Source: UNIV OF ARKANSAS submitted to NRP
ESTABLISHMENT OF A MODERN EDUCATIONAL LABORATORIES IN INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY FISHES
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
SERD GRANT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0215576
Grant No.
2008-38820-19530
Cumulative Award Amt.
$48,720.00
Proposal No.
2008-02457
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2008
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2009
Grant Year
2008
Program Code
[EP]- Teaching Project
Recipient Organization
UNIV OF ARKANSAS
(N/A)
PINE BLUFF,AR 71601
Performing Department
AQUACULTURE & FISHERIES
Non Technical Summary
The Aquaculture/Fisheries Center at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is a nationally and internationally-renowned source of research-based information in the areas of aquaculture and fisheries. Graduates of its B.S. and M.S. degree programs are highly regarded and actively recruited. On a parallel track, UAPB has been moving to become a Ph.D.-granting research university and has worked to build library resources, increase faculty, improve teaching facilities, enhance laboratory and computer capabilities, and to add new graduate-level courses. An understanding of organismal biology of fishes is central to both the continued innovation in aquaculture and in sustaining natural fisheries resources in Arkansas and the Aquaculture/Fisheries Center is establishing new areas of undergraduate and graduate coursework in fish physiology and fish genetics. These areas of study benefit greatly from a process of `tactile' learning by students associated with laboratories and opportunities for independent research opportunities that are integrated with course lecture materials. An education in fish biology is benefited by mentor led laboratories that integrate principles from the molecular level to whole organism responses. Well defined projects in teaching laboratories foster a problem solving mindset that is a critical skill for the next generation of science professionals. Finally, laboratories integrated with traditional coursework provide an atmosphere for developing team oriented hypothesis driven scientific inquiry. The work product originating with students as they successfully proceed through their undergraduate and graduate course work should lead to further interactions with peers at state, national, and international venues and have the potential to be published original research as the students matriculate. Such a portfolio of accomplishments will provide University of Arkansas Pine Bluff graduates advantages as they begin their professional lives. At the heart of this program are respirometry chambers and oxygen monitoring equipment. While these represent a substantial initial investment the on-going collection of new data avoids cost prohibitive and expendable supplies. These latter features increase the liklihood of sustainable research experiences for UAPB students.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
90360993020100%
Knowledge Area
903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery;

Subject Of Investigation
6099 - People and communities, general/other;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;
Goals / Objectives
The goal of this project is to develop a sustained program in laboratories supporting coursework in the Aquaculture/Fisheries Center at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. These laboratories will be science incubators that serve the dual purpose of teaching the scientific method and allowing students to acquire new knowledge that facilitates interactions with peers at scientific venues. This project will purchase necessary equipment to improve the teaching capacity for the faculty of the Aquaculture/Fisheries Center within the School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences, at the University of Pine Bluff. These enhanced educational experiences offered to undergraduate and graduate students in laboratories associated with current coursework will emphasize independent research. To fulfill these goals tools to measure oxygen consumption rates in resting and active fishes will be acquired and training on the use of this equipment will be provided to faculty, staff, and students. These tools that analyze metabolic rates represent an appropriate entry point for students at all educational levels to understanding core principles of the biology of fishes.
Project Methods
This project will purchase equipment to allow sustained integrative physiology laboratories for undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff on topics relevant to both aquaculture and natural fisheries. Objective 1: Purchase laboratory equipment to support enhanced laboratories analyzing metabolism and performance physiology of regionally important fish species. Qubit Systems Incorporated (Kingston, Ontario, Canada) has been identified as the vender of the equipment required for this new program. Equipment will be housed in the Applied Science building on the campus of University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Equipment includes a 32 L swim tunnel respirometer, two static respirometry chambers, and appropriate automated operation and monitoring equipment. September - December 2008 Objective 2: Develop protocols for evaluating metabolism and physiological performance. Dr. Alf Haukenes will develop protocols for the operation of the equipment and train faculty, staff, and students these techniques. April - August 2009 Objective 3: Connect undergraduate students with professionals who are active in the areas of aquaculture and environmental physiology of fishes. This objective will be met by connecting students performing research with nationally recognized scientists examining similar topics. Students will prepare research results in the form of presentations that can be delivered at scientific conferences. The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff computer network system will also be used to provide connections between students at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and federal and academic researchers. The first course scheduled to use this equipment in teaching laboratories will be Fish Physiology taught by Dr. Alf Haukenes during fall semester, 2009 but these activities will continue over the entire duration of the project. Target Audience and Outcomes: Students of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff will be the primary beneficiaries of this program. These students will acquire a strong foundation in physiology and foster a creative mindset necessary as these individuals enter the work force. It is a goal of this program that two undergraduate students will be annually recruited into this program for extensive training in fish respirometry. The students will be trained on the equipment, asked to formulate a hypothesis, and test that hypothesis. Results of these experiments will be presented at university research forums as well as state and national meetings. Additional measurable outcomes of this program that will be reported include: the number of courses within Aquaculture/Fisheries laboratories utilizing the equipment, the number of students exposed to these tools in teaching laboratories, the number of students receiving more extensive training in these techniques, the total number of scientific presentations of data collected by students and the submission of any manuscripts produced.

