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This paper reports on research of a game designed for scientific inquiry in a new and publicly available massively-multiplayer online environment (MMO). Educators and game designers worked together to create a highly immersive environment, a compelling storyline, and research-grounded tools for scientific inquiry within the game. The designers also played characters within the game that allowed them to deliver an evolving and responsive game narrative while also serving as participant observers for the research. Researchers integrated these observations with survey data, log data, artifact review, and interviews, to provide a broad picture of the player experience and the gaming environment. This study provides evidence that sustained scientific inquiry can be nurtured in an MMO game and that gamers' relationships with characters in the game and other players may help facilitate that inquiry.

Presents five interactive, computer-based activities that mimic scientific tests used by sport researchers to help companies design high-performance athletic shoes, including impact tests, flexion tests, friction tests, video analysis, and computer modeling. Provides a platform for teachers to build connections between chemistry (polymer science), biology (support systems), and physics (mechanics). (JRH)

An analysis of the documentary 'MicroMentary' reveals that the use of multimedia systems in science teaching enables students to understand scientific concepts easily. The 'MicroMentary' is a documentary about the microscopic organisms made by high school students using multimedia equipment. The equipment include a microscope, camera, tape recorder and a computer with animation and graphics software. The preparation of this documentary required a complete knowledge in microbiology and techniques for using the software to make the presentation.

Web-based and conventional writing classes for technical students are compared.

Breeding a model plant that encompasses individual traits throught to enhance yield potential, known as ideotype breeding, has traditionally focused on phenotypic selection of plants with desirable morphological traits. Broadening this breeding method to the molecular level through the use of molecular markers would avoid the environmental interactions associated with phenotypic selection. A population of 110 F[sub5] recombinant inbred lines (RILs), derived from the cross between WO3391 and 'OAC Speedvale', was used to develop a genetic linkage map consisting of 105 random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), simple sequence repeat (SSR), and sequence-tagged site (STS) markers. The map has a total length of 641 cM distributed across 8 linkage groups (LGs). Five of them were aligned on the core linkage map of bean. Twenty-one quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were identified over three environments for eight argonomic and architectural traits previously defined for a bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) ideotype. The QTLs were mapped to seven LGs with several regions containing QTLs for multiple traits. At least one QTL was located for each trait and a maximum of four were associated with lodging. Total explained phenotypic variance ranged from 10.6% for hypocotyl diameter to 45.4% for maturity. Some of the QTLs identified will be useful for early generation selection of tall, upright, high-yielding lines in a breeding program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breeding a model plant that encompasses individual traits thought to enhance yield potential, known as ideotype breeding, has traditionally focused on phenotypic selection of plants with desirable morphological traits. Broadening this breeding method to the molecular level through the use of molecular markers would avoid the environmental interactions associated with phenotypic selection. A population of 110 F5 recombinant inbred lines (RILs), derived from the cross between WO3391 and 'OAC Speedvale', was used to develop a genetic linkage map consisting of 105 random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), simple sequence repeat (SSR), and sequence-tagged site (STS) markers. The map has a total length of 641 cM distributed across 8 linkage groups (LGs). Five of them were aligned on the core linkage map of bean. Twenty-one quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were identified over three environments for eight agronomic and architectural traits previously defined for a bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) ideotype. The QTLs were mapped to seven LGs with several regions containing QTLs for multiple traits. At least one QTL was located for each trait and a maximum of four were associated with lodging. Total explained phenotypic variance ranged from 10.6% for hypocotyl diameter to 45.4% for maturity. Some of the QTLs identified will be useful for early generation selection of tall, upright, high-yielding lines in a breeding program.