IMPROVING STUDENT INQUIRY SKILLS BY USING ANIMAL MODELS TO STUDY COLITIS

It has recently been estimated that over 1 million Americans suffer from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Furthermore, IBD prevalence is on the rise. Immune cells, including specific populations of effector T Cells, have been implicated in the development of many chronic inflammatory diseases such as IBD, and much research has been devoted to understanding what contributes to their pathogenicity. Often immunodeficient mouse models are used in this research. To introduce students to current research efforts and lab techniques used to explore these diseases, I developed a curriculum based on my laboratory experience through The American Association of Immunologists High School Teachers Summer Research Program. During the curriculum, students play the role of investigator by researching background information via web-quest, designing an experiment to study the function of T Cells in the development of colitis, selecting simulations of immunodeficient mice to use in their experiment, and performing an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to test their predictions. It is the goal of the curriculum to support and develop students’ knowledge of immunology and biotechnology concepts, while giving them experience with real inquiry and expanding their understanding of IBD and the wider world of immunology research.