Search

First-generation (FG) college students (i.e., those for whom neither parent/guardian obtained a bachelor's degree) experience more barriers in college, compared with continuing-generation students. These barriers are compounded by subtle messages from instructors that convey the idea that natural talent is necessary for success in scientific fields. In contrast, growth mindset messages communicate that ability can improve with effort, help-seeking, and using productive study strategies. In a large enrollment introductory biology course, students were randomly assigned to receive email messages from their instructor after the first two exams containing either a growth mindset or control message. The intervention improved grades in the course for everyone, on average, compared with control messages, and were especially beneficial for FG students. This increase in performance was partially mediated by increased activity accessing course materials on the course website. This study provides preliminary evidence that instructors communicating growth mindset messages can support FG students' performance.

We examined the perceived adequacy and effectiveness of BIO 0475, Advanced Human Dissection, in preparing undergraduate students for the transition into gross anatomy (or equivalent) during their first year of professional school. A 16-item, electronic survey was distributed to course graduates (n=18) that evaluated (1) the importance of BIO 0475 as it related to gross anatomy, (2) student preparedness as provided by their undergraduate training, and (3) perceived level of comfort with adapting to the increased demands of professional school. Students reported the course as beneficial to their professional studies and improving their perceived preparedness for the demands of gross anatomy at the professional level. The development of the Advanced Human Dissection course is reported as a benefit to the students as they matriculate into their professional studies.

Increasing student engagement with the social practices of science (i.e., communication, collaboration, and critique) is a goal throughout K-16 science education and provides an opportunity for science educators to leverage student discourse to optimize learning. Yet how instructors can encourage forms of discourse which predict increased achievement remain unclear. We examined how structured interdependence shifted student discourse and learning for student groups (n = 78) completing collaborative learning activities in undergraduate science classrooms. All discourse was recorded (3,628 student talk turns) and coded. Results showed that groups experiencing structured interdependence had higher rates of science accuracy, idea reiteration, and justification, as well as higher assessment performance. An additional examination of discourse found accuracy and justification of ideas to have greater presence in the highest performing groups overall. The "in common" nature of discourse shifts between both interdependency groups and those with the highest performance suggest that interdependent structuring may promote learning through shifting idea accuracy and justification during talk. These findings support that interdependency may be a pragmatic step for increasing undergraduate student engagement with social practices of science in laboratory settings.

Academic food security aims to provide students with sufficient access to knowledge (one key academic nutrient) in order to limit intellectual hunger. In this analogy, the student is seen as a consumer of knowledge. Academic food sovereignty, on the other hand, aims to shift the focus from student knowledge consumership to student knowledge producership. Our efforts to democratize authentic undergraduate research experiences and our computational biology approach to the discovery and analysis of sea star ovarian gene expression aim to shift the paradigm to sustainably realize "academic food sovereignty." Essential for this paradigm shift is the realization that faculty of community colleges and primarily undergraduate institutions can be valued in equal partnership with research-intensive institutions. In this article, we report how a genuine, sustainable inter-institutional partnership formed; developed into a community-college centric, authentic course-based undergraduate research experience (aCURE); and evolved into a pandemic-resilient small tri-institutional networked aCURE. Qualitative and quantitative data on the impacts of our efforts are presented, and the broader impacts of this academic bridging and learner-autonomy-respecting bidirectional partnership are discussed. Sustainability is essential for "academic food sovereignty," and we emphasize the many legs of the proverbial stool for stability in the future.

With the increasing popularity of active teaching methods, universities have become more interested in changing instruction from direct lecture to interactive engagement. The George Mason University (Mason, Virginia, USA) Biology Department is achieving this goal through: 1) faculty participation in the SIMPLE project; 2) faculty and student involvement in Discipline-Based Education Research projects; 3) participating in the Learning Assistant program for undergraduate students as scholars; and 4) the Accelerator Program. These approaches are discussed in this paper. Also, interactive teaching strategies, which the biology faculty and graduate teaching assistants use at Mason, are documented in the form of design memos; these memos are introduced in this paper

Recent studies have shown that sorting tasks are a useful tool both for measuring and aiding student learning as well as facilitating the transfer of knowledge to novel contexts. These tasks require students to categorize scenarios or information in new ways that facilitate connection making and deeper understanding. As such, sorting tasks represent one of many potentially useful preclass activities to prepare students for engaging in active learning classrooms. Yet there are few studies to inform their implementation, particularly in undergraduate STEM where the large enrollments of introductory courses present unique logistical challenges. In this article, we briefly review the literature rationalizing sorting tasks as a preclass activity for fostering deep initial learning and transfer. We then summarize some practical considerations for implementing sort tasks as preclass activities in a large-lecture biology course. Finally, we share classroom data in a description of our own experiences in using two strategies (course management system vs. card-sorting software) for deploying sort tasks in support of active learning in large-lecture courses and discuss the general affordances and limitations of the two strategies we used.

