Dan Bernstein's teaching method has continued to evolve throughout his nearly three decades of instruction.

Measuring Success by What Students Learned

Bernstein's Teaching Puts Students at the Center

By Kelly Bartling, Public Relations

Dan Bernstein's 17 psychology grad students look somewhat perplexed as the professor describes their project. They leaf through a five-page description of a problem in which Bernstein expects their six-person teams act as a local board of education. Their task is to establish and justify a teaching method and community-connected curriculum.

"I'm not going to be able to describe to you exactly what I want," Bernstein tells them as they begin to shift in their desks, "because I don't know. I've never led this assignment before. I'm not even sure what your final products will look like, and I'm not entirely sure I can answer your questions."

The questions begin anyway, as does give and take between students and educator. They discuss teamwork (which is "good"), appendices (use a generous amount to stay within your 25 report pages), and resources (Web, books and articles). Bernstein is candid. His enthusiasm for the project is nearly as high as his faith that the students will succeed, he admits.

The group breaks into teams and Bernstein removes himself from the center of their attention and lets them begin.

It's been nearly 30 years since Bernstein started teaching, and he never imagined he would employ such a teaching method or radical assignment, or that he would so thoroughly enjoy that aspect of teaching that causes him to rejoice in evidence that his students have learned.

Honored with a 2001 University of Nebraska Outstanding Instructional Creativity Award, Bernstein smiles when he admits his teaching has come a long way since 1973. He's a charter member of the UNL Academy of Distinguished Teachers, a Pew Scholar of the Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, and he is known nationally for advancing the scholarship of teaching and implementing peer review of teaching.

Excellent teaching, Bernstein holds, is not just about teachers being excellent lecturers or providing the best materials or creating the best tests and the corresponding best test scores. It's also about taking risks. Putting the student in the center of the learning. Encouraging teamwork. Letting students discover their own answers and solutions to problems.

"Innovation and variety are essential in becoming a great teacher," Bernstein said. "I encourage other teachers to look for that innovation. There is no shortage of ideas, just a shortage of time, or the inability to take risks. But if people would view teaching in its proper way, it would be arranged not so that students learn, but that they learn more deeply.

"Teaching success should be measured on how well the students did, not what we, as teachers, said. It's not primarily about what we do it's about what students learn."

Team-based student projects, open-ended questions, inquiry-directed study, Web-based self-testing, student feedback and interactive teacher-student learning were foreign to Bernstein during his rookie teaching. Now, they're essential, and he encourages other teachers to focus on these tools to develop their own teaching.

Bernstein earned his A.B. in psychology from Stanford University in 1968, his Ph.D from UC San Diego in 1973, and became assistant professor of psychology at UNL that same year. After being the teacher of Intro to Psychology (Keller Plan, 1,000 students per semester) and other psychology courses, Bernstein's research interests now lie in higher education learning, use of technology to generate higher-order thinking and assessment of learning in higher education. Those research interests signify the core of Bernstein's fascination with learning, and how he has been able to incorporate changes, try new ideas, and encourage others to look at teaching and learning differently.

"Many teachers have ideas and want to try new things, but they lack confidence, or don't feel they are allowed to," Bernstein said. "But anyone who monitors how these ideas work can do it."

But when faced with the prospect of a semester of negative student evaluations, it's easy to understand why a tentative professor may be wary of risk or innovation. Bernstein says he's been lucky to have support during his teaching innovations.

That's also why he leads the charge on mentoring other teachers and in peer review of teaching, for which he recently received a $750,000 Pew Charitable Trusts grant to implement the Peer Review of Teaching project. If he and other innovative teachers can help others with their knowledge, share their experiences and encourage others to seek excellence, then Bernstein is motivated to continue to innovate. Currently in its second of a four-year implementation, the Peer Review of Teaching project will bring new ideas, sample syllabi, materials and interaction with colleagues to about 200 professors across five campuses. He does numerous presentations and workshops on the topic, and is instrumental in campuswide peer review and mentoring.

"He knows how to push our thinking further, to open our minds, to ask questions that illuminate our understanding in a way that is substantive, profound and intellectually challenging," summed up co-nominator Aleidine Moeller, a UNL professor of curriculum and instruction. "Institutions are made by faculty members such as Dan Bernstein."

