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January 2015 • Vol Published by the American Physiological Society – Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism THEPHYSIOLOGIST January 2015 • Vol. 58/No. 1 A Matter of Opinion from the President What Does Peer Review Need? Research funding decisions require a strong peer review process. After all, who but the experts can identify the Guyton Educator of the Year Award most promising science? At the same time, complaining about peer review Herbert F. Janssen has always been one of scientists’ favorite pastimes. Although these complaints are not new, I believe our The humble gratitude I feel as recipient of current peer review system for grants is the Guyton Educator of the Year Award facing serious challenges. necessitates that I acknowledge my friend and colleague David Osborne for the nomination, Full Participation the colleagues and students who supported A major problem is that too few the nomination, and the numerous students senior, experienced reviewers choose who, over the years, helped develop my to serve on peer review panels. It is teaching style and philosophy of education. easy to blame the difficult funding I must also thank the American Physiological Society, the APS Selection Committee, and Continued on page 13 Herbert F. Janssen Elsevier for recognizing the importance of educators in APS. THIS ISSUE: Over a century ago, the Flexner Report concluded that didactic lectures 3 Success in Research at an were hopelessly antiquated and belonged to an age of accepted Undergraduate Institution dogma, “when the professor ‘knew’ and the students ‘learned’” (1). Abraham Flexner encouraged medical educators to provide students 17 Nebraska Physiological the opportunity to learn rather than be taught. Replacing the “Sage Society Meeting on the Stage” with a learner-focused approach is a worthy goal. I, along with teachers at all levels of the educational process, echo this 26 The 2014 APS Intersociety philosophy. While doing this, it is also important for educators to Meeting: Comparative provide students with the opportunity to master critical thinking Approaches to Grand skills and to learn to apply content and skills appropriately. For the Challenges in Physiology student who wishes to become a researcher, this means learning to design, conduct, and interpret results. For the medical student, it means 34 APS Hosts the Second Annual NSF IOS BP PI Meeting learning to engage patients while providing a nonjudgmental and humanitarian application of physiological principles that encourages mental and physical healing. For the student who wishes to become an educator, it means learning the art and science required to advance our understanding of how knowledge is conveyed, recalled, and applied. Continued on page 14 the-aps.org Vol. 58/No. 1 | January 2015 • 1 Published by the American Physiological Society – Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism THEPHYSIOLOGIST Published bimonthly and distributed by The American Physiological Society 9650 Rockville Pike Contents Bethesda, Maryland 20814-3991 Guyton Educator of the Year Award ......1 People and Places ISSN 0031-9376 Six APS Members Elected to the What Does Peer Review Need? .............1 Institute of Medicine .................................39 Martin Frank – Editor and Executive Director Mentoring Forum David M. Pollock – President Membership Success in Research at an Kim E. Barrett – Past President Obituary: Stanley G. Schultz Undergraduate Institution ........................3 (1931-2014) .................................................40 Patricia E. Molina – President-Elect New Regular Members .............................42 Chapter News New Graduate Student Members ...........44 Councillors Nebraska Physiological Barbara Alexander, John C. Chatham, Pamela K. Society Meeting ............................................17 Undergraduate Student Members ..........46 Carmines, M. Harold Laughlin, Marilyn P. Merker, Affiliate Members ......................................47 Marshall H. Montrose, Rudy Ortiz, William T. Experimental Biology Talman, Bill Yates Experimental Biology 2015 Publications PHYSIOLOGY PLATFORM SESSIONS ....19 Interview with David Pollock ....................48 Ex Officio Hannah V. Carey, Robert L. Hester, Kevin C. Kregel, Calls for Papers ..........................................50 Hershel Raff, Jeff M. Sands, Ann Schreihofer, Comparative Meeting J. Michael Wyss The 2014 APS Intersociety News From Distinguished Physiologists Meeting: Comparative Approaches Letter to Lois Jane Heller .........................51 Publications Committee: to Grand Challenges in Physiology .........26 Chair: Curt D. Sigmund; Vice Chair: Hershel Raff; Positions Available .................................53 Members: Paul Insel, Alicia