Dr. Amanda Solem, a Hastings College biology professor, has been awarded a fellowship with High-throughput Discovery Science and Inquiry-based Case Studies for Today’s Students (HITS). She is one of 10 professors across the country selected for the two-year HITS Case Fellows program.
As part of the fellowship, Solem will be trained in developing and implementing case studies that emphasize quantitative analysis of biological data. It’s a way to engage more Hastings College students — increasing their inquiry, quantitative skills and team work using high-throughput data. The techniques can be implemented in first-year through advanced coursework.
HITS strives to create novel case studies that use high-throughput datasets and approaches. Faculty and researchers form teams to develop educational resources that others can adapt and implement in college courses.
As part of the fellowship, Solem will work with a team to design a case study, implement it into the classroom and then disseminate results in publications and poster sessions so others can benefit from the resources. She will earn a stipend for the effort, and travel support to attend HITS meetings.
The HITS network has the goal of training researchers and educators in data analysis and current trends in high-throughput (HT) experimentation and support the design and implementation of inquiry-based case studies using authentic HT data. Faculty and postdoctoral fellows devoted to the use of case studies and problem-based learning pedagogies can apply to become HITS Case Fellows.
The HITS network trains Case Fellows in the use of case studies based on HT data through a yearly workshop. The HITS workshop also provides training to Case Fellows so they can work in groups to create new case studies based on HT approaches, authentic ‘big’ data sets and analysis tools and integrate them into their classrooms.
Fellows assess their new HT teaching tools across diverse educational settings and institutions, working with other Case Fellows and HT researchers both during the workshop and online.
Hastings College is a private, four-year institution located in Hastings, Nebraska, that focuses on student academic and extracurricular achievement. Hastings College has been named among “Great Schools, Great Prices” by U.S. News & World Report and a “Best in the Midwest” by The Princeton Review. For more, go to hastings.edu.
