By Ben LaPoe and A. Mark
Dalessandro
A WVU chemist has established an interactive
distance-learning network with the Haskell Indian Nations University,
in Lawrence, Kansas, while pioneering a new frontier of science,
teaching, and technology-based collaboration. The project is
funded through a Faculty Early Career Development Grant from
the National Science Foundation.
Lisa Holland, an
assistant professor of chemistry in the Eberly College of Arts
and Sciences, develops new devices and methods to study diseases,
including cancer and cardiovascular disease. She does this using
miniaturized chemical separation techniques. The devices that
Holland builds are developed at a lower cost than commercial
equipment.
Recently Holland began a distance collaboration with Charles
Haines of Haskell Indian Nations University. Haines, a microbiologist
at Haskell, directs coursework and study in materials used in
traditional Native-American medicines.
Holland refines the methodology and instrumentation she develops
at a reduced cost specifically for natural products studied at
Haskell. The collaboration of Holland and Haines is unusual,
and what is unique about their work is how their partnership
is accomplished. They and their students interact over a distance
of 1,000 miles using videoconferencing over the Internet to bridge
the distance and communicate in real time.
Holland and Haines have identical instrumentation in each laboratory
(built by Holland). They run the same samples individually, and
they communicate their results using message boards and video
images. They use high-end video cameras to eliminate the choppy
images typically produced by inexpensive computer cameras.
Videoconferencing in science and technology has gained prominence
in distance education, medicine, and in multiuser consortia for
sharing specialized scientific information. The increased acceptance
of Internet communication combined with the inevitable increase
in performance of Web-based video will lead to rapid expansion
of distance collaboration. Although the expansion seems inevitable
to Holland, she devoted a significant effort to assessing communication
strategies.
"Communicating with someone with video requires a new mind-set,"
says Holland. "The camera doesn't pick up hand motion, body
posture, or facial expressions that may strengthen communication."
Because Holland felt increased acceptance of distance collaboration
would require scientific validation, she ran a pilot distance
collaboration program while on the faculty at Kent State University.
Alyison Leigh, an undergraduate student, learned how to operate
and master a 16,000-volt separation device for the analysis of
small drug molecules using videoconferencing in a nine-week program
at a lab 28 miles from Holland's laboratory. Leigh transferred
to WVU when Holland was hired by the University, and she recently
submitted her third scientific publication with Holland.
"The experience was lifechanging for me," says Leigh.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would become
a first-rate researcher because of the Internet."
As Holland and Haines proceed with their collaboration analyzing
natural products for medicinal purposes, Holland continues to
press the idea of distance research, having recently traveled
to Argentina to advocate videoconferencing and scientific collaboration.
"Dr. Holland's expertise in research and teaching are matched
only by her enthusiasm for using modern communication technology
to engage place-bound students in research projects that are
at the frontier of biotechnology," said Fred King, associate
dean for research and graduate study in the Eberly College.