All Materials

Module Name Topic Overview
Money, Sex, and Drugs: Exciting college freshman about Genetics Genetics, antibiotic resistance, and STDs Students learn genetic concepts of gene expression, mutation, and natural selection through a group case study involving antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea.
Molecular Biological Techniques: Critical thinking and research design Molecular techniques and experimental design Students collaborate to teach each other common biology laboratory procedures and experimental design. Techniques include PCR, immunoprecipitation and co-IP, immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, and reporter assay.
Using Genetics Mini-lectures and Podcasts to Make Time for Active Learning Genetics Instructors used mini-lectures and podcasts to instruct students how to approach topics about genetics including: mitosis, meiosis, recombination, and quantitative genetics.
Bacteria Really Do Rule! Bacteriology, variation and selection, evolution of resistance Antibiotic resistance and evolution Students learn about bacterial variation, antibiotic resistance, and the risk resistance poses to public health through active learning exercises that simulate natural selection and critical assessment of the use of antibiotics.
Molecular Biology of Antibiotics Antibiotic resistance, molecular biology, and bacterial cell biology Students learn how antibiotics affect bacterial cells, bacterial cell biology, propose their own antibiotic, and justify why the antibiotic would be effective.
The Bacterial Side of the Story Antibiotic Resistance Students learn how mechanisms of horizontal gene transfer, mutations, and human behavior can lead to antibiotic resistance through a case study.
An Introduction to Aflatoxins and their Epidemiology Fungi and aflatoxins Students learn about aflatoxins and their relevance to health by analyzing the interaction among pathogen, host, and the environment (the disease triangle).
Does Aflatoxin-contaminated Peanut Butter Cause Liver Cancer? Fungi, aflatoxins, and cancer Students learn about cancer (what is it?) and the cell cycle by studying the ways in which food toxins may lead to cancer by disrupting normal cell cycle mechanisms.
Controlling Aflatoxin Contamination in the Food Supply Fungi, aflatoxins, and food Students develop their understanding of fungus biology, fungal toxicity, and Aspergillus flavus through questioning the effectiveness of biocontrol measures and an exploration of the disease triangle.
What Makes a Pandemic? Viruses and pandemics Students participate in epidemiological simulations and consider mechanisms that lead to the spread of viruses in populations, both past and present.
Influenza: Molecular Biology Viral molecular biology and flu Students learn about virus structure and lifecycle, and link epidemiological information about viruses to cellular events by creating hypothetical antiviral agents.
War Without End: Humans' Innate and Scientific Retaliation against the Flu Viruses, flu, immunity, and infection To learn about acquired immunity by combining the knowledge of epidemiology and cellular response to infection, students engage in decision-making activities and use a flu manipulation model.
An Imaging Roadmap for Biology Education: From nanoparticles to whole organisms Biological imaging and scale in medical research Students engage in molecular imaging activities to explore the importance of the relationship between biological scale and imaging scale, gain new insights into biological structure and function, bring quantification into biology, and learn ways of advancing nanomedicine, regenerative medicine, and nuclear medicine, which contribute to the NIH Roadmap initiatives.
Integrating Biology: Solving an ALS mystery Animal and plant physiology and bioaccumulation To explore the interdisciplinary aspects of real-world science, students interpret experimental data, generate hypotheses, and describe contributions from various fields that work on solving the ALS problem.

Statistical Tools for Biology Undergraduates to Plan and Interpret Experiments

Statistics in biology and experimental design Students are introduced to experimental design, including collecting data and quantifying level of support for hypothesis, and statistics in biology through this unit that integrates into a lab sequence.
If you Can’t Take the Heat…: Understanding variables affecting solar radiation and using biophysical models to quantify heat stress in animals Ecology, modeling, and animal physiology Students learn that physiological, morphological, and behavioral characteristics allow animals to moderate their heat load, and apply their knowledge to construct a mechanistic model.
Discovering Meiosis Cytogenetics, mitosis, and meiosis in plants To correct misconceptions about meiosis, students discuss and model the process of meiosis in an upper-division laboratory.
PCR and Gel Electrophoresis: Moving beyond the technique PCR, gel electrophoresis, and genetically modified organisms Students learn principles and skills in PCR and gel electrophoresis, design experiments that determine whether organisms are genetically modified, and present analysis of their collective results.