THE SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE
I0666 NORTH TORREY PINES ROAD
LA .]OLLA, CALIFORNIA 920]7
6t9 455-9100
For information:
Robin B. Goldsmith
(619) ss4-8134
For immediaterelease
# 040s93-l
The Scripps ResearchInstitute to llost Winner of Prestigious
Summer Teacher ResearchFellowship
La Jolla, CA., April5, t993 -- The ScrippsResearchInstitute(TSRI) hasbeenselected
by the AmericanSocietyfor Cell Biology (ASCB) as the only institutionin SanDiego to
host a recipientof the prestigiousSummerTeacherResearchFellowshipAward.
One of 25 fellowshipawardeesnationwide,RachelTenenbaum,an eighth graOJ
scienceteacherat MarstonMiddle Schoolin the Clairemontareaof SanDiego, will
spendten weeksthis summerin the laboratoryof Velia Fowler, Ph.D., an assistant
memberof the Departrnentof Cell Biology at TSRI.
This is the fourth consecutivesuurmerthat the ASCB has sponsoredthe highly
competitivesummerresearchteacherfellowshipprogram. Its goalsare to provide
teacherswith the opporunity to developexperimentation
skills, build a network with
in experimentation,and bring the
communityscientists,enhanceself-confidence
excitementof scienceinto the classroom.
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TSRI TO HOST WINNER OF'ST]MMER
TEACHER RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP
"This country can maintainits unparalleledleadershipin the basicsciencesby
providing young studentswith the very besteducationaloppornrnitiesand by bringing
scientificinnovationand inquiry into the classroom,"saysNortonB. Gilula, Ph.D.,
Chairmanof The ScrippsResearchInstitute'sDepartmentof Cell Biology and Dean of
GraduateStudies. "We are proud to contributeto this goal by hostingan outstanding
scienceteacherwho will passon her knowledgeand experiencenot only to her students
but to her colleaguesthroughoutSanDiego."
Tenenbaumwill receivea $4000stipendas well as funding to attendthe National
Associationof Biology Teachers(NABT) Conventionthis Novemberin Boston. To
qualify for the covetedfellowship, sheand the other recipientswerejudged in a variety
of categories:the proposedresearchand the quality of plannedinteractionsfor the
teacher,the intendedrelationshipbetweenthe teacherand sponsoringlaboratoryin the
future, the qualificationsof the researcherand teacher,the level of commitment
demonstrated
by the teacher'sschool,and the potentialimpacton women,minoritiesand
low-incomeindividuals.
Tenenbaumwill participatein Dr. Fowler's work in the clmacterizationof
tropomodulinlocalizationrelativeto other sarcomericproteinsduring skeletalmuscle
protein originally isolatedfrom
differentiationin vitro. A novel tropomyosin-binding
humanerythrocytesby Fowler, tropomodulinis a candidateto regulateactin filament
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TSRI TO HOST WII\I\ER OF STJMMER
TEACHER RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP
length at the pointedend. The lengthand spatialorganizationof actin filamentsin the
sarcomeres(contractileunits) of skeletalmuscleare preciselyregulatedand are essential
for productivecontractionand movement.
Accordingto Fowler, "Ms. Tenenbaumwill contributeto this project by learning
the techniqueof immunofluorescence
microscopy,one of the major foundationsfor much
of our knowledgeconcerninglocalizationand functionof subcellularcomponents.She
will learn what can be inferredaboutfunctionfrom thesesortsof experimentsas well as
their limitations. Shewill gain a greaterunderstanding
of the moleculararchitectureand
function of skeletalmuscle. The subcellularorganizationof skeletalmusclecan be used
in teachingas an exampleof how moleculesgeneratestructuresthat are designedfor
specificphysiologicalfunctions.Shewill be able to apply this knowledgedirectly to the
teachingof eighth gradephysiology."
"This awardwill help me meetthe challengesof engaglngmy studentsby
engagingme," saysTenenbaum."It will help me bridge the gap betweensciencein the
classroomand sciencein the real world. I can showstudentsfirsthandthat thev can
make a difference.I can alsobring into the classrooma whole new wealth of expertise,
in the form of researchand researchers
from one of the finest facilities in the country."
Dr. Michelle Marcus,Principalat MarstonMiddle School,echoedTenenbaum's
enthusiasmfor the programand endorsedher qualificationsas a fellowshiprecipient.
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TSRI TO HOST WII\I\ER OF SIJMMER
TEACHER RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP
"Ms. Tenenbaumhasearnedthe respectof her studentsand colleaguesbecauseof her
high expectationsfor students,"shesays."Her numberone classroompriority hasbeen
to involve studentsin hands-onexperimentsso that studentslearn to enjoy science.She
has alreadydevelopedsciencelessonsto sharewith sixth gradeteachersto improve
integrationof sciencein the core curriculum.We anticipatethat this programwill
enhanceher skills and knowledgefor her resourcerole."
Among the researchcentershostingthe fellowshipwinnersare suchprominent
institutionsas GeorgetownMedical Center,Washington,D.C.; ColumbiaUniversity
Collegeof Physiciansand Surgeons,New York, N.Y.; VanderbiltUniversity, Nashville,
Tenn.; Brown University,Providence,R.I.; andHaverfordCollege,Haverford.Penn.
The ASCB fellowshiprecipientswere selectedfrom a field of 77 applicants
throughoutthe United States. Accordingto RobertBloodgood,Ph.D., Chairmanof the
ASCB EducationCommittee,a critical componentof the programis the subsequent
follow-up activitiesthat will allow teachersto translatetheir researchinto improved
sciencelaboratoryopportunitiesfor their students.Theseincludethe developmentof
new curriculum approaches
and laboratoryexercises,and the provisionsfor in-service
activitiesfor other scienceteachers.
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