Student Technology Fee – AY 2020Tech Initiatives Proposal Form

DUE April 1, 2020 (Students)DUE April 2, 2020 (Employees)

Project Title: Enhancing classroom instruction of electrophysiology principles and student research with a portable slice-electrophysiology instrumentExplain what you are requesting (3 lines max): I am requesting funds to purchase a Kerr Tissue Recording System (KTRS). The KTRS is a transportable brain-slice electophysiology instrument used for in-class demonstrations and student-derived research.

Principal Contact/ApplicantName: Josh KaplanEmail: kaplanj4@wwu.eduPhone: x3768Dept/Org: PsychologyEnter “student”, “faculty”, or “staff”: Faculty

Other Contact/ApplicantName:      Email:      Phone:      Dept/Org:      Enter “student”, “faculty”, or “staff”:      

Proposed Budget for Project1. Equipment total $14,633.462. Plus site preparation (not STF funded) + $03. Total Project Cost (budget total from part III of this form, “Project Budget”) = $14,633.464. Less organization’s contribution – $750.005. Less site preparation – $06. STF Grant Request = $13,883.46

IMPORTANT NOTES

1. Student Technology Fee Mission:The Student Technology Fee (STF) provides Western students with adequate and innovative technology experiences by: Broadening/enhancing the quality of the academic experience, Providing additional student access to technology, and Increasing integration of technology into the curriculum.

2. THE STF Committee will accept only complete proposals by the announced deadline. Every section (I–VIII) and all items of this proposal form must be addressed.

3. Disallowed items: The following items generally would not qualify for STF Tech Initiatives funding:

Computer lab upgrades(Existing computer labs are upgraded on a rolling schedule with a separate allocation of STF funds.)

Software related to maintenance and/or serial payments

Maintenance contracts on equipment or software

Expendable supplies

Equipment that will not be used directly by students, and/or non-computer equipment or furnishings that are part of the typical classroom environment (such as lighting, portable and fixed media equipment, furniture, chairs, etc.).

I. Relationship to STF Objectives / Impact on the Student Academic Experience

The STF Committee will use as its primary assessment criteria the three objectives—quality, access, and integration—defined in the STF mission (“Note 1” above). Given this criteria, describe your proposed project in detail.

1. Tell us—focusing on what the students would gain from the project—how the project would provide positive benefits to the student academic experience. Specifically, answer at least one of a, b and c below:

a. How would this project broaden or enhance the quality of the student’s academic experience through the proposed technology?

Access to the Kerr Tissue Recroding System (KTRS) would provide the only opportunity for in-class demonstrations of fundamental neurophysiology principles using mammalian brian tissue. Exit surveys of PSY and BNS majors suggest that one of their most substantial knowledge gaps, and instrumentation areas in which they wish they had increased exposure, is in neurophysiology. Neurophysiology is a foundational pillar of neuroscience, and while we currently have adequate tools for demonstrating molecular and behavioral principles, electrophysiology instrumentation for classroom instruction is lacking. Therefore, we have a need to enhance classroom instruction of neurophysiology, and the KTRS is the optimal technology to achieve this aim. Through in-class demonstrations or classroom experiments, the KTRS provides the technological platform to make the seemingly-abstract concepts of neurophysiology tangible. Since its development around a decade ago, the KTRS has had demonstrated success in the classroom, and through this unique acess, improved students' success in meeting common neurophysiology learning objectives.

b. How would this project provide additional student access to technological resources?

The KTRS is an easily-transportable instrument (it fits inside a suitcase!), can be assembled in several minutes, and works on a standard laptop computer, thereby making it easy to incorporate into classrooms across WWU's campus. Traditional brain-slice electrophysiology equipment, while more powerful, is immobile and cost-prohibitive for classroom use. Technological advancements have enabled the amplification of neural signals to be conducted by powerful yet small amplifiers, which have made this system possible. We can now teach neurophysiology concepts in the classroom in ways not previously feasible. The KTRS was designed for portability and ease-of-use for students without sacrificing research quality. This would be the only opportunity that students may ever witness the recording of brain signals in real-time or, of interest to many, observe the effect that pharmacological manipulations (e.g., alcohol) have on brain cell communication patterns.

