Biodiversity/Biotechnology Workshop Schedule

Sunday, June 22rd

Check-in at the The Best Western Great Smokies Inn,

US Highway 441 and Aquoni Rd , Cherokee , NC 28719

Recommendation: Participants will have little time to enjoy local attractions like the Cherokee Outdoor Drama Unto These Hills (http://www.untothesehills.com/) or Harrah’s Casino Cherokee (www.HarrahsCherokees.com) during the workshop week. It is suggested that participants arrive early to enjoy these and other events. Remember that late June is a busy time of year for the little town of Cherokee . Make reservations for outside events, hotel space for friends and family, etc. well in advance.

Monday, June23rd

7:00 – 8:00 AM           Breakfast served at the Best Western Inn

IMPORTANT: Today’s activities include a modest field trip which leaves directly from the high school. Come to the workshop appropriately dressed and prepared. Cameras, notepads, and sun block are suggested.

8:30 AM                      Welcome and Introduction       

                                                Dr. Carmaleta Monteith and Dr. Wes Bonds, Co-Directors

                                                (carmaleta@msn.com; wbonds@wcu.edu)

                                                Kathy Wolfe, Chair, Cherokee Central School Board

                                                Michelle Hicks, Principal Chief, EBCI

9:00 AM                      Measuring Biodiversity in the Park and in the Classroom

Wes Bonds, Western Carolina University

10:00 AM                    Break

10:15 AM                    Overview of projects at the Bent Creek Institute, Asheville , NC

                                                Cheryl McMurry, Director, Western Regional Office,

                                                North Carolina Biotechnology Center

                                                cheryl_mcmurry@ncbiotech.org

10:45 AM                    Classroom Paper Exercise: Profiling Biodiversity with an Indigenous North Carolina Plant

                                    Mike Kowalski , Pam Johnston , Carmaleta Monteith, Wes Bonds

                                    sciencewoman_2000@yahoo.com; m.kowalski@cms.k12.nc.us

11:30 AM                    Extracting DNA in the High School Science Lab

                                    Ralph Patterson, Cherokee High School

                                    chemcat9@gmail.com

12:15 PM                     Bus departs for Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center, Great Smoky Mountains Natl Park , Purchase Knob, NC.

Box lunch picnic at Waterrock Knob on the Blue Ridge Parkway in route.

2:00 PM                       Environmental Issues and Field Collection Techniques involving the Cutleaf Cone Flower, Rudbeckia laciniata, or Sochan to the Cherokee

Susan Sachs, Education Coordinator, Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center , GSMNP, Susan_Sachs@nps.gov

3:00 PM                       Field Trip at Purchase Knob

Susan Sachs

4:15 PM                       Return trip to Best Western Inn, Cherokee, NC

Tuesday, June 24rd

7:00 – 8:00 AM           Breakfast served at the Best Western Inn

8:30 AM                      Techniques for Isolating Genomic DNA from Difficult Samples

                                    Mike Kowalski , Pam Johnston , and Wes Bonds

9:00 AM                      DNA Recovery Lab: Isolation of Genomic DNA from Cone Flower Samples and Control Samples

10:30 AM                    Break

10:45 AM                    DNA Recovery Lab continues

11:30 AM                    Roundtable Discussion: Review of the morning’s activities and problems involved in working with environmental samples

12:00                           Lunch served

12:30 PM                     Lunchtime Seminar: Preserving Germplasm - The Cherokee Seed Preservation Program

                                    Sarah McClellan-Welch, Agriculture Extension Service,

NC State University sarah_mcclellan@ncsu.edu

1:15 PM                       Review of the Polymerase Chain Reaction

                                                Pam Johnston

2:00 PM                       PCR Lab: Setting up PCR reactions of collected samples and controls

                                                Pam Johnston , Mike Kowalski , and Wes Bonds

3:00 PM                       Break

3:15 PM                       PCR Lab continues

3:45 PM                       How to design your own PCR primers (concurrent with lab)

                                                Wes Bonds

4:30 PM                       Review of the PCR Lab and discussion of challenges to setting up PCR experiments at home institutions

Wednesday, June 25th

7:00 – 8:00 AM           Breakfast served at the Best Western Inn

8:30 AM                      Review of Gel Electrophoresis and Detection of PCR Products

                                                Pam Johnston and Mike Kowalski

9:00 AM                      Gel Electrophoresis Lab Set-Up

10:00 AM                    Break

10:15 AM                    Discussion of possible projects back in home schools

                                    All workshop participants and instructors (concurrent with lab)

12:00                           Lunch at the high school

12:15 PM                     Lunchtime Seminar: The Cherokee River Cane Project: Preserving an endangered plant critical to Cherokee artisans (concurrent with lunch)

                                                Dr. Kathy Mathews, Western Carolina University

                                    kmathews@wcu.edu  with assistance from The Cherokee Preservation Foundation

1:15 PM                       Imaging Electrophoresis Results: Lab

2:00 PM                       Exercise: Analysis of Control and Field Trip Results

3:00 PM                       Break

3:15 PM                       Analysis Exercise continue

4:00 PM                       Cherokee Storytelling

                                                Mr. Lloyd Arneach

                                                Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians

                                                www.arneach.com/

Thursday, June 26th

7:00 – 8:00 AM           Breakfast served at the Best Western Inn

IMPORTANT: Today’s activities once again include a modest field trip which leaves directly from the high school. Come to the workshop appropriately dressed and prepared. Cameras, notepads, and sun block are suggested.

8:30 AM                      Ethnobotany and Cherokee Culture

Dr. David Cozzo , Western Carolina University

cozzod@wcu.edu

9:30 AM                      Ethnobotany round table discussion and bus trip into GSMNP

Dr. David Cozzo and Participants

10:30 AM                    Ethnobotany Field Trip at Mingus Mill, GSMNP

12:00                           Box lunch in the Park

1:15 PM                       Return to Cherokee High School with drive-through of the new Cherokee Central School ’s facility

1:45 PM                       Creating a Cherokee Heritage Garden as a School Resource

                                    Dr. Carmaleta Monteith

2:45 PM                       Break

3:00 PM                       SNP’s, Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails: Measuring Diversity with Microarrays

                                                Dr. Wes Bonds

3:45 PM                       Microarray Lab: Setting up overnight hybridization

                                                Wes Bonds, Mike Kowalski , Pam Johnston

5:00 PM                       Night at the Museum: Tour of the Cherokee Museum

                                    All Participants and Instructors

7:00 PM                       Traditional Cherokee Banquet Meal

Prepared by the Cherokee Chapter of the American Indian Women’s Association                    

8:30 PM                       Storytelling

                                                Kathi Littlejohn

Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians

Friday, June 27th

7:00 – 8:00 AM           Breakfast served at the Best Western Inn

8:30 AM                      Microarray Lab: Developing the arrays

            Wes Bonds, Mike Kowalski , Pam Johnston

10:15 AM                    Break

10:30 AM                    Activities of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center

                                                Dr. Bill Schy, Education Division, NCBC

                                                Bill_Schy@ncbiotech.org

11:30 AM                    Microarray Lab: Imaging and Interpreting the Arrays

                                                Wes Bonds, Mike Kowalski , Pam Johnston

12:15 PM                     Lunch

1:15 PM                       Safety Issues related to Biodiversity-Biotech Labs

2:00 PM                       Workshop Administrative Issues

                                                Wes Bonds

3:00 PM                       Dismissal