Birgitta McEwen

Birgitta Mc Ewen, PhD in Botany from Göteborg University, is a senior lecturer in biology at Karlstad University. She is now engaged in biology didactics and gender issues and belongs to the SMEER (Science, Mathematics and Engineering Education Research Group) and the CGR (Centre for Gender Research) groups. She has been engaged in the EqualGrowth project since 2008 and main responsible for the applications to the European Fund. The project has until today a budget of 16 million SEK. Mc Ewen is engaged in how we could stimulate girls' and boys' interests in science and technology and work in different projects with this question. In one project she uses plant physiology for stimulating interests, in another a network of pre-school teachers that learn science at the university. She is also a participant of the Biohead-group with Prof Pierre Clément, Lyon, as project leader.

Publications in international scientific journals with referee systems

·          Mc Ewen, B., Virgin, H.I., Böddi, B. & Sundqvist, C. 1991. Protochlorophyll forms in roots of dark-grown plants. – Physiologia Plantarum 81: 455-461.

·          Mc Ewen, B. & Lindsten, A. 1992. Characterization of protochlorophyllide and protochlorophyllide esters in roots of dark-grown plants. – Physiologia Plantarum

84: 343-350.

·          Mc Ewen, B., Sundqvist, C. & Younis, S. 1994. Protochlorophyll(ide) forms in hypocotyls of dark-grown bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). – Physiologia Plantarum 90: 396-407.

·          Böddi, B., Mc Ewen, B., Ryberg, M. & Sundqvist, C. 1994. Protochlorophyllide forms in non-greening epicotyls of dark-grown pea (Pisum sativum). – Physiologia Plantarum 92: 160-170.

·          Rova, M., Mc Ewen, B., Fredriksson, P.-O. & Styring, S. 1994. Photosystem II in a mutant of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii lacking the 23 kDa psb protein shows increased sensitivity to photoinhibition in the absence of chloride. – Photosynthesis Research 49: 75-83.

·          Virgin, H.I. & Mc Ewen, B. Effect of 5-aminolevulinic acid on the pigment content of dark-grown hypocotyls of Phaseolus vulgaris. 1995. – Physiologia Plantarum 93: 328-333.

·          Mc Ewen, B., Seyyedi, M., Younis, S. & Sundqvist, C. Formation of short-wavelength chlorophyll(ide) after brief irradiation is correlated to the occurrence of protochlorophyll(ide)_636-642  in dark-grown epi- and hypocotyls of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). 1996. - Physiologia Plantarum 96: 51-58.

·          Rova, M., Mc Ewen, B., Fredriksson, P.-O. & Styring, S. Balance between photoactivation and photoinhibition of photosystem II in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii lacking the 23 kDa extrinsic subunit. 1996. – Journal of Biological Chemistry 271: 28918-28924.

·          Weyers, J.D.B., Höglund, H.-O. & Mc Ewen, B. Teaching botany on the sunny side of the tree. Promoting investigative studies in plant ecophysiology through observations and experiments on sun and shade leaves. 1998. – Journal of Biological Education 32(3): 181-190.

·          McEwen, B. Easy growth experiment on peas stimulates interest in biology for 10-11 year old pupils. 2007. – Journal of Biological Education 41(2): 84-88.

·          McEwen, B. Easy plant experiment on Impatiens New Guinea for 11-12 year old pupils. 2008. – Journal of Biological Education 42(4):177-179.

·          Mc Ewen, B. Interests in Science and Technology – Twenty Women tell their own Stories. Submitted.

Publications in international scientific journals without referee systems

·          Rova, M., Mc Ewen, B., Fredriksson, P.-O. & Styring, S. 1995. Balance between photoactivation and photoinhibition of photosystem II in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii lacking the 23 kDa extrinsic subunit. In Mathis P. (ed) Photosynthesis: from light to biosphere, Vol II, pp 291-294. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Nederlands.

Publications in national journals or books without referee systems

·          Morberg, Å., Mc Ewen, B. & Rehn, A. 2007. Kvalitetsarbete för SÄL-utbildningens examensarbete. In Peter Emsheimer & Anders Lindh (eds.) Från syfte till gestaltning. På väg mot vetenskaplighet i examensarbetet inom Särskild lärarutbildning (pp 44-58). Karlshamn: Carlshamns Tryck & Media.