Multiple reports highlight the increasingly quantitative nature of biological research and the need to innovate means to ensure that students acquire quantitative skills. We present a tool to support such innovation. The Biological Science Quantitative Reasoning Exam (BioSQuaRE) is an assessment instrument designed to measure the quantitative skills of undergraduate students within a biological context. The instrument was developed by an interdisciplinary team of educators and aligns with skills included in national reports such as "BIO2010, Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians," and "Vision and Change." Undergraduate biology educators also confirmed the importance of items included in the instrument. The current version of the BioSQuaRE was developed through an iterative process using data from students at 12 postsecondary institutions. A psychometric analysis of these data provides multiple lines of evidence for the validity of inferences made using the instrument. Our results suggest that the BioSQuaRE will prove useful to faculty and departments interested in helping students acquire the quantitative competencies they need to successfully pursue biology, and useful to biology students by communicating the importance of quantitative skills. We invite educators to use the BioSQuaRE at their own institutions.

Students learn best by being actively engaged in the learning process. This essay describes a teaching technique where students generate their own questions about a course topic. This occurs at the beginning of each new section of a course. The instructor works with the class to answer the students' own questions throughout that section of the course and, via discussion and research, students become better connected and more motivated to learn the content as the course continues. This technique has been used successfully in several different biology courses including anatomy, physiology, environmental biology and introductory biology. Try it. You might like it!

The concepts of protein purification are often taught in undergraduate biology and biochemistry lectures and reinforced during laboratory exercises; however, very few reported activities allow students to directly gain experience using modern protein purification instruments, such as Fast Protein Liquid Chromatography (FPLC). This laboratory exercise uses size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and ion exchange (IEX) chromatography to separate a mixture of four different proteins. Students use an SEC chromatogram and corresponding SDS-PAGE gel to understand how protein conformations change under different conditions (i.e. native and non-native). Students explore strategies to separate co-eluting proteins by IEX chromatography. Using either cation or anion exchange, one protein is bound to the column while the other is collected in the flow-through. In this exercise, undergraduate students gain hands-on experience with experimental design, buffer and sample preparation, and implementation of instrumentation that is commonly used by experienced researchers while learning and applying the fundamental concepts of protein structure, protein purification, and SDS-PAGE.

Loras College senior biology and biology research majors are required to take a comprehensive exam, give an oral presentation, write this talk into their thesis and participate in an exit interview with a non-biology faculty member before they graduate. Details of these capstone experiences will be discussed further. Other capstone experiences that might be included were discussed such as a hands-on lab skill assessment test, a 1-2 year research experience, and making an e-portfolio to include a resume and class artifacts. Suggestions for other items to consider in a senior capstone experience are included.

A workshop titled Beyond the Symptom: The Biology of Fatigue was held virtually September 27-28, 2021. It was jointly organized by the Sleep Research Society and the Neurobiology of Fatigue Working Group of the NIH Blueprint Neuroscience Research Program. For access to the presentations and video recordings, see: https://neuroscienceblueprint.nih.gov/about/event/beyond-symptom-biology-fatigue. The goals of this workshop were to bring together clinicians and scientists who use a variety of research approaches to understand fatigue in multiple conditions and to identify key gaps in our understanding of the biology of fatigue. This workshop summary distills key issues discussed in this workshop and provides a list of promising directions for future research on this topic. We do not attempt to provide a comprehensive review of the state of our understanding of fatigue, nor to provide a comprehensive reprise of the many excellent presentations. Rather, our goal is to highlight key advances and to focus on questions and future approaches to answering them.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science 2011 report "Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education" encourages the teaching of developmental biology as an important part of teaching evolution. Recently, however, we found that biology majors often lack the developmental knowledge needed to understand evolutionary developmental biology, or "evo-devo." To assist in efforts to improve evo-devo instruction among undergraduate biology majors, we designed a concept inventory (CI) for evolutionary developmental biology, the EvoDevoCI. The CI measures student understanding of six core evo-devo concepts using four scenarios and 11 multiple-choice items, all inspired by authentic scientific examples. Distracters were designed to represent the common conceptual difficulties students have with each evo-devo concept. The tool was validated by experts and administered at four institutions to 1191 students during preliminary ("n" = 652) and final ("n" = 539) field trials. We used student responses to evaluate the readability, difficulty, discriminability, validity, and reliability of the EvoDevoCI, which included items ranging in difficulty from 0.22-0.55 and in discriminability from 0.19-0.38. Such measures suggest the EvoDevoCI is an effective tool for assessing student understanding of evo-devo concepts and the prevalence of associated common conceptual difficulties among both novice and advanced undergraduate biology majors.

