News
On June 30, 2023, Mr. Marty Buehler (K-12 Liaison and Region 10 Science Olympiad at WMU) joined the lunchtime discussion on “K-12 engagement at WMU” with 17 BIORETS teachers (https://wmich.edu/biology/biorets).
On, July 7, 2023, Dr. Jim Burns (Director of the STEM Work Collaboratory program at WMU) presented a workshop about this program to 17 BIORETS teachers.
On April 17, 2024, Dr. Allison Witucki (former Research Associate from Center for Science and Mathematics Program Improvement at WMU) presented a workshop on “What is a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE)” to WMU faculty.
On April 24, 2024, Dr. Allison Witucki presented a follow-up workshop on “Developing a CURE using backwards design” to WMU faculty.
On July 16-17, 2024, Dr. Todd Barkman (Professor of Biological Sciences at WMU) hosted a hands-on workshop on “Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS)” for ~25 Upward Bound Kalamazoo campers (https://wmich.edu/precollege/upwardbound/kalamazoo). The students mixed 3-4 different essential oils together to make their personalized “perfume”, loaded the samples on the GC-MS, and analyzed the resulting GC-MS data.
On July 25, 2024, four Biological Sciences faculty (Drs. Benjamin Koestler, Yan Lu, Silvia Rossbach, and John Spitsbergen), eight Biological Sciences graduate students, and one BIORETS teacher visit various facilities at Charles River Laboratories in Mattawan, MI.
On Aug 2, 2024, Dr. Jim Burns presented a workshop on “CUREs and K-12 engagement at WMU” to 10 BIORETS teachers.
On Dec 3, 2024, faculty, staff and students at Western Michigan University (WMU) hosted the campus visit of 73 AP Biology students from Mattawan High School, as part of the BIORETS program led by Drs. Yan Lu and Silvia Rossbach. The high school students were brought to WMU by their teacher Ms. Ann Ponicki, who participated in the BIORETS program in Dr. Cindy Linn’s laboratory in summer 2022. The campus visit started off with a presentation about the WMU College of Arts and Sciences by Ms. Megan Kupres (Manager of Community College Recruitment), Mr. Steven Case (Manager of Recruitment and Outreach), and Ms. Angelina Corbitt (Academic Advisor for Biology and Biomedical Sciences majors). The students then visited Finch Greenhouse in Wood Hall and four research laboratories in Haenicke Hall. Dr. Yan Lu, graduate students Theophilus Addo, Glory James, and Jakob Sell, and undergraduate students Andres Pastoriza and Jake Waterlander served as tour guides. Ms. Amanda Hyman (Director of Finch Greenhouse), Drs. Cindy Linn, Pamela Hoppe, and Andrew Thompson, graduate students Giovanna De Carvalho, Jana Vuckovic, Jacob Mastenbrook and Hao Peng, and undergraduate students Chase Willcutt and Andy Kaczmar set up fascinating hands-on activities for the AP Biology students! A huge thank you to every single volunteer who made this event possible!