McMurry University  

Research Link 2000 is an NSF-funded project of the Council on Undergraduate Research bringing together biology faculty from select colleges and universities to find ways to bring research-based experiments to undergraduate students.  The group has selected field-tested experimental systems and instructional materials that support the introduction of research-based experiments in biology courses and promote research activities by students and faculty at all levels of the undergraduate curriculum.
 
Research Link 2000 consists of two major components:

(1) LabCore - a collection of field-tested descriptions of research systems or model organisms.  Materials include descriptions of the research systems or model organisms, descriptions of effective research techniques, and suggested research-based experiments that can be easily incorporated into a general biology laboratory.  Systems and organisms identified include Chlamydomonas, yeast, C-fern, freshwater spring ecosystems, tobacco hornworms, and many others equally well-characterized and understood.  Participants are expected to find ways to include experimentation on one or more of the systems in their biology courses.
 
Image of Manduca sexta developmental stages from 
Dr. Richard Vogt 's page: http://zebra.biol.sc.edu/moth/manduca-l.html 

(2)LabLink - a web site that connects participating faculty and students.  The web site allows faculty and students at colleges around the nation to connect with others working with their system or organism to share data, discuss results, and explore and discover connections in related lab experiments.  It provides links to related web sites for references, techniques, and sources for securing stock cultures.
Micrograph of Chlamydomonas from 
Dr. Mike Adams' page:  http://biology.ecsu.ctstateu.edu/ChlamyTeach/chlamymain.htm
McMurry's Department of Biology began participation in Research Link 2000 when Drs. Clark Beasley and Tom Benoit were selected as one of 25 teams from across the nation to participate in the Research Link 2000 Institute at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan during August.  Insight gained there has led to plans for introducing experimentation using two model organisms into McMurry courses.  Dr. Beasley will be working with C-fern (Ceratopteris richardii) in his genetics class, and Dr. Benoit has plans for using Chlamydomonas in our freshman-level Principles of Biology lab.
Photo by C. B. Cook, found on 
Research Link 2000 Anemone home page:
http://www.hood.edu/academic/biology/SeaAnHome.htm

For more information on Research Link 2000, 
click here.
For more on the Council on Undergraduate Research, 
click here.