The following electronic studio project on the social behavior of polistine wasps began as a tool to assist students at Rice University in their final Animal Behavior assignment. Based on research conducted by Dr. Joan Strassmann, Dr. Dave Queller, and many graduate students, Post Docs, and undergraduates, the project incorporated both data analysis and advanced data presentation. Based on responses from the students who worked on the first project, along with the work of Nicole Gerardo, an undergraduate who was in the Animal Behavior class, the Electronic Studio Project has broadened into an exploration of the processes of scientific research which can be presented to a wide audience.
We ultimately wish to develop several independent projects for grade school, high school, and college students. Each of these projects, when complete, will be able to be used with or without the behavioral video tapes taken of the three studied wasp colonies, though we are more than happy to send you these videos upon request. Because students will be presented with previously collected data, each project will be designed to teach students methods to interpret data and to conduct scientific research.We hope for this project to be a tool for scientific exploration available to scientists wishing to analyze their own microsatellite data, to students throughout the country, and to the public at large.
As the project changes, so will the assignments based on the information. Currently, if you look at the assignments section in the introduction, you will see three different projects which students have participated in over the last year. Though the three assignments are quite different, the information and questions presented can be synthesized to create your own assignment which focuses on the needs and level of your students.
The First assignment, presented in two parts, was the original project used by Professor Joan Strassmann in her Animal Behavior (Bios321) class at Rice University. The project was a culmination of the ideas covered in class throughout the 1994 fall semester. The project emphasizes a student's ability to work in a group to develop a method of synthesizing and presenting collected data.
The second assignment, presented to eleventh and twelfth graders at the South Texas Science Academy in Mercedes, Texas, focuses on developing observation and analysis skills. Students were asked to select three questions which they wished to explore. This choice encouraged them to individually chose the research path they would follow and to focus on a particular problem, giving them a sense of responsibility for the ultimate outcome of the project.
The third set of questions were given to fifth graders participating in Take Your Daughters to Work Day at Rice University. The questions are designed to develop observation skills.
Because this project is in the developing stages, we would love your suggestions for changes and additions which could make the project more useful. If you have suggestions for assignments, questions, comments, or criticisms of the format or content of the document, please email Nicole Gerardo at ngerardo@owlnet.rice.edu or Joan Strassmann at strassm@pop.rice.edu. You can also write to us at the departmental address presented on the home page of the document. We encourage your input.
If you would like copies of the behavior video tapes or more information on past or current laboratory research, please email Dr. Strassmann at the above mentioned address.