A. McDonough, Linda Science Policy C. Samuelson, Susan M. Wall, Loren Wold APS Updates Guiding Principles..............29 Director of Publications: Rita Scheman Book Reviews APS Advises NIH on Sex as EMG: A Guide ...........................................57 a Biological Variable..................................30 Design and Layout: History of Exercise Physiology .................58 Allen Wayne, Ltd. Education Subscriptions: Distributed to members as part APS Promotes Physiology to Biology Meetings and Congresses ......................60 of their membership. Nonmembers in the USA Educators at National Convention ..........32 (print only): individuals $105.00; institutions APS Promotes Physiology to 2014 Contributions ................................61 $185.00. Nonmembers international: individuals Mid-Level Educators at $160.00; institutions $230.00. Single copies National Convention .................................33 Comprehensive Physiology and back issues when available, subscriber 2014 Meetings & Abstracts ...................63 $25.00 each; nonsubscriber $50.00 each; single APS Hosts the Second Annual copies and back issues of Abstracts issues when NSF IOS BP PI Meeting ............................34 available, $30.00. Subscribers to The Physiologist APS at SACNAS 2014 ................................35 also receive abstracts of the Conferences of the American Physiological Society. The online version Mark Your Calendars for Professional is available free to all worldwide. Development Symposia at Experimental Biology 2015! .....................36 The American Physiological Society assumes no responsibility for the statements and opinions advanced by contributors to The Physiologist. Please notify the APS Membership Department as soon as possible if you change your address or telephone number. Headquarters phone: 301-634-7118 Fax: 301-634-7241 Email: [email protected] http://www.the-aps.org Printed in the USA 2 • Vol. 58/No. 1 | January 2015 THEPHYSIOLOGIST Mentoring Forum Success in Research at an Undergraduate Institution Trevor A. Day Mount Royal University, Calgary, Alberta, Canada I am honored to have been may find my experience helpful if they want to get asked to contribute to the APS started, either at their own institutions or in collaboration Mentoring Forum, especially with other universities. If you are a Chair or a Dean at such an early point of my interested in supporting the development of research own career. In terms of my programs, my experiences outlined below may help in own training journey, I trained framing the justification for and in securing resources to at the University of Calgary, support these activities. Faculty of Medicine, which is a research-focused institution. Post-PhD, not everyone is going to get jobs in research- Here, faculty face high intensive institutions. If you are one of those new to Trevor A. Day exceptions to land external mid-career faculty members at a small teaching-focused grants to fund their research undergraduate institution trying to get started with a and focus on research with research program, this column is aimed at you. advanced trainees (masters, doctoral, and postdoctoral), and are evaluated almost Why Bother? exclusively on research productivity. The teaching they This article is about working with undergraduate do amounts to a few lectures or course coordination in students in the laboratory. Labs are an important part graduate level classes in their area of expertise. It was of biology courses, but students in biology degrees an incredible place to train in neurobiology. However, often ask what the point of labs are. Their complaint is most trainees, when they get out, do not end up with often seated in the extra cost and time associated with jobs at institutions like this. Following completion of labs in science courses. The fact that most students my PhD, I landed a tenure-track instructor position at are not going to go into laboratory-based work post- an undergraduate teaching college, where students graduation is often cited as a reason why this extra cost completed the first 2 years of their programs and and effort is not worth it. I think this concern misses transferred to bigger institutions. At the time, I had the point of undergraduate training – it’s not just about heard there were efforts to transform the institution into what we know, it’s also important to understand how a bachelor degree granting institution, and I wanted to we know it. Exposing students to experiential learning be a part of the process. We completed this transition in opportunities is important not only in demonstrating 2010, in both name and membership in the Association the scientific process but also in student engagement. of Universities and Colleges of Canada. We rolled
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