the chemical information instructor
edited by
ARLEEN SOMERVILLE Carlson Library University of Rochester Rochester, NY 14627
Teaching Online Data Systems to Graduate Students of Toxicology Patricia A. Thomson, Jeffrey J. Jenkins, and Donald R. Buhler Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331 Students i n the interdisciplinary graduate program in Toxicology a t Oregon State University (OSU) need to be able to access timely, accurate toxicology data, and in 1986, we created a n Online Toxicology Data Systems class to meet this challenge. The course is designed to integrate the online training into the Toxicology program and to prepare the students to he end-users.
Sciences University, Hewlett-Packard Company, ManTech Environmental Technologies, Inc., or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Toxicology program was started in 1984, graduating its first PhD student in 1988. Since then, 21 degrees have been awarded. Currently, 37 students are enrolled as either Master's or Doctoral candidates.
Toxicology Program
Current Use Of Online Toxicology Data Systems
The Toxicology program offers a n intensive course of study that leads to a MS or PhD degree in toxicology. Program applicants must have a Bachelor's Degree in chemistry, biochemistry, biology, pharmacy, or other closely related field. I n addition, students with MS degrees i n chemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, and related fields are accepted, as are students with DVM or MD degrees. The Toxicology program cumculum is designed to strengthen the student's training i n the basic sciences and, a t the same time, provide a solid toxicology background. Graduate faculty for the program are drawn from the departments of Food Science and Technology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, Fisheries and Wildlife, Animal Science, Civil Engineering, and Agricultural Chemistry, as well a s the colleges of Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicine. Other faculty members have aff~liationswith the Oregon Health
The Online Toxicology Data Systems class may be taken for credit towards the Master's or Doctor's requirements. The class, taught by two of us from the Department of Agricultural Chemistry faculty, is offered because there is no other comprehensive online class a t OSU, although some colleges and universities have such programs ( I ) . Our class is designed to compliment the programs in place a t OSU. The OSU Kerr library staff offer workshops covering inhouse catalogues, Internet, and CD-ROM facilities, and encourages all Oregon State University students to attend. An assigned librarian does online searches on request; OCLC's First Search is available on a limited basis. Most search requests are business oriented, but requests have declined sharply since CD's became available through the library (2).The largest campus group of end-users appears to he chemists who access the Scientific and Technical Information Network (STN) from their personal computers. The Department of Chemistry offers a class in computer interfacing that touches on online searching, but i t doesn't go into great detail. Undergraduate chemistry students at-
Presented at the Chemical Information Division of the American Chemical Society National Chemical lnformation Symposium, Burlington, VT, June 1994.
324
Journal of Chemical Education
Representative Schedule of Lectures and Labs for ACfrox 4451545
online service, i t would he prudent to choose a vendor such as Week Subject Instructor Lab Activity DIALOG, Data-Star, CDP Technologies, or Questal. Duringlabo1 Introduction to online systems and BuhleP No lab ratory sessions, we use demonsearch techniques s t r a t i o n discs, have hands-on 2 Database selection, cost, content ~ h o m s o n ~ Demo discs time, and encourage use of free systems such a s the library CD 3 Boolean logic and MEDLINE searching Buhler MEDLINE problem set Center. The table outlines the lecture and laboratory schedule. 4 TOXNET databases Buhler TOXNET problem set Even with academic discounts. 5 More NLM databases and search Buhler NLM problem set the cost of a typical class is $50techniques and menu searching 100 per pupil, which comes from the Toxiioiog+ program training 6 CAOnline and other STN databases Thomson STN hands-on fund. Unfortunately, we do not 7 DIALOG and Data-Star databases Thornson DIALOG hands-on h a v e access t o a properly equipped computer lab. Students 8 CIS databases Buhler Term projects and make-up use laboratory computers and get labs one-on-one assistance on a per9 BlOSlS and other databases Buhler Continue term proiects sonal comouter. This situation is . . far from ideal. On the brighter 10 CDs and future trends Buhler Continue term projects side, the lecture room is comfort'D. R. Buhler, formerDirector Graduate Toxicology Program. OSU. able and nicely appointed. There b ~A. .Thomsan. Information Specialist.Extension Envimnmental Toxicology and Chemistry,OSU. i s no textbook for the course. but system specific material is available form vendors and producers. tend an integrated chemistry lab where informal Chemical The Manual of Online Search Strategies ( 6 )is an especially Abstracts (CA) online instruction and online time i s progood information source. vided. I n addition, a number of departments on campus Two points are repeated a s the students