Blumer, Lawrence S.

LAWRENCE S. BLUMER, PH.D.

Morehouse College

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Division Faculty

Professor of Biology

Education

Lawrence S. Blumer joined the Morehouse faculty in 1990. He earned his PhD from the University of Michigan in 1982 and previously taught at Michigan, The Ohio State University and Kenyon College.

Blumer teaches undergraduate courses in ecology, environmental studies, introductory biology, and introductory-level course-based research experience laboratories. His current research is focused on undergraduate laboratory curriculum development, assessing teaching-learning innovation and insect-microbial interactions.

Currently, Blumer is co-principal investigator on two National Science Foundation research grants. An Improving Undergraduate STEM Education Grant, Collaborative Research – The Bean Beetle Microbiome Project: A Research-Education Collaboration; and an HBCU-Undergraduate Program Grant, Broadening Participation Research Center: HBCU STEM Undergraduate Success Research Center. Blumer has authored or co-authored 55 peer-reviewed publications including 15 in the past 5 years.

In the past 5 years, Blumer has made 13 invited presentations, including faculty development workshops and poster presentations at scientific conferences. He is co-author of a dedicated website for information about the bean beetle model system (www.beanbeetles.org). He was the 2007 recipient of the Vulcan Materials Company Teaching Excellence Award at Morehouse College. Blumer also is a past President of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education (2011-2013).

Contact

Email
lawrence.blumer@morehouse.edu

Office Location
John Hope Hall

Phone
470-639-0283

Office Hours
Monday, Wednesday
10:00-Noon

Publications & Presentations

Blumer, L.S. Solar panel electricity, efficiency and environmental impacts. Article 4 In: McMahon, K. editor. Advances in Biology Laboratory Education Volume 41. Publication of the 41^st Conference of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education (ABLE), https://doi.org/10.37590/able.v41.art4

Blumer, L.S. and C.W. Beck. 2020. Introducing community ecology and data skills with the bean beetle microbiome project. Article 24. In: McMahon, K. editor. Advances in Biology Laboratory Education Volume 41. Publication of the 41^st Conference of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education (ABLE) https://doi.org/10.37590/able.v41.art24

Zelaya, A.J., N.M. Gerardo, L.S. Blumer and C.W. Beck. 2020. The Bean Beetle

Microbiome Project: A Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience in

Microbiology. Frontiers in Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2020.577621

Jacobs-Sera, D. et al. 2020. Genomic diversity of bacteriophages infecting Microbacterium PLOS ONE https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234636

Beck, C.W. and L.S. Blumer. 2021. Advancing undergraduate laboratory education using non-model insect species. Annual Reviews of Entomology, 66:25.1.1-25.20. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ento-062920-095809 (posted online 23 September 2020) publication in January 2021, 66:485-504. http://www.annualreviews.org/eprint/WPAWQUEBUYSV2PWK9EUC/full/10.1146/annurev-ento-062920-095809

Beck, C.W. and L.S. Blumer. 2021. The relationship between perceptions of instructional practices and student self-efficacy in guided-inquiry laboratory courses. CBE Life Sciences Education. March 1, 2021 20:ar8. DOI: 10.1187/cbe.20-04-0076

Zelaya, A.J., N.M. Gerardo, L.S. Blumer and C.W. Beck. 2022. Analysis of microbiomes using free web-based tools in online and in-person undergraduate science courses. CourseSource 9. https://doi.org/10.24918/cs.2022.35

Zelaya, A.J., L.S. Blumer and C.W. Beck. Comparison of published assessments of biological experimentation as mapped to the ACE-Bio competence areas. Chapter 14. In: Pelaez, N.J., S.M. Gardner, and T.R. Anderson editors. Trends in Teaching Experimentation in the Life Sciences - Putting research into practice to drive institutional change. Springer Nature, Switzerland AG, Cham, Switzerland, ISBN 978-3-030-98591-2.

This chapter is open access at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-98592-9_14

Blumer, L.S., A.J. Zelaya, C.W. Beck, N.M. Gerardo, and S.N. Younge. 2022. Teaching the bean beetle microbiome CURE in an online format. Article 19 In: Boone, E. and Thuecks, S. editors. Advances in Biology Laboratory Education Volume 42. Publication of the 42^st Conference of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education (ABLE), https://doi.org/10.37590/able.v42.art19
Huang, Carolyne, A.J. Zelaya, L.S. Blumer, N.M. Gerardo, and C.W. Beck. 2022. BeanBeetleMicrobiome app: an online app for community analysis of microbiome data. Article 31 In: Boone E and Thuecks S, eds. Advances in biology laboratory education. Volume 42. Publication of the 42nd Conference of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education (ABLE). https://doi.org/10.37590/able.v42.art31
Blumer, L.S. and W.C. Whitfield. 2023. Creating artificial beans for bean beetles, Callosobruchus maculatus, using a mechanical pill press. Abstract 41 In: Boone E and Thuecks S, eds. Advances in biology laboratory education. Volume 43. Publication of the 43rd Conference of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education (ABLE). https://doi.org/10.37590/able.v43.abs41
Zelaya A, Younge S, Gerardo NM, Blumer LS, and Beck CW. 2023. The Bean Beetle Microbiome Project: The impact of student-autonomy on science identity, project ownership, and abilities to overcome perceived challenges in course-based undergraduate research experiences. Abstract 54 In: Boone E and Thuecks S, eds. Advances in biology laboratory education. Volume 43. Publication of the 43rd Conference of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education (ABLE). https://doi.org/10.37590/able.v43.abs54

AWARDS AND HONORS

2007 Teaching Excellence Award, Vulcan Materials Company and Georgia Foundation for Independent Colleges
2018-2023 Improving Undergraduate STEM Education Grant, National Science Foundation, Collaborative Research – The Bean Beetle Microbiome Project: A Research-Education Collaboration (Co-PI with C.W. Beck, N. Gerardo, Emory University, and S. Younge, Morehouse College)
2020-2025 HBCU-UP Grant, National Science Foundation, Broadening Participation Research Center: HBCU STEM Undergraduate Success Research Center (Co-PI with K. Howard, L. Muldrow, and D. Bryan, Morehouse College; C. Talley, Virginia State University; D. Dickens, Spelman College)

Curriculum Vitae

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