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c. How would this project increase integration of technology into coursework?

A substantial amount of content taught in our neuroscience courses can be represented through physiological outcomes. Thus, integrating the KTRS into existing curriculum enables many of these topics to be taught through student-driven discovery from a physiological perspective. At a minimum, the KTRS can be integrated into the curriculum to demonstrate principles of neuropharmacology (e.g., the effects of drugs on the brain), neurophysiology (e.g., properties of brain cell communication), learning (e.g., learning reflected in neuroplastic changes at the synapse), and neurological disease (e.g., epilepsy, autism spectrum disorder). The KTRS can also be integrated in ways that expand the curriculum by designing classroom laboratories that connect otherwise disparate units (e.g., pharmacological treatment of epilepsy).

2. Would other departments be involved with this project? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

Yes

IF “Yes,” describe.

While the KTRS would be maintained by the Psychology Department and Behavioral Neuroscience Program, it would be available to users outside the department. For instance, there would be great utility of the KTRS in demonstrating physiological principles in classes taught by the biology department and kinesiology departments. Beyond the brain, the KTRS has been used to record cardiac rhythms, a fly's retina's response to light, and diaphragm muscle contraction from phrenic nerve stimulation, all which have utility beyond the Behavioral Neuroscience Program. The remarkable ease-of-use of the instrument makes it highly accessible to students and faculty in numerous programs across campus.

3. Has any part of this project previously been funded by the Student Technology Fee? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

No

IF “Yes,” describe.

     

4. Is the proposed project a pilot project? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

No

IF “Yes,” describe.

     

II. Utilization

List the anticipated number of times and duration per each use—per quarter or per academic year—that students would use the proposed technology, along with the impact of that proposed technology on students. Note: applications are funded after careful consideration of both the number of students that will be impacted by the technology and the quality of that impact.

Approximately 520 students could benefit from the KTRS each year. The KTRS has optimal utility for in-class demonstrations for the PSY 220 course (6 offerings/year; 80 student enrollment/class), in-class demonstrations and and class-related lab work in the BNS 305/306

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series (series offered 1x/year; 30 students), and student-driven classroom research in PSY 428 (1x/year; 10 students). This total student impact number only includes courses within the PSY and BNS curriculum, and it could be extended if utilized by BIO and KIN departments. In-class demonstrations would be relevant for 200-400 level psychology and behavioral neuroscience courses. For example, in lower-level courses, students could visualize how cellular communication patterns change during an epileptic seizure, or test the effects of neurotransmitter receptor agonists or antagonists on cellular signaling across different brain regions. In upper-division courses, they can participate in labs learning the fundamental principles of pharmacodynamics by conducting dose-response assessments, or identifying the unknown neuronal targets by which drugs affect neuronal signaling through hypothesis-driven pharmacological manipulations. What better way to learn the neural correlate of learning than by inducing long-term potentiation at a group of synapses and observing the physiological changes take place in real-time? And better still, pharmacologically enhancing or occluding its induction! The possibilities are plentiful and the Behavioral Neuroscience Program already has the resources (e.g., rodents, chemicals, tissue slicer, micropipette puller) to make this integration feasible. The only comparable instrument at WWU is a patch-clamp electrophysiology rig in Dr. Kaplan's lab, but it is not amendable to transport and requires substantial training which precludes the far majority of student use outside of a specific techniques course. The KTRS would make this research technique accessible to a substantial number of students across disciplines.

III. Project Budget

This section details the estimated total cost of the project. Include costs that would be covered—by your department or another source—for ongoing costs such as personnel or operating expenses.

