Joan Kiely, M.S. 
 
Director, Biotechnology Teaching Center
 
B.S. Microbiology and Public Health, Michigan State
     University
Teacher Certification Program, Stony Brook University
M.S. Molecular Microbiology, Stony Brook University







Professor Kiely is the Director of the Biotechnology Teaching Center and coordinates several of Outreach Programs though the Center for Science and Mathematics Education.

"My focus is linking the exciting research at Stony Brook University to the community through programs for high school students and teachers, and other community groups.  Areas of particular interest to me are environmental microbiology and protein biochemistry.  These are topics very well suited to the high school curricula and I welcome inquiries from teachers and potential collaborators interested in science education.

My course "Current Topics in Microbiology" focuses on the role that microbes play in our ecosystem.  The course introduces techniques and microbes suitable for use in the secondary school classroom.  Concepts covered in previous years include: microbial bioremediation, alternative microbial lifestyles, biofilms and probiotics.  Student projects in 2007 included a microbial battery and an exploration of the microbial flora of salt flats.

The OSI Protein Modeling Challenge is a new program for high school students in protein biochemistry.  Teams of students research an assigned protein and build a model of it based on x-ray crystallography data.  The competition includes an exam on protein structure and function.  This is an excellent adjunct to advance high school biology coursework.  I would like to thank the OSI Pharmaceuticals Foundation for making this program possible.

Also new this year is a competition for middle school students supported by The Ride for Life/ALS Foundation.  Details will be available in the fall of 2008.

Students Modeling a Research Topic (SMART) engages teams of students and their teacher in a deeper exploration of protein biochemistry.  In 2007-2008, I worked with teams from Malverne High School and Mount Sinai High School.  This program is supported through grants from The Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the National Science Foundation in cooperation with The Center for Biomolecular Modeling at The Milwaukee School of Engineering.

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute Summer Scholars Program is a summer program in molecular biology for high school students.  The program is organized around laboratory work and group projects supplemented with seminars by Stony Brook University faculty.

Key to all of these outreach programs are strong collaborations with teachers, students in the Master of Science Education program and Stony Brook Research faculty."

Professor Kiely earned a holds a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Public Health from Michigan State University and a Master of Molecular Microbiology from Stony Brook University.

 

Tel:  631-632-9750
Fax:  631-632-9791
E-mail:  joan.kiely@stonybrook.edu