History, Biology and Art: the Great Plains Prairie Stamp series by artist John Dawson will begin issue April 19.

Great Plains Prairies Celebrated with Stamp Issue

By Kelly Bartling, Public Relations

The history, biology and art of the Great Plains will be celebrated April 19-21 at UNL in conjunction with the First Day of Issue of the Great Plains Prairie stamp by the U.S. Postal Service.

Events begin April 19 with the First Day of Issue ceremony, an afternoon symposium of art, postal and natural history, an evening photography exhibit and lecture. The schedule also includes an April 20 field day and outing to Spring Creek Prairie and prairie burn and an April 21 Great Plains Prairie Family Day at University of Nebraska State Museum.

"Both Nebraska and the university will benefit greatly from this series of events because they focus so much national attention on Nebraska," said Martin A. Massengale, NU president emeritus and chair of the event planning committee. "Nebraska is a natural location for the first-day issue of this prairie stamp because the state's history is so rich in the early mail service, including the Pony Express and the great westward movement of wagon trains across the Nebraska prairie. Likewise, UNL has a long history of devoted scholarship to the prairie ecosystem, including its native grasslands, art and people."

The symposium and related events were planned after the University of Nebraska State Museum's selection as the site for the first issue of the Great Plains Prairie stamps, third in the Nature of America Series. The Center for Great Plains Studies at UNL, university professors and others were consulted for verification and accuracy by stamp artist John Dawson in developing the Great Plains Prairie stamp art, which features 25 plant and animal species native to the Great Plains.

Faculty involved in helping the artist were Patricia Freeman, Brett Ratcliffe, James Stubbendieck and Paul Johnsgard.

All events, except a Mueller Planetarium astronomy show, are free and open to the public.

The First Day of Issue ceremony begins at 10:30 a.m. April 19 at Elephant Hall in the NU State Museum. Many stamp collectors or people interested in the stamp pane will attend to receive collectable cancellations and autographs, which will only be available at the ceremony. The stamps will not be on public sale until April 20. UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman and Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns will be part of the official contingent.

The afternoon symposium, "Great Plains Prairie Symposium: Art, Postal and Natural History," at the Nebraska Union, includes four talks. Stamp artist John Dawson speaks from 1 to 1:30 p.m. on the progression of his stamp art; Postal Service historian Megaera Ausman, history of mail service on the prairie, 1:30-2:15 p.m.; Kiowa/Otoe-Missouria Tribe member Matthew "Sitting Bear" Jones, native storyteller, 2:30-3:15 p.m.; UNL biology professor John Janovy Jr., a biologist's prairie "tour," 3:15-4 p.m. At 7 p.m., photographer Terry Evans will give a lecture and public viewing of photographs, "In Place of Prairie," at Christlieb Gallery, Hewit Place, 1155 Q St.

On April 20, an outing, tours and prairie burn are planned at Spring Creek Prairie near Denton, including a free picnic lunch (reservations urged, telephone 402-797-2301). A choice of field trips includes "Spring wildflowers and grasses of the Great Plains Prairie" by James Estes, director of the NU State Museum; "Birds and Mammals of the Great Plains Prairie" by Patricia Freeman, curator of zoology at the museum; and "Trail Ruts from the Nebraska City/Kearny Cut Off" by David Murphy, senior research architect, Historical Society of Nebraska. A picnic lunch is at noon, followed at 1 p.m. with a lecture by Paul Johnsgard, UNL professor of biology. At 2 p.m., if weather permits, part of the prairie will be burned.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 21, Great Plains Prairie Family Day is planned at the NU State Museum. In addition to the "Art and the Animal" exhibit, 27 booths will provide activities, demonstrations and information on Nebraska's grasslands.

Among the individuals and groups making presentations will be artists Cliff Hollestelle and Fred Hoppe (sculptor of "Archie," the imperial mammoth); the Piece Makers quilting club; Dave Nixon of the Trailside Museum at Fort Robinson State Park demonstrating flint knapping; and State Museum anthropologist Tom Myers, who will identify artifacts brought in by museum visitors. In addition, the Larson Tractor Museum will provide a 1938 Allis-Chalmers B tractor and the first sweep plow that began the practice of conservation tillage.