1. For assistance in preparing your budget, please consult with relevant campus support departments:

Academic Technology & User Services, x6538 Budget Office, x4762 Space Administration, x3222 Purchasing, x3340

How to Buy SoftwareHow to Buy ComputersLab/Special Supplies, etc.

2. Complete the Budget Estimate Table below. If you have more than seven line-item expenses, attach a separate Excel spreadsheet instead.

Items to Purchase Quantity Item Cost Item Total

1. Kerr Tissue Recording System 1 $10,180.00 $10,180.00

2. Warmer in-line liquid heater/temperature controller 1 $1,755.00 $1,755.00

3. LabChart software 1 $1,495.00 $1,495.00

4.             $      $     

5.             $      $     

6.             $      $     

7.             $      $     

Subtotal N/A N/A $13,430.00

Allowance for price increases (3% of subtotal) N/A N/A $402.90

Shipping (taxable) N/A N/A $Included

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Tax (8.7%) N/A N/A $1203.46Total This total (or your attached spreadsheet total) should match the projected budget figure on page 1 of this proposal. (See box on page 1, #3.)

N/A N/A $14,633.46

Important Budget Notes from the STF Committee:

We recognize your proposed budget as an estimate. Final funding for successful projects will be established after thorough technical review; some costs may need adjusting due to price changes.

We may impose special conditions on a proposal before approval. See STF Proposal Guidelines, section V, Proposal Modifications.

Funding is not provided directly to departments for purchases. All purchasing is done via the Office of the VPIT/CIO and savings are retained in the Student Technology Fee fund.

3. What funding or contributions are available from your department or other sources?

The BNS program has a limited budget through the collection of laboratory fees for its PSY 428 course. The program can contribute up to $750 for the purchase of the KTRS.

Please note that the PSY department/BNS program will also make substantial contributions by providing numerous necessary resources. For instance, they will provide an analogue/digital converter (~$2000) by repurpsing existing equipement, which allows the KTRS amplifier to communicate with a computer. They will also provide the computer needed to run the KTRS software, the rodents from which brain tissue will be collected, faculty will have access to brain slicing equipment for obtaining fresh brain tissue, and all the chemicals/solutions needed for the demonstrations and experiments. All of these resources are currently available through the BNS program and are covered by its operating budget.

Note: The STF Committee encourages matching funds/funding support.“Contribution“ is defined as a monetary contribution. For example, a vendor discount is not considered a contribution.

4. Could this project be divided into discrete elements that could be funded separately? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

Yes

IF “Yes,” summarize and prioritize project elements with cost estimate for each.

Priority 1: KTRS ($10,180) and LabChart software ($1,495)Priority 2: Warmer in-line liquid heater/temperature controller ($1,755)

There are three elements to be purchased, two through Kerr Scientific Instruments and necessary software through ADInstruments. The first is the KTRS system ($10,180), which is the primary instrument discussed throughout this proposal. The Warmer in-line liquid heater/temperature controller ($1,755) would also be purchased through Kerr Scientific Instruments. The KTRS is the most critical instrument here, and the in-line heater would have no utility without it. However, because mammalian brain function is impacted by temperature (it functions optimally at ~ body temperature), classroom demonstrations and experiments have the highest construct validity if conducted at body temperature. Therefore, the in-line heater and controller is an important instrumentation add-on for demonstrating valid and consistent physiological principles and for collecting data in a classroom environment. Furthermore, basic principles of temperature's impacts on brain cell communication patterns can be demonstrated by varying the temperature and

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observing changes in cellular activity. However, it is not necessary to have the in-line heater to use the KTRS system.

The KTRS requires software so that the electrical signals it detects can be viewed and analyzed on a computer. The LabChart software from ADInstruments ($1495) is therefore necessary to use the KTRS. The LabChart software enables the electrical signals detected by the KTRS amplifier and digitized by the analogue/digital converter (PowerLab provided by the BNS Program) to be displayed on the computer and further analyzed. Without the software, the KTRS has no utility in classroom demonstrations or research.

