1:	Project-orient plant physiology: Responses to environmental changes.

Authors:	Harrison, Marcia, A.(A)
Affiliations:	(A): Biological Sciences, Marshall University
Presenter:	Harrison, Marcia A., harrison@marshall.edu

At Marshall University, many of the students majoring in biological sciences are pursuing careers in forensic science, biomedical research, environmental studies, teaching, and health sciences. Marshall has an active graduate program offering Master of Science (with thesis) and Master of Arts (without thesis) degrees. I have developed a plant physiology course that uses research projects as a means to contribute to the professional growth of our senior and graduate students. This year the class selected light responses as our central class focus. The class worked as a team to design laboratory exercises that employed plant responses to different lighting conditions. The class experiments culminating in the collection of publications, methods, data, and analyses in a class laboratory manual that was also presented in a poster at Marshall University Sigma Xi Research Day sponsored by the College of Science. Each student also designed and performed an individual research project centered on plant responses to environmental changes as a unifying theme. These projects incorporated experimental methods employed in this and their other science classes and were presented as individual posters for Sigma Xi Research Day. Class organization, project summaries, and pictures of the poster presentations will be presented.