Dr. Claudia Lutz of Project NEURON has joined the Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB) as a Media Communications Specialist to expand public outreach efforts and report on the research developments taking place at the Institute. 
Lutz (pictured left) recently completed her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the University in Illinois. Working with Dr. Gene Robinson, she studied how gene expression relates to the environment and genetics affect honey bee behavior, particularly learning. Her research in Robinson’s lab was the driver for the development of a new Project NEURON curriculum unit, What makes honey bees work together?.
An additional new unit, How do small things make a big difference?, is being developed in collaboration with another IGB scientist, Rachel Whitaker. Whitaker’s research concentrates on the ecology and evolution of microbes like bacteria and Archaea, which are important in understanding the origin of life and the dynamic relationship between microbes and the environment. This unit has been collaboratively developed through work by Project NEURON staff and students Chandana Jasti, Kristen Talbot, Sara Patterson, Sean O'Connor and Microbiology graduate student Jillian Waters.
The development of the How do small things make a big difference? unit has also been made possible through the contributions of Dr. James Henriksen, Visiting Research Assistant Professor in Microbiology at the University of Illinois. At a recent NEURON Teachers’ Institute workshop, Whitaker and Henriksen (pictured below) shared their knowledge with high school biology teachers who will be testing the new units within the next year.
These events are part of a growing collaboration between the IGB and Project NEURON. In the past, IGB has provided laboratory and conference space to Project NEURON for our summer teacher workshops and funding for graduate student Jillian Waters, who also helped develop the microbe-based unit. Grants and other opportunities are currently being explored in order to further strengthen the collaboration between Project NEURON and the IGB.