listen to the lecprovide some sort of informal online training. While chemtures and experience hands-on time. First, no single dataists logically go to the STN databases, toxicologists have no base or collection of databases will have all the material single place to search, hence the need for an online search that is available on a particular subject. There is a lot of class. Because our online course is topically oriented, i t is good information that does not get entered into a database advantageous to have practicing scientists teach the class. system: for example, old Chemical Abstracts that are not A toxicologist knows what is important, knows the trends, yet in CAOLD. One earnest student said he had to be sure and knows the other researchers and their locations. They that be had everything available about a certain chemical. also are able to evaluate and interpret the resulting data. He was genuinely disappointed when informed that online searching alone would not accomplish this even if a numLecture and Lab ber of different databases were accessed (7). Second. i n manv instances. there are alternatives to onThe Online Toxicology Data Systems class is offered once lint, d;itiil>;tit!s.Or, it may not he appropriate to use an ona year (winter term) with a n average enrollment of 6-12 Itne database. The availabilitv of CD's and tht. handhook students. I t i s a 10-week, three-credit class with two onesetting on the shelf are just two examples of non-online hour lectures and a three-hour lab each week. I n a typical sources. We tri not to dazzle the students with so much Quarter.we introduce the students to various online infortechnology t h a t they forget altcrn;iti\.c inform:ition &ion ~ y s t r m ,.7,4,. s Ntn-jystem-specificlectures outltne sources. W t h Internet access and a bountiful s u ~ o l suf datat~nseselection. costs, docun~entdelwen: Roolean locric. l>ullt!tin hwird;, electronic inlbrmation is avatlsble i h ~ ; ~ h and search techniques before students expidre the indiiid: not always user fticndlv t81. Studtmts nerd t o he prepared ual databases. The maioritv of class time is spent on the to face real-world information gathering siiuaiions, Nution;il Librmy of ~ c h i c i n INLM, c databases, especiallv whether they be povernment, industry, academia, or mediTOXLINE, TOXLIT, MEDLIKE, a n d t h e TOXXET cine, and they need to appreciate that just because some.HSDB, IRIS, TRII selections. With the advent of varir~us thing arrives electronically, i t does not mean the informasearch programs and retrieval tools, i t is not a s important tion is accurate or even useful. The following quote from a as i t used to be for students to learn system language. student paper helps demonstrate our success in conveying After introducing the NLM databases, we present the these concepts: STN databases, emphasizing the CA file and the Registry file. During this series of lectures and labs, we obtain regI lr~rnrdn great dcnl from t h e ruur6e. not only how ur ure istw numbers and demonstrate their search value. Time rhc r n u l r i t d r of dntn haws, hut 21s" to use them select~wly consrrainrs limit structurv searching to classroom discushasrd on rhr rhrmml or toxin youarr lwkirqfur Adduwnally, sion with no lab time. Students are restricted to liles that on-line computer services do not have all the information on offer academic discounts. The biggest problem most stuthe chemical your [siel searching for. I found a lot of informadents have is retrieving too much data. This helps stution in the librarv that was not mesent in on-line data bases. I will be using theknowledge pined from your course for future dents appreciate how much information i s available and projects, bath in school and after I graduate. Thank you. encourages them to "fine tune" their searches. Motivating students h a s never been a problem. They Students next learn about DIALOG and Data-Star datausually want more hands-on time than is allotted and base collections, examples of large, multinational systems. track down information as if they were on a scavenger Databases and features that are unique to these vendors hunt. The term grade is based, i n part, on a paper they are highlighted. For instance, Data-Star has very attracwrite using information gleaned from various online tive discount rates for off-hours searches based on Eurosources. The topic this year was estrogen disrupters, and pean times (5),which are business hours in the United States. Students learn that if faced with having only one students were to collect enough information to write a MaVolume 72 Number 4 April 1995
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Chemicals Handbook and The Agroehmicals Handbook, I also find an article in Pflanzensehutr-NachrichtenBayer pertaining to imidacloprid analysis. Next, I do an online search of TOXLINE where I find two articles of interest. These articles establish that imidacloprid binds to the nicotinic receptor, and I consult Casarett and Doull's Toxicology, The Basic Science of Poisons for nicotinic signs and symptoms. All of the data is summarized and e-mailed to the interested party and is placed on the EXTOXNET system far further comment and enhancement. This and other material can be viewed via the Internet hv, .. mine .. to the ALMANAC Information Server or a CO1'111.:11 s m , c r lb grr t n Al.MAh'AC.
