December 19, 2001

Columbus State University biology students can soon study with the latest computer technology equipment integrated into their laboratories thanks to a $40,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.

Biology professors Brian Schwartz and Harlan Hendricks sought the grant to enhance the learning experience for students in the introductory biology laboratory.

Schwartz and Hendricks will be able to outfit their lab with an array of computers, graphing calculators, probes and sensors. The new equipment will greatly improve the students' abilities to perform quantitative analysis during lab exercises in LeNoir Hall. The system, also supported through matching funds from CSU's College of Science, will be applied to the Principles of Biology course.

'The students will be able to visualize data in real time as they collect it,' Schwartz said. The sophisticated process, he added, will not only improve their analytical skills, but also deepen their interest in and motivation to practice science.

The Science Foundation program that funded the grant, titled 'Course, Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement,' also is intended to inspire greater numbers of future science teachers among undergraduates as well as increase participation in science by women and underrepresented minorities, Schwartz said.

-30-

For more information, contact Brian Schwartz at 706-569-3017 or by e-mail at schwartz_brian@ColumbusState.edu or Harlan Hendricks at 706-568-2069 or by e-mail at hendricks_harlan@ColumbusState.edu.