Name: David M. Stone, Teaching Associate, Biology

Brief Description of Use of Funds:
Support from the Makino Foundation will allow students to explore new dimensions in technology leading to incorporation of digital macrophotography into the field biology class, incorporation of time lapse photography into introductory and organismal biology labs and demonstrations, allow for student production and use of short web-ready movies in all of the biology classes, and be used for various grant activities involving Uni and various campus departments and state research organizations.

Project Narrative:
I first became involved in digital photography as a result of a receiving a 2002 Stoddard award that allowed me to attend an animal behavior seminar. This led to the development of a digital photographed-based arthropod collection option in the field biology class (http://www.uni.uiuc.edu/~dstone/dig_bio_proj_fieldbio.html) during Fall, 2002, Uni High involvement in the Illinois Schools' Flora and Fauna Online Project (http://www.siue.edu/OSME/river/Descriptionofprogram.htm), and development of the Spring, 2003 Organismal Biology Digital Plant Project (http://www.uni.uiuc.edu/~dstone/dig_bio_proj_orgbio.html). These projects were presented at a biology teacher meeting during June, 2003.

Should this proposal be accepted, Makino funds will pay for the purchase of a Nikon Coolpix 5400 digital camera. This camera is capable of producing extremely high quality macrophotographic images, accepting a variety of different type of lenses (including connection to a microscope), and recording short movies (including time lapse movies) with sound. This will provide for incorporation of digital macrophotography into the field biology classes, incorporation of time lapse photography into labs and demonstrations in the introductory and organismal biology classes, and allow for student production and use of short web-ready movies in all of the biology classes.

Long Term Teaching Application and Significance:
This project will allow students to use one of the tools actually used by practicing scientists to better visualize and understand organismal structure and processes. The camera will be able to be used for many years. Because the images produced are digital, students will be able to produce a virtually limitless number of images that can be stored and accessed easily. These images, plus their associated student-produced materials, will be made available to others via the internet.

Funding Sought:
$750 for the purchase of a Nikon Coolpix 5400 digital camera

Time Frame:
I will spend part of the summer working with the camera and developing materials for various activities that will use the camera in recording images and time-lapse sequences. These will be incorporated into the introductory biology and field biology classes during Fall, 2004, and will be incorporated into the organismal biology and genetics classes during Spring, 2005. Beyond the classroom needs, I anticipate that the camera will be used for many current and future grant activities including BeeSpace (http://www.uni.uiuc.edu/~dstone/BeeSpace.html, the first major NSF initiative of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Genomic Center) and the Illinois Natural History Survey's Citizen Scientist Program for high school students.

Executive Teacher Signature:_____________________________________