Bean Beetle Curriculum Development Network

The Bean Beetle Curriculum Development Network is a group of faculty teams that will be developing new inquiry-based studies with bean beetles (seed beetles), Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae), for undergraduate laboratory courses.

We are recruiting faculty teams, consisting of two individuals, from colleges and universities to participate in a two-day intensive workshop at Emory University, Atlanta. Each workshop will be limited to 18-24 participants. Workshop participants will learn about the bean beetle model system, using inquiry-based methods for teaching undergraduate laboratories, and using student assessment instruments. The centerpiece of the workshop is faculty teams developing ideas for new laboratory studies using the bean beetle model system.

After each workshop, participants will fully develop and pilot-test a new laboratory study with bean beetles at their home institution.

Faculty from our 2009 workshop are currently developing and implementing new experiments in animal physiology and neurobiology. The results of their work will be posted on the Bean Beetle website starting in the Summer 2010.

Applications are closed for our 2010 workshop. However, we will be seeking faculty teams in the areas of genetics and molecular biology to participate in our 2011 workshop. We will be happy to send you an e-mail notification prior to the start of applications for the 2011 workshop. The workshop in 2012 will focus on the fields of molecular biology, genetics, and developmental biology.

Click here for a detailed description of the upcoming, June 2010, workshop.

Last Updated: 6 January 2010

Copyright © by Lawrence S. Blumer and Christopher W. Beck, 2010. All rights reserved. The content of this site may be freely used for non-profit educational purposes, with proper acknowledgement of the source. All other uses are prohibited without prior written permission from the copyright holders.

Disclaimer: Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessary reflect the views of the National Science Foundation, Emory University, or Morehouse College.