Featured Teacher: Chasity Malatesta

by WIRED Science Education     Department: Featured Teacher

If you know a high school teacher who really knows how to motivate students to learn about science, email us why they should become our next Featured Teacher.

Chasity Malatesta teaches Honors Anatomy and Physiology at West Salem High School in Oregon. She graduated from George Fox University and has been a teacher and cross country coach for ten years. She is a Wilderness EMT, Snowboarding Club advisor and helps out with the Zoology Club. She does many community outreaches specializing in cardiovascular education and sports physiology. She is an instructor for the Red Cross and the local community college.

In My Own Words
Dr. Anthony Atala and his team have changed the way my anatomy students deal with the debate regarding the harvest of stem cells and regenerative tissue. Science is ever-changing and demands inquiry. The controversy surrounding stem cells provides an amazing example of the nature of science, allowing my students to question and think "outside of the box." "Is there a possibility that within the cell you can capture true stem cells?" I like to push my kids into debate and open up their minds to these new areas.

His insight into the future developments of tissue engineering brings science "alive" to my students. The idea that valuable life-saving organs can be created is huge! The technology brings home the concept of structure and function relationship of organs. Many of them have had experiences of family members needing life-saving organs, but instead of immediate help, they are told to wait. Dr. Atala's work is creating a whole new type of scientist. His team is made of up Physical and Biological scientists working together utilizing technologies to accelerate the growth of the cells. Science at times can be compartmentalized and he demonstrated that a collaborative effort is the only way to succeed in advancing tissue engineering.

Resources
There are many resources available to the teacher in the new field of tissue engineering. There is both a biological side to this and an artistic side in which one needs to learn how to build scaffolding for the cells to grow on. Check out the lessons by Robby Bowles, where he describes "The Art of Growing Body Parts." This hands-on lesson in building the scaffolding is complete with a Power Point presentation. For a popular presentation, don't forget the TV hit show Heroes with the associated blog that covers tissue regeneration. Several other video resources include an interview by Charlie Rose, a look at tissue building from an artistic point of view on YouTube, and an excellent resource is the Tissue Engineering Planetarium Show. The MIT Technology Review profiled an interesting scientist regarding Tissue Engineering and it is worthy to read this to your students when it comes to promoting careers in science. National Public Radio has a great audio segment called "Stem-Cell Procedure Could Rebuild Heart Tissue" which I enjoyed listening to. To invigorate your kids in debate and keep them timely with new developments, check out this announcement on limb regeneration at the University of Utah. And don't forget to mention the 2007 Nobel Prize winners in Physiology and Medicine who won for their work in stem cell research.

More About Chasity Malatesta
My favorite quote to my students is, "Got a Body? Know Anatomy!" My classes enjoy learning the structure and function of organ systems through cat dissections and case studies. I think a key part of my curriculum is to bring my students to the Human Cadaver labs at our local universities and hear guest speakers from experts in the field. I am honored to have established relationships with experienced educators and scientists who take time and help me as a teacher, guiding my students through new ideas and emerging technologies. It is my goal to facilitate an active science class and engage my anatomy students. Over 65% of my students declare they will pursue medicine or a science related field. This year I have actively mentored minority female students in hopes they will choose science related majors. I continue to be a consultant for AP biology while helping in the redesign of the AP Biology curriculum.

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