Table 4.
Example of project planning
| Project milestone | Student submission example |
|---|---|
| Background: Students were asked to summarize the background of their projects. | ”Resent research has shown that cells grown on materials with different elasticities will respond to their environment differently. … Because most research tools currently depend heavily on the use of microscopes, it is also important for the new material to have the material properties of glass, i.e. its index of refraction, and can be used in microscopy.“ |
| Goal of project: Students confer with their mentors on the goals of the projects (attainable in 10 wk). | ”The goal of this project is to coat the glass slides with a new polymer that is more elastic than glass and more similar to in vivo environment, but one that has properties of glass. … . Material will be characterized by Atomic Force Microscopy and cell adhesion will be monitored using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRF). … .“ |
| Materials and Methods: Students were asked to identify the main methods and materials they would use. Students were also given a budget of $1000 for project related supplies. | ”We start by spin coating [polymer] and curing it for various times. … . Atomic Force Microscopy will be used to detect the roughness of the surface. … . Image of the focal adhesions of cells can be obtained using TIRF.“ |
| Expected Results: Students were asked to think carefully about what the expected results were. | ”[the polymer]. … should have a cured index of refraction of 1.56, which is not substantially differently than the glass index of refraction of 1.52. By using TIRF on Thursday, we saw that the polymer works just as well in microscopy as if it was a plain glass slide. … .“ |
| References: Students collected at least five references related to their projects. | ”Costantino, Santiago. “Two-Photon Fluorescent Microlithography.” Microscopy Research and Technique 68 (2005) 272–276. May, 31 2007. Discher, Dennis E. and Janmey, Paul, and Wang, Yu-li. “Tissue Cells Feel and Respond to the Stiffness of Their Substrate.” Materials and Biology Science 310 May 3, 2007 1139–1143. May, 31 2007… .“ |
Students consulted with mentors in week 1 to discuss details of project plan. Project plan was outlined using Gantt charts (see Figure 2).