·          Gonäs, L., Rosenberg, K., Holth, L., Mc Ewen, B. & Almasri, A. 2009. Att riva murar – samspel mellan utbildning och arbetsliv. En rapport från JämVäxt-projektet vid Karlstads universitet. Rapport 2009:54. Karlstad: Karlstad University Studies.

Papers at scientific conferences

·          Protochlorophyll in roots. Mc Ewen, B., Virgin, H.I., Böddi, B. & Sundqvist, C. 7th Congress of the Federation of European Societies of Plant Physiology, Umeå University, Umeå (1990-08-05 to 1990-08-10).

·          Characterization of protochlorophyllide and protochlorophyllide esters in roots of dark-grown plants. Mc Ewen, B., Lindsten, A. & Virgin, H.I. International Meeting on the Regulation of Chloroplast Biogenesis, Aghia Pelaghia, Crete, Greece (1991-07-28 to 1991-08-03).

·          Protochlorophyll forms in hypocotyls of dark-grown plants. Mc Ewen, B. & Sundqvist, C. 5^th Congress of the European Society for Photobiology, Philipps-Universität, Marburg, Germany (1993-09-19 to 1993-09-26).

·          Protochlorophyll forms in pea epicotyls. Böddi, B., Ryberg, M., Mc Ewen, B. & Sundqvist, C. 5^th Congress of the European Society for Photobiology, Philipps-Universität, Marburg, Germany (1993-09-19 to 1993-09-26).

·          Short-wavelength protochlorophyllide forms and their phototransformation in pea epicotyls. Böddi, B., Mc Ewen, B., Ryberg, M. & Sundqvist, C. 10^th International Photosynthesis Congress, Montpellier, France (1995-08-20 to 1995-08-25).

·          Photoactivation and photoinhibition of photosystem II in a mutant of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii lacking the 23 kDa extrinsic subunit. Rova, M., Mc Ewen, B., Fredriksson, P.-O. and Styring, S. 10^th International Photosynthesis Congress, Montpellier, France (1995-08-20 to 1995-08-25).

·          Teaching botany on the sunny side of the tree: promoting investigative studies in plant ecophysiology through observations and experiments on sun and shade leaves. Weyers, J.D.B., Höglund, H.-O. & Mc Ewen, B. 18^th Congress of the Scandinavian Society for Plant Physiology, Ultuna, Swedish University of Agriculture, Uppsala, Sweden (1997-06-12 to 1997-06-17).

·          The role of thidiazuron and beta-naphtalene acetic acid in transformation of birch, Betula pendula, with help of Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Mc Ewen, B. & Welander, M. 19^th Congress of the Scandinavian Society for Plant Physiology, Joensuu University, Joensuu, Finland (1999-06-21 to 1999-06-23).

·          Easy growth experiment on peas (Pisum sativum sp) stimulates interest in biology for 10-11 year old pupils. Mc Ewen, B. Third Scandinavian Symposium on Research in Science Education, Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden (2007-02-09 to 2007-02-10).

·          Boys, girls and the world of engineering – Gender issues in technology and technology education. Åberg, M., Mc Ewen, B. & Walan, S. NERA’s (Nordic Educational Research Association) 38th Congress, Active Citizenship, The Hurricane, Malmo University, Malmö, Sweden (2010-03-11 to 2010-03-13).

·          Intresse för teknik – ett antal kvinnors berättelser. Mc Ewen, B. NOFA (Nordiska ämnesdidaktikkonferensen), Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden (2011-05-11 to 2011-05-13).

·          Interest in Science and Technology – Women tell their own Stories. Mc Ewen, B. ESERA (European Science Education Research Association), Lyon University, Lyon, France (2011-09-05 to 2011-09-09).

Birgitta Mc Ewen has a lot of experience in teaching biology at all levels. She has been a teacher in cell biology and plant physiology but also in other biology and biochemical courses. For a couple of these she has been course leader and examiner. In the project work at advanced level she has been supervisor for eight students. She was nominated as best teacher at Karlstads University in 1998.