Fly Studies Create Buzz
For the average person, fruit flies are simply annoying. But for Assistant Professor of Biology and Department Chair, Dennis Venema, Ph.D., these tiny bugs are anything but irritating.
“Fruit flies have a long history as a research and teaching organism,” says Venema. “The first genetic map ever constructed was of fruit flies in the early 1900s, and today they continue to be used for cutting-edge developmental biology and genetics research.”
Venema, who teaches cell biology and genetics courses, hit upon an idea to make teaching with flies much easier. His innovation allows instructors to greatly reduce the time and effort required to set up breeding experiments. In 2006, his research appeared in print and has since been widely adopted in Canada, the United States, and Europe.
This year, the National Association of Biology Teachers, a US-based international association of high school and university biology instructors, recognized Venema’s work with an award for excellence in university biology instruction.
Jessica Vanderploeg, a fourth-year biology major who has been in several of Venema’s classes and worked under his supervision during summer research and her senior thesis, feels that Venema is a “deserving recipient of the award. Inside the classroom or lab, he is innovative in incorporating relevant discussions and hands-on activities that engage the student in the material.”
Although Venema is honoured to be recognized by his peers, he feels that the award is really more of “a reflection of the excellence of teaching at TWU as a whole,” citing TWU’s “culture of teaching excellence” as an important stimulus for his work. He adds, “In a time when many universities cut costs by reducing or eliminating laboratory experience, TWU retains a strong commitment to providing excellent laboratory instruction in the sciences at all year levels”.
by Laura Ralph
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