Note: A “no” response to question 4 creates an “all or nothing” proposal. That is, if the STF Committee decides against funding your entire proposal, it will not consider any elements for partial funding. If elements could be funded separately, the applicant is responsible for prioritizing them before submitting the proposal.

5. Are course or lab fees charged for any of the courses that will use this equipment? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

Yes

IF “Yes,” describe.

As noted in II. 3., the BNS program has a budget of ~$700-800 (depending on course enrollment) for lab fees for the PSY 428 course (Advanced Techniques in Behavioral Neuroscience).

Note: The total funding requested from the Student Technology Fee must reflect the amount collected from course fees for equipment replacement and/or equipment acquisition.

IV. Impact on Existing Resources

Your proposal must address the project’s potential impact on existing resources. Give special attention to the impact on data transmission networks (e.g., sources accessed, networking equipment, etc.), and personnel (e.g., staffing, administrative support, faculty support, etc.).

1. Describe how existing equipment is used. Contrast this to projected use if your project were funded.

The only comparable instrument at WWU is a patch-clamp electrophysiology rig in Dr. Kaplan's lab. It is designed for making intracellular whole-cell patch-clamp recordings of individual brain cells. It is not amendable to transport, for classroom use, and requires substantial training which precludes the far majority of student use outside of the laboratory. The KTRS would make this similar research technique (i.e., measuring local field potentials as opposed to whole-cell recordings) accessible to a substantial number of students across disciplines.

2. Is similar equipment or technology available elsewhere on campus—such as the Student Technology Center, Classroom Services, Video Services, Western Libraries, a college lab? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

No.

IF “Yes,” describe why existing equipment does not meet the needs outlined in this proposal.

     

3. If this project involves the replacement of equipment, including computers:

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a. Describe the “before and after” configuration changes. (A spreadsheet reflecting these changes may be attached.) Or, write “N/A.”

N/A

b. Describe the costs and benefits of replacing vs. upgrading. Or, write “N/A.”

N/A

4. Would this equipment be available to students outside of your department? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

Yes

IF “Yes,” describe the following:a. How students would gain accessb. How equipment availability would be publicizedc. The hours/week when equipment would be availabled. Any costs that would result from a-c

Students would have access to the KTRS following permission and training by the BNS classroom support technician or another member of the BNS faculty. Individual or group use outside of normal classroom activities must use the KTRS in the BNS teaching classroom (AI 546) during allotted 'open lab' time periods. The availability of the KTRS would be publicized through WWU webpages for the Behavioral Neuroscience Program and Scientific Technical Services. The equipment will be available for approximately 15 hours/week to students, depending on classroom needs (lab courses and classroom demonstrations will have priority). There are minimal consumable costs, but brain tissue will be dependent on animal availability. Current breeding trends suggest that there will be sufficient tissue to meet the needs of students and faculty. Animal per diems are covered by the BNS operating budget, and the small consumables costs needed for each experiment or demonstration is <$5, making it so that we can offer this equipment free-of-charge to faculty or students.

5. Does this project involve the check-out of equipment to students? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

No

IF “Yes,” discuss whether the Student Technology Center/ATUS Loan Pool could be assigned this task.

     

6. Does the department have adequate operating funds to provide ongoing maintenance and support? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

Yes

IF “Yes,” describe.

Annual lab fees of ~$750 dollars would go towards acquisition of supplies to expand demonstration and lab capacity using the KTRS. The KTRS comes with a 12 month manufacturer's warranty, but additional support and maintenance, should it be needed can come from lab fees or program funds. Importantly, the simplicity of the design and instrumentation reduces the risk of costly maintenance that couldn't be addressed with resources available in the BNS program or WWU at large.

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7. Does the department have adequate personnel funds to provide ongoing staff support for the project? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

Yes

IF “Yes,” describe.

