In Search of the Active Site of PMMO Enzyme: Partnership between a K-12 Teacher, a Graduate K-12 Teaching Fellow, and a Research Mentor

Authors

  • Katherine K. Bearden Louisiana Tech University
  • Daniela S. Mainardi Louisiana Tech University
  • Tanya Culligan Caddo Parish Magnet High School

Abstract

The partnership between a K-12 teacher (Culligan), an NSF GK-12 Teaching Fellow graduate student (Bearden), and a Louisiana Tech faculty member (Mainardi) collaborating in a research and education project is described in this work. The unique grouping of these three researchers allows for maximum dissemination of developed modules. By the end of the 6-week RET program, the group develops modules to explain the concept of the research conducted on the modeling of enzymes.

Author Biographies

Katherine K. Bearden, Louisiana Tech University

Katherine K. Bearden received her B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in December 2005and her M.S. in biomedical engineering from Louisiana Tech University in 2008. She is currently a Ph.D. student in engineering at Louisiana Tech University working on the modeling of enzymatic systems under the guidance of Dr. Mainardi.

Daniela S. Mainardi, Louisiana Tech University

Daniela S. Mainardi is a tenured associate professor of chemical engineering and nanosystems engineering at Louisiana Tech University, currently holding the Thomas C. & Nelda M. Jeffrey Professorship in Chemical Engineering. She has received her NSFCareer Award in 2005 and her research work focus on the molecular modeling of nano- and bio-systems for catalysts applications. She is also a Co-Pl of the GK-12 Creating Connections (NSF grant 0638730) program, and the Nanoscience Education and Research Outreach (NERO) program's Research Experience for Teachers (RET) (NSF grant 0602029) at Louisiana Tech University.

Tanya Culligan, Caddo Parish Magnet High School

Tanya Culligan is a tenth-grade Biology I and twelfth-grade Biology II AP teacher at Caddo Parish Magnet high school in Shreveport, Louisiana. She participated in the 2007 and 2008 Nanoscience Education and Research Outreach (NERO) program's Research Experience for Teachers (RET) at Louisiana Tech University.

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Published

2009-09-01

Issue

Vol. 43 No. 4 (2009): Fall 2009

Section

Manuscripts