Spring 2010 Meeting: Edinburgh International Conference Centre, Edinburgh - 29 March - 1 April 2010

(ED09) Innovation in microbiology learning and teaching (EdD) joint with HEA Centre for Bioscience Tuesday 30 March 2010 Organizers: David J. Adams — email d.j.adams@leeds.ac.uk & Alan J. Cann — email alan.cann@leicester.ac.uk
When asked what they are looking for in a microbiology graduate, employers often stipulate a well-rounded individual who is self-motivated, can solve problems and interacts productively with fellow scientists. This symposium, organised jointly by the SGM and the HE Academy UK Centre for Bioscience, will give you the opportunity to discuss innovative approaches to delivering this paragon. The first half will look at how we can foster the key skills of creativity, problem-solving and enquiry-based learning in the laboratory and field. This will include a keynote presentation about an exciting 'Phage-Hunting' project from the University of Pittsburgh, which allows students from a range of educational backgrounds to engage in authentic scientific enquiry. We will then explore the impact of social networking tools, both on our students' learning and on our own teaching practice. The symposium should be of interest to anyone involved in teaching microbiologists who wants to learn how to exploit the power of emerging approaches and technologies. If you think Twitter is just for chatting to celebrities, it's time to take a fresh look! Session outline  » You can follow this session on Twitter using the hashtag #sgmed10
Promoting key skills in microbiology teaching
Chair: David J. Adams (UK Centre for Bioscience, Leeds)
0830	Carol A. Wakeford	University of Manchester	A culture of creativity: techniques to foster new ideas
0930	Tina Overton	Higher Education Academy, Hull	Problem solving
1030	Refreshments
1100	Gus Cameron	eBioLabs, University of Bristol	Laboratory skills
1200	Fleming Prize Lecture Dr Steve Diggle (University of Nottingham) Microbial communication and virulence: lessons from evolutionary theory
1300	Lunch
Chair: Sue J. Assinder (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine)
1400	Graham F. Hatfull	University of Pittsburgh, USA	Where there’s smoke there’s PHIRE: authentic research projects for novice researchers
Using Web2.0 technologies for teaching microbiology - information overload or filter failure?
Chair: Alan J. Cann (University of Leicester)
1500	D. Cameron Neylon	STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot	Information overload or filter failure?
1530	Vincent Racaniello	Columbia University Medical Center, New York, USA	Social media in microbiology education and research
1600	Refreshments
1630	Kevin Emamy & Jason Hoyt	CiteULike, London / Mendeley, London	Automated discovery of scientific literature
1730	End of symposium

Last updated 9 March 2010.