"There will be lots of things to see and participate in, including a lot of hands-on stuff. It will appeal to people of all ages," said Debra Meier, exhibits supervisor at the museum.

Concurrent with Great Plains Prairie Family Day, the museum's Ralph Mueller Planetarium will present "Spirits from the Sky: Thunder on the Land," an astronomy show that describes how the Skidi band of the Pawnee Native American Nation, patterned its life on observations made of the Earth and celestial phenomena. Admission is charged for the showings of "Spirits from the Sky" at $4 for general admission and $3 for children, students and seniors.

More information about Prairie Family Day is available at the museum's Web site <http://www.museum.unl.edu> under the "What's New" button or by calling (402) 472-6302.

"For those of us who worked on the accuracy of the stamps, we are delighted to be the site exemplifying the Great Plains Prairie," Freeman said. "We have combined resources to hold ceremonial, intellectually stimulating and fun events to celebrate our beautiful prairie habitat at a great prairie university."

Sponsors for the events include the U.S. Postal Service, UNL, NU State Museum, Center for Great Plains Studies, Center for Grassland Studies, Regional Humanities Center for the Great Plains, Nebraska Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, Audubon Nebraska, National Wildlife Federation, Lincoln Stamp Club, Conservation Alliance of the Great Plains and the Prairie Plains Resource Institute.

(Directions to Spring Creek Prairie from Lincoln: South on Highway 77 to West Denton Road; turn west to Southwest 98th Street; turn south and drive through an S-curve entrance on the east side of the road.)

Pesky Fruit Fly Might Hold Key to Fountain of Youth

By Tom Simons, Public Relations

A mutation in a fruit fly gene has been found to extend the life of some flies by nearly half and could have implications for extending the life spans of humans, according to a paper to be published in the April 6 edition of Science, the global weekly of research.

An international team of scientists including Lawrence Harshman of UNL reports that a mutation in a gene called "chico" extends the life span of one type of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster by up to 48 percent among females and by up to 36 percent among females in another type of the fly. Moreover, it appears to do so without impairing the health of the flies during their extended life spans.

"The chico gene is in the insulin pathway and insulin plays a very important role in controlling metabolism in animals," Harshman said. "The significance of this paper is that it looks like insulin signaling may be playing a general role in mediating longevity."

Harshman, an associate professor of biological sciences, said that when investigators first started looking for mutations that increase the life span of nematode worms, they found that some of the mutations were reducing insulin signal or function. The physiology associated with insulin signaling plays an important role in controling metabolic response to nutrients.

"It wasn't the case that these worms were just hanging on for a longer period of time. It actually extended their period of healthy life, and now with the fruit fly, we have a second example of where reduced insulin stimulation results in an extended life span, and it's quite significant," Harshman said.

Scientists have long known that animals with restricted caloric intake often have longer-than-average life spans. Harshman said an ongoing study at the National Institutes of Health indicates that the same might be true with a species of primate, with early data showing that caloric restriction might result in fewer diseases associated with midlife, such as cancer.

Harshman said no one knows for sure what this has to do with insulin signaling, although there is speculation that the common thread might be metabolism. That is, caloric restriction might reduce metabolism, and if metabolism is reduced by reduced insulin signaling, then there may be an effect on health and longevity.

"We don't know what the effects of caloric restriction are on reproduction, and in terms of human health, that is an issue," Harshman said. "The general issue is what we call a life-history tradeoff, and that is something that my colleagues and I study in a range of organisms as part of the Ecology and Evolution Initiative."

"One life-history characteristic is longevity, another is reproduction, and one thing we know is that in many animals there is a cost to reproduction in terms of longevity. That is, if animals reproduce more, or earlier in life, they tend to have shorter life spans, although that's not necessarily true in humans. It's important for us to understand what is the physiological-biochemical basis of the cost of reproduction."

Harshman said studies on aging and longevity will have an increasing focus on control of metabolism, caloric restriction and the effects of insulin signaling.

"It may be possible to increase the span of healthy human life in a responsible, ethical way if we can study these topics in enough depth," he said.

