Mehmet Candas
utd
Mehmet Candas  
BIOGRAPHY TEACHING RESEARCH VIEWPOINT CONTACT

As a scientist, research trends that influenced my studies involve questions addressing animal development, aging, cancer, and pathogen-host interactions.  My inquiries centered around investigations concerning biochemical and genetic basis of cellular responses to their environment and how cells integrate signals into survival or death pathways.  What motivates me to work in this field is the continuing challenge in understanding the emergent properties of biological systems through better use of scientific data.  I use bioinformatics, network biology and ontology based approaches along with traditional biochemical and genetic experimentation data to find patterns and correlations.  My goal is to bring new insights into the operational and organizational principles of cells, understand evolutionary significance of biological functions, and construct phenotypic and process models that can be utilized in biotechnology and medicine.

As an educator, I have been increasingly involved in education improvement research.  I am interested in improving the ways to integrate modern concepts into biology instruction. I advocate creating a community in the classroom and using active learning methodologies to enhance students' critical thinking and collaborative working skills.  I believe classroom context is the irreplaceable opportunity in which relevant conceptual structure of knowledge is created and students are guided to become responsible for their own learning.  Lectures and discussions provide the environment for collective sharing of knowledge and experiences.  Thus classroom experience is the most effective in learning.  As a National Academies Education Fellow, I participate in scholarly programs, deliver talks and present my evaluations concerning the impact of rapidly changing research paradigms on undergraduate biology education.  Among these paradigms, genomics is continuously changing the ways biology is practiced. This brings critical educational needs. Effective dissemination of genomics knowledge is essential to prepare biology students seeking careers in health professions and life sciences.  It is also important for educating teachers and informed citizens since genomics has serious impact on various social and ethical issues, from genetic testing and medical record privacy to genetically modified foods and environmental conservation, among others.  In this regard, I am motivated to study learning outcomes involving genomics in undergraduate biology education and improve the validity of delivery methods.  My objective is to identify and assess the factors that will enhance student learning in related topics and develop educational strategies that will help them understand the impact of genomics in their lives and careers.



natilus&sisyphus

BIOGRAPHY TEACHING RESEARCH VIEWPOINT CONTACT

© 2014  |  Mehmet Candas  |  Biological Sciences  |  The University of Texas at Dallas