PEER Program Continues Educational STEM Webcasts in 2018
The Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences’ (CVM) PEER program continues to provide live STEM educational webcasts to K-12 students nationwide through its spring 2018 PEER STEM Education Webcast series, in partnership with KAMU.
Presentations feature professors, scientists, veterinary technicians, and clinicians on veterinary- and STEM-related topics aligned with state science standards, ranging from human and animal health to college preparation, in an effort to enable kindergarten through 12th grade students to make relevant connections between science and real-world careers.
KAMU films each presentation in high definition, and they are then uploaded to the PEER YouTube channel for future viewing. The channel has enjoyed 6,780 views since the start of the semester.
January programs recently uploaded to PEER’s YouTube channel include:
- “Examining Plant and Animal Cells”—Histology professor Dr. Larry Johnson will show vivid microscopic images of the organelles of plant and animal cells (including blood, muscle, and epithelium) and discuss the interaction of cell structure and function. A detailed examination of the cytoplasm and nucleus will reveal how cells differentiate.
- “Keep it Clean!”— Dr. Mark Stickney, from the Texas A&M Small Animal Teaching Hospital, discusses homeostasis, the role of microorganisms in the spread of disease, and how doctors use “aseptic technique” to protect their patients.
- “Biomedical Sciences: Square One for One Health Education”— Dr. Elizabeth Crouch, CVM associate dean for undergraduate education, describes the biomedical sciences major and provides tips on preparing for a course of study in biomedical sciences, as well as the many career paths the degree provides.
Upcoming programs in March include:
- “Introduction to Toxicology”—Johnson will discuss the history of toxicological events leading to current studies and current regulatory agencies, as well as toxicology terms and concepts, from a fun approach. Major effects of toxicants and organ damage, routes and sources of toxicant, and careers in toxicology will round out the presentation.
- “Are You Running on Time?”—Deb Bell-Pederson, Texas A&M professor of biology and faculty member in the Center for Biological Clocks Research, discusses the circadian clock and its impact on our daily lives. Students will learn how this clock regulates our sleep/wake cycle, cell division, and rhythms in gene expression, as well as how defects in the clock are associated with a wide range of diseases, such as mental disorders, metabolic syndrome, and cancer.
- “Decoding Life: Biomedical Genomics”—Dr. Loren Skow, CVM senior professor of biomedical genomics, will describe the process of sequencing and analyzing genomes, illustrate how this technology impacts modern medicine, and explain why comparing genomics of various species has important implications for humans and animals.
The PEER program’s webcast outreach will also continue via its Educational STEM series, which since the fall semester has included 15 webcast presentations viewed by 15,840 students across the U.S.
Those presented in the fall include:
- “Science and You,” “Love Your Lungs,” and “Anatomy and Physiology”—Dr. Larry Johnson
- “Stress and How to Overcome It”—Dr. Bill Klemm
- “Healthy Pet, Healthy You”—Dr. Mark Stickney
- “Milk Pasteurization: A Hot Topic”—Dr. Jeffrey Musser
- “Pathway to a Purr-fect Career”—Blinn Veterinary Technology Program students
- “Living with Bugs”—Dr. Ian Tizard
- “One World, One Health”—Dr. Christine Budke
- “Pharmacology: The Search for the Magic Pill”—Dr. Carly Patterson
- “What Would You Do? Case Studies in Science and Ethics”—Dr. Barbara Gastel
- “Proteins: Structure and Evolution”—Dr. Lawrence Dangott
All of these presentations are available on Youtube.
Article by: Torri Whitaker, PEER program content specialist
