Kristy Wilson, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biology

Biography

Dr. Kristy Wilson is an Associate Professor of Biology at Marian University in Indianapolis. In this role, she teaches molecular genetics and biochemistry, and serves as faculty lead for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning to provide mentorship and faculty workshops. She is co-editor for Evidence-Based Teaching Guides (EBTG) feature for Life Science Education. EBTGs lowers the barriers for faculty to incorporate evidence-based practices into their teaching by identifying literature associated with a specific pedagogy which are distilled to provide practical recommendations. Her research investigates best practices for educating scientists/health professionals by teaching experimentation and using model-based instruction. She is also interested in studying faculty development’s role in institutional transformation. She earned her PhD at Purdue University in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Program and did her post-doc in Emory University’s FIRST program with mentored teaching experience at Morehouse College.

Education

• Ph.D. at Purdue University in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (2009)
• B.S. at University of South Dakota in Chemistry with Biology minor (2003)

Professional affiliations

• CBE Life Science Education Editorial Board and Feature Editor (2017-present)
• NSF ASEND Faculty Fellow (2020-present)
• Member, Advancing Competence in Experimentation in Biology (ACE-Bio) Research Coordination Network (2017-present)
• Member, Biology Scholar-Education Research Institute, American Society of Microbiology (ASM) (2016)
• Member, Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER) (2013-present)

Courses

• BIO 203 Molecular Genetics
• BIO/CHM 310 Biochemistry
• BIO 410 Genomics and Advanced Genetics
• BIO 490/491 Senior Seminar
• BIO 398/498 Directed Research

Research interests / portfolio

• Communicating research based teaching practices using CBE Life Science Education (LSE) journal feature publications and website called Evidence Based Teaching Guides
• Instilling and assessing understanding of the scientific process including nature of science (science is non-linear, ongoing, and relies upon communication with the scientific community and multiple lines of evidence), and experiment design (controls, variables, and the role of statistics)
• Modeling in molecular genetics to increase student ability to integrate topics (role of genotype in phenotype and in evolution)

Publications

EDUCATION RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS

• K.J. Wilson, T. Long, J. Momsen, E. Bray Speth. (2020) Evidence Based Teaching Guides: Modeling in the Classroom- Making Systems and Relationships Visible. CBE Life Sci Education. 19 (1): fe1.
• P.A. Angarita-Rivera, D.B. Gabbard, K.A. Main, K.M. Timmermann, K.B. Kinkade, K.J. Wilson, C.L. Doçi. (2019) Vitamin C as a Model for a Novel and Approachable Experimental Framework for Investigating Spectrophotometry. J Chem Educ. 96 (11): 2578-2583.
• K.J. Wilson, C.J. Brame (2018)  Evidence Based Teaching Guides: Helping Practitioners and Researchers Identify and Use Education Research Literature. CBE Life Sci Education 17 (1): fe3.
• K.J. Wilson, P. Brickman, C.J. Brame (2018)  Evidence Based Teaching Guides: Group Work. CBE Life Sci Education 17 (1): fe1.
• K.J. Wilson, B. Rigakos. (2016) Scientific Process Flowchart Assessment (SPFA): A Method for Evaluating Changes in Understanding and Visualization of the Scientific Process in a Multidisciplinary Student Population.  CBE Life Sci Education 15 (4): ar63.
• K.J. Wilson. (2014) Chapter 32: Antibiotics and Evolution. Science Stories You Can Count On: 51 Case Studies with Quantitative Reasoning in Biology.  Arlington, Virginia: NSTA Press: 285-296.
• K.J. Wilson. (2013) Diabetes and Insulin Signaling. National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science.
• K.J. Wilson. (2011) Super Bug: Antibiotics & Evolution. National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science.

RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS

• K.J. Wilson, T. Long, J. Momsen, E. Bray Speth. (2020) Evidence Based Teaching Guides: Modeling in the Classroom- Making Systems and Relationships Visible. CBE Life Sci Education. 19 (1): fe1.
• P.A. Angarita-Rivera, D.B. Gabbard, K.A. Main, K.M. Timmermann, K.B. Kinkade, K.J. Wilson, C.L. Doçi. (2019) Vitamin C as a Model for a Novel and Approachable Experimental Framework for Investigating Spectrophotometry. J Chem Educ. 96 (11): 2578-2583.
• Kadota H, Matsunaga Y, Bagchi P, Lange KI, Carrier K, Vander Pols W, Swartzbaugh E, Wilson KJ, Srayko M, Pallas DC, Benian GM. (2018) Protein Phosphatase 2A is Crucial for Sarcomere Organization in C. elegans Striated Muscle. Mol Biol Cell 29 (17): 2084-2097.
• H. Qadota, O. Mayans, J.L. McMurry, Y. Matsunaga, K.J. Wilson, G.E. Kwon, R. Stanford, K. Deehan, T.L. Tinley, V.M. Ngwa, G.M. Benian. (2016) The SH3 domain of UNC-89 (obscurin) interacts with paramyosin, a coiled-coil protein, in C. elegans muscle. Mol Biol Cell 27: 1606-1620.
• K.J. Wilson, H. Qadota, P. Mains, G.M. Benian. (2012) UNC-89 (obscurin) binds to MEL-26, a BTB domain protein, and affects the function of MEI-1 (katanin) in striated muscle of C. elegans. Mol Biol Cell 23: 2623-34.
• K.J. Wilson, C.P. Mill, S. Lambert, J. Buchman, T.J. Wilson, V. Hernandez-Gordillo, R. Gallo, L. Ades, J. Settleman, D.J. Riese. (2012) EGFR ligands exhibit functional differences in models of paracrine and autocrine signaling. Growth Factors. 30: 107-116.
• K.J. Wilson, C.P. Mill, S. Lambert, E.M. Cameron, H. VanBrocklin, J. Settleman, D.J. Riese. (2012) The Q43L mutant of neuregulin 2beta is a pan-ErbB antagonist.  Biochem J. 443: 133-144.
• K.J. Wilson, H. Qadota, G.M. Benian. (2012) Immunofluorescent localization of proteins in C. elegans muscle. Methods Mol Biol. 789: 171-181.
• K.J. Wilson, J.L. Gilmore, M.A. Lemmon, J. Foley, D.J. Riese. (2009) EGF family hormones stimulate distinct biological responses: implications for tumorigenesis and metastasis. Pharmacol Ther 122: 1-8.
• N.E. Willmarth, A. Baillo, M. Dziubinski, K. Wilson, D.J. Riese, S.P. Ethier. (2009) Altered EGFR localization and degradation in human breast cancer cells with an amphiregulin/EGFR autocrine loop.  Cell Signal 21: 212-219.
• K.J. Wilson, C.P. Mill, E.M. Cameron, S.S. Hobbs, R.P. Hammer, D.J. Riese. (2007) Interconversion of neuregulin2 full and partial agonists for ErbB4. Biochem Biophys Res Comm 364: 351-357.
• Z. Ristic, K. Wilson, C. Nelsen, I. Momcilovic, S. Kobayashi, R. Meeley, M. Muszynski, J. Habben. (2004) A maize mutant with decreased capacity to accumulate chloroplast protein synthesis elongation factor (EF-Tu) displays reduced tolerance to heat stress. Plant Sci 167: 1367-1374.