Progress 09/01/08 to 08/31/09

Outputs
The primary objective of this program was to purchase equipment to support enhanced laboratories analyzing metabolism and performance physiology of regionally important fish species. During 2009, the project leader arranged for the purchase and delivery of the following: a 32 L swim tunnel/respirometer with capacity to evaluate fish performance over a range of temperatures, static respirometers that allow for measuring metabolic rate across a range of fish sizes, and the necessary software and electronics to run and monitor equipment to record respirometry and behavior measurements. The equipment is housed in the Applied Science building on the campus of University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and is made available to students in coursework offered by the Aquaculture/Fisheries program and independent research projects performed by students. The second objective outlined in this program was the development of protocols for evaluating metabolism and physiological performance in fishes. The project leader has developed protocols for the use of purchased equipment to determine swim performance metrics and collect respirometry measurements in fishes. Trials using channel catfish were performed to determine critical swimming speeds over a range of water temperatures. Static respirometry trials using channel catfish have also been performed and metabolic rates across a range of water temperatures determined. One additional faculty member within the Aquaculture/Fisheries Center at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff has been trained in these protocols and the use of this equipment is planned for upcoming courses in fish ecology. Four students were trained in these protocols during class laboratories overseen by the project director in a course focusing on fish physiology. One current graduate student in Aquaculture/Fisheries is developing a research proposal utilizing the equipment purchased by this program. The third objective outlined an ongoing goal of this project which is the connection of UAPB students with professionals who are active in the areas of aquaculture and environmental physiology of fishes. The project director arranged internet connections for seminars delivered by 4 experts in their respective fields during a course covering the topic of fish physiology. Scientists working at USDA-Stoneville, Louisiana State University, University of Idaho and South Dakota State University contributed to this effort by presenting seminars on a wide range of topics (e.g. endocrinology of growth, endocrine disruptors, mechanisms of temperature tolerance and bioenergetics). This network of interacting professionals is anticipated to grow through the use of UAPB distance delivery/video conferencing capacity. To nurture this growth, the project director has delivered lectures to the University of Idaho on fish stress and continues to dedicate efforts to this area of building a community of science that UAPB students are able to interact with. PRODUCTS: The establishment of a labratory at the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff to examine metabolic and performance characteristics of regionally important fish species and to develop a community of nationally recognized scientists that students from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff are able to interact with. OUTCOMES: Four students were trained on the protocols associated with measuring metabolism and swimming performance characteristics of regionally important fish species. Four students participated in seminars delivered by nationally recognized scientists. Two University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff students have expressed interest in using the equipment to perform independent research. One student is integrating the equipment purchased by this program into a research proposal. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: The project director set up a working display of the equipment purchased by this program for an estimated 350 high school students attending annual aquatic science day activities on the campus of University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. The project director has trained one other faculty member on the use of the equipment purchased by this program. As a result, knowledge of the labratory is expanded to include students in both fish physiology and fish ecology. FUTURE INITIATIVES: The equipment purchased during this program is housed on the campus of University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. A current graduate student is developing a research proposal utilizing the equipment in experiments evaluating stress in white bass. The project director will continue to dedicate efforts to provide opportunities for more students to perform independent research using the equipment purchased by this program and develop a community of potential guest contributers for future seminars using University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff video conferencing capabilities.

Impacts
No documented impacts of this program have occurred to date. However, one current graduate student is developing a thesis research proposal on the topic of white bass broodstock selection utilizing the equipment purchased by this program. A draft of this proposal has been supplied to the faculty advisor of this student. These experiments will be performed in 2010 and the results of these trials are anticipated to be reported in scientific journals.

Publications

  • No publications reported this period