To examine how well biology majors have achieved the necessary foundation in evolution, numerous studies have examined how students learn natural selection. However, no studies to date have examined how students learn developmental aspects of evolution (evo-devo). Although evo-devo plays an increasing role in undergraduate biology curricula, we find that instruction often addresses development cursorily, with most of the treatment embedded within instruction on evolution. Based on results of surveys and interviews with students, we suggest that teaching core concepts (CCs) within a framework that integrates supporting concepts (SCs) from both evolutionary and developmental biology can improve evo-devo instruction. We articulate CCs, SCs, and foundational concepts (FCs) that provide an integrative framework to help students master evo-devo concepts and to help educators address specific conceptual difficulties their students have with evo-devo. We then identify the difficulties that undergraduates have with these concepts. Most of these difficulties are of two types: those that are ubiquitous among students in all areas of biology and those that stem from an inadequate understanding of FCs from developmental, cell, and molecular biology.

In this response, I agree with much of what Schrag says about the principled limits of neuroscience to inform educators' decisions about approaches to learning. However, I also raise questions about the extent to which discoveries about "deficits" in brain function could possibly help teachers. I dispute Schrag's view that externalism/internalism debates in the philosophy of mind are relatively arcane and lack implications for the importance or otherwise for education of discoveries about the brain.

According to Bayesian theories in psychology and neuroscience, minds and brains are (near) optimal in solving a wide range of tasks. We challenge this view and argue that more traditional, non-Bayesian approaches are more promising. We make 3 main arguments. First, we show that the empirical evidence for Bayesian theories in psychology is weak. This weakness relates to the many arbitrary ways that priors, likelihoods, and utility functions can be altered in order to account for the data that are obtained, making the models unfalsifiable. It further relates to the fact that Bayesian theories are rarely better at predicting data compared with alternative (and simpler) non-Bayesian theories. Second, we show that the empirical evidence for Bayesian theories in neuroscience is weaker still. There are impressive mathematical analyses showing how populations of neurons could compute in a Bayesian manner but little or no evidence that they do. Third, we challenge the general scientific approach that characterizes Bayesian theorizing in cognitive science. A common premise is that theories in psychology should largely be constrained by a rational analysis of what the mind ought to do. We question this claim and argue that many of the important constraints come from biological, evolutionary, and processing (algorithmic) considerations that have no adaptive relevance to the problem per se. In our view, these factors have contributed to the development of many Bayesian "just so" stories in psychology and neuroscience; that is, mathematical analyses of cognition that can be used to explain almost any behavior as optimal.

A physical model was used in a laboratory exercise to teach students about countercurrent exchange mechanisms. Countercurrent exchange is the transport of heat or chemicals between fluids moving in opposite directions separated by a permeable barrier (such as blood within adjacent blood vessels flowing in opposite directions). Greater exchange of heat or chemicals between the fluids occurs when the flows are in opposite directions (countercurrent) than in the same direction (concurrent). When a vessel loops back on itself, countercurrent exchange can occur between the two arms of the loop, minimizing loss or uptake at the bend of the loop. Comprehension of the physical principles underlying countercurrent exchange helps students to understand how kidneys work and how modifications of a circulatory system can influence the movement of heat or chemicals to promote or minimize exchange and reinforces the concept that heat and chemicals move down their temperature or concentration gradients, respectively. One example of a well-documented countercurrent exchanger is the close arrangement of veins and arteries inside bird legs; therefore, the setup was arranged to mimic blood vessels inside a bird leg, using water flowing inside tubing