franklinton LA High School Science Dept. |
| Instructor M. Susan Nichols, Ph.D. --------------------------- |
San Jacinto Community College, TX |
| Asst. Dir. Brenda Nixon, Ph.D. --------------------------------- |
LSU Cain Center for STEM Literacy |
| Biology Lecturer, James Njengere, Ph.D. ------------------- |
Egerton University, Kenya |
| Connie Nobles, Ph.D. ---------------------------------------------- |
New Mexico Science Consultant |
| James Quebedeaux, Ph.D. -------------------------------------- |
The Ensworth School, Nashville, TN |
| Adjunct Professor Jewel Reuter, Ph.D. ---------------------- |
LA Virtual HS & Montana State U. Grad School |
| Science Supervisor, Knight Roddy, Ph.D. ------------------ |
East Feliciana Parish School Board |
| Angela Scott, M.Ed. ------------------------------------------------ |
Science Museum Exhibit Designer based in Aberdeen, Scotland |
| Lou Schultz, Ph.D. -------------------------------------------------- |
Southeastern Louisiana University |
| Susan Tittlebaum,Ed.S. ------------------------------------------- |
Kentucky Science Consultant |
| Professor John Trowbridge, Ph.D. ------------------------------ |
Southeastern Louisiana University |
| Professor Robin Ward, Ph.D. ------------------------------------ |
University of Louisiana--Lafayette |
| Instructor Francsca Mellieon-Williams, Ph.D. ------------- |
Baton Rouge Community College, Biology |
| Professor & Assoc. Dean Dennis Wissing, Ph.D. ------- |
LSU Health Sciences Center |
| Mary Gail Yeates, Ed. Spec. ------------------------------------ |
Executive at Lewis Computer Services |
|
After reading the LSU Catalog, telephone or in-person interviews for
prospective C&I Ph.D.s (in biology education) who wish to explore the
possibility of joining the 15° Lab Research Group may be arranged by
contacting the Dr. Jim Wandersee (well in advance) at this E-mail address:
jwander@lsu.edu
|
