O! for a muse of fire, that would ascend the brightest heaven of invention.
- William Shakespeare
With inspiration from great literature - King Henry V by William Shakespeare -- Jackson Public Schools' students and teachers are working this summer with researchers at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) on the Muse of Fire Project.
They are fine tuning five high school lesson plans that use fire ants as a springboard to help students understand core biology concepts.
The Muse of Fire lesson plans were developed last summer by science teachers, including teachers from JPS, along with scientists from Millsaps College, UMMC researchers and scientist William Reznikoff of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
Dr. Rob Rockhold, assistant vice chancellor for academic affairs at UMMC, explains why the project is entitled Muse of Fire. "In the Southeast, every child is familiar with the fire ant and its sting," said Rockhold. "That connection is a potent stimulus for students to understand the fire of the sting. All of these are questions that children have after the sting. With inspiration from Shakespeare's play Henry V, we are using the fire ant as the muse of fire."
Each lesson plans explores a different topic. For example, one teacher took her students on a field trip to observe and document how fire ants affected other insects in their local environment. Another teacher devised experiments that helped students learn how fire ants prey on their victims. A class at Jim Hill High School in JPS teamed up with UMMC's Dr. Donna Sullivan, an infectious disease expert, to study how scientists would identify and isolate chemicals in fire ant venom that might be used to kill cancer cells.
Susan Bender, a science teacher at Jim Hill High, explains: “Current research into fire ant venom and extracts has shown that the extracts control the growth of new blood vessels to tumors. Limiting the growth of new blood vessels can control the growth of tumors, therefore letting chemotherapy agents do their job. Many students said they had never considered that the same fire ants that stung them might yield a cancer treatment.”
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute is funding the project. The Institute is interested in the lessons being the basis for a high school biology curriculum that will be shared with teachers from North Carolina to California - anyone within range of the fire ant.
“The ants may be the bane of our existence,” said Bender, pointing out that almost all of her students have felt the ants’ fiery stings. “But they might also be something from which we can benefit.”
Timothy Fizer, a Jim Hill graduate who attends Jackson State University, is participating in the project this summer to further his interest in epidemiology as a career goal and because “my mother has lung cancer.”
Adrian Conic, an incoming senior at Jim Hill, is participating because, "I want to learn more about science and get a better understanding of science concepts. Science helps me think more and helps me to make better decisions regarding my health.” Getting to work in a medical laboratory also is exciting, she said.
Kristen DeLoach, an incoming junior at Jim Hill, wants to be a pediatrician because she loves children and science. Activities like the Muse of Fire Project “make me like science even more,” she said.
JPS is a partner with UMMC in the Base Pair research mentorship program funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Jeff Stokes, a science teacher in the Base Pair program at Murrah, is participating in the summer project along with Bender, who represents Jim Hill High where the Student Oriented Academic Research (SOAR) program is a companion to the Base Pair program at Murrah.
Photo Gallery: Base Pair Fire Ant Research
WLBT Video: Fire Ant Research Could Help Fight Cancer
Clarion-Ledger Gallery: Muse of Fire