Harshman's co-authors on the April 6 Science paper are David Clancy, David Goms and Linda Partridge of University College London, Sean Oldham, Hugo Stocker and Ernst Hafen of the University of Zurich in Switzerland, and Sally Leevers of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in London and University College London.

Flash floods and lightning are deceptively dangerous and often­overlooked severe weather hazards, according to NU climatologist Ken Dewey.

Flash Floods, Lightning More Dangerous than Tornados

By Molly Klocksin, IANR News

Nebraskans know tornadoes are dangerous. But a University of Nebraska climatologist thinks many Cornhusker State residents underestimate the dangers of other types of severe weather, especially flash floods and lightning.

"Flash floods and lightning kill and injure more people than tornadoes," said Ken Dewey, a research climatologist for NU's High Plains Regional Climate Center, based in the university's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Tornadoes are dramatic and grab headlines, but all types of severe weather merit knowing safety precautions, Dewey said.

Flash floods are deceptively dangerous because most occur at night when it's hardest for drivers to gauge water depth or to tell whether a road has been washed out, he said. Motorists who assume they can drive through a flooded area or who wait for standing water to recede may be surprised by a sudden onslaught of more water, he said.

"Unless your car is a boat, don't enter any road with standing water or moving water," Dewey advised. He suggested detouring to safer roads instead of risking flood-related fatalities, injury or vehicle damage.

Lightning also can be a deceptively dangerous severe weather hazard because myths abound about it, Dewey said. Some of the more dangerous myths include:

o Lightning occurs only if it's raining nearby. False. Even if the sky is sunny above you, lightning can strike from a thunderstorm 15 miles away. This phenomenon is the source of the phrase "a bolt out of the blue." As a general rule, wait 30 minutes after it stops raining to resume swimming, golfing or other activities.

o People struck by lightning carry a charge. False. Lightning victims are safe to touch. Many survive a lightning strike but die because bystanders hesitate to resuscitate them.

o Lightning doesn't strike low places. False. Lightning can strike the ground even at low elevations.

o Tall objects provide protection. False. People have been killed by lightning even when they are surrounded by tall buildings.

The best advice for avoiding lightning? Take cover inside a nearby vehicle or building, Dewey recommended. Walk, never run. Running can create static electricity that attracts lightning. Never seek shelter under a tree, under a metal umbrella or in a boat or canoe on water - get out of the water and go ashore.

And if you're caught out in the open with no shelter available?

"That's a tough call," he said. Generally, the best advice is to crouch into a ball, as close as possible to the ground. Golfers should drop their clubs, take off their metal-spiked shoes and walk to a lower elevation.

"Try to find a dry surface," Dewey said. "Find a path without standing water and crouch down. Don't move."

Following these safety tips will lower risk of injury or death, he said.

"It's not knowing things that puts people at risk," Dewey said. "Nothing is risk free, but if you can take simple measures to reduce risks, it increases your odds of survival."

Few people take a simple step to avoid lightning damage at home. If thunderstorms are expected or you're leaving town, unplug household electronic devices, Dewey said. Unplugged appliances can't be damaged by lightning.

Surge protectors may protect computers, televisions and other electronic devices from surges related to power outages, but "they're not lightning protectors," he said.

Tornado Records, Quirks Occurred in 2000

By Molly Klocksin, IANR News

Last year broke a few tornado records in Nebraska and provided lessons about these severe storms' quirks, a University of Nebraska climatologist said.

In Nebraska, tornadoes normally peak in June and July, said Ken Dewey, a research climatologist for NU's High Plains Regional Climate Center. However, last year's tornado season occurred in late spring and fall.

"The dry weather conditions were responsible for that," he said.

Drought virtually stopped twisters in the state during the summer and early fall of 2000. Only six tornadoes were reported in July and none in August and September, he said. Nebraska then experienced a record-setting 18 tornadoes in October. The single tornado that followed the next month was the first November tornado in the state since 1956.

"October marked the return of moisture, which is the key ingredient for tornadoes," Dewey said.

Last year proves tornadoes can form at any time of year, Dewey said. Another lesson from 2000 is that tornado touchdowns can beat statistical odds. Last year, tornadoes struck the same farm property in Eustis twice within a week.

Tornado statistics and links are available on the NU High Plains Regional Climate Center Web site, http://hpccsun.unl.edu/nebraska.