The BNS program has a full-time classroom support technician who would be in charge of storing and providing access to the KTRS system. In addition to Dr. Kaplan, this classroom support technician would be trained in operating the system.

V. Space and Site Information

This section addresses any space alteration or site preparation necessary for the proposed project. Site alterations include painting, holes in walls, security systems, carpeting, construction, lighting changes, or conversion of a lab or office.

1. Location for installation of equipment or technology:

It would be stored in the teaching lab AI 546. The KTRS fits in a briefcase and therefore, takes up little space and doesn't need to be 'installed' anywhere. It can be used in classrooms across campus.

2. Would site modification be required? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

No

IF “Yes,” describe the modifications (e.g., electrical, air, painting, lighting, security, network access, etc.).

     

3. Would this project use space not currently assigned to your department or area? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

No

IF “Yes,” describe.

     

Conditional If this project would require any site preparation, or if this project would use any space notStep 4: currently under your department’s control:

a. You must submit a draft proposal to Space Administration by March 9, 2020.

b. Space Administration and Facilities Management will then conduct a site survey and respond to you by March 20, 2020 about project feasibility, cost and schedule.

c. You must include the site survey response with your final proposal.

VI. Project Schedule

Describe your overall implementation schedule.Note that project awards are announced during spring quarter, and that projects are to be substantially completed by the end of the calendar year.If any site preparation is involved (see section V above), align your project schedule with the schedule provided by Space Administration and Facilities Management.

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Spring quarter 2020: Order equipment using the quotes received during winter quarter 2020.

Summer quarter 2020: Train and practice using the KTRS. Work with classroom support technician to optimize demonstrations and laboratories using the KTRS.

Fall quarter 2020: Begin integrating KTRS in classrooms for PSY 220, PSY 428, BNS 305

Winter quarter 2021: Begin integrating KTRS in classrooms for BNS 306

Academic year 2020-2021: Integrate KTRS system and optimize demonstrations/laboratories

Academic year 2021/2022: Integrate KTRS into proposed BNS 301-302 courses

VII. Constraints

List or describe any external or internal factors/constraints that could affect your project schedule, project objectives, or the project budget (e.g., if external approval is required for curricular changes, or if funding must be received by a certain date).

None anticipated.

VIII. Submitting the Proposal

1. Ensure your proposal does not exceed 14 pages (not including Tech Initiatives Summary Sheet).

2. Complete top portion of 2020 Tech Initiatives Proposal Summary Sheet.

3. Electronically submit the proposal and the summary sheet per appropriate substep below.

a. For student proposals: Email proposal and summary sheet by April 1 to AS Senate Pro Tempore at AS.Senateprotempore@wwu.edu. Both the proposal and summary sheet should be Word format.

b. For employee proposals: Email proposal and summary sheet by internal due date, per your unit’s process [which must be before proposal due date (to STF Committee) of April 2]. Both the proposal and summary sheet should be Word format.

Note: Step 4 is for the positions gathering and/or prioritizing the submitted proposals.

4. Process the proposals per the appropriate position substeps below (a, b, or c).

a. AS Senate Pro Tempore (for student proposals):

i. Prioritize the student proposals. Indicate priority on summary sheets, and sign the sheets.

ii. Email proposals (Word format) and summary sheets (PDF format) to batemad@wwu.edu (the STF Committee secretary) no later than April 2.

b. Dept Chair / equivalent (for employee proposals):

i. Sign summary sheet(s) on “department chair” line.

ii. Email proposals (Word format) and signed summary sheets (PDF format) to college dean/unit head to meet internal deadline.

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c. College Dean / unit head (for employee proposals):

i. Prioritize the employee proposals. Indicate priority on summary sheets, and sign the sheets.

ii. Email proposals (Word format) and completed summary sheets (PDF format) to batemad@wwu.edu (the STF Committee secretary) no later than April 2.

Note: Please do not send paper copies of proposals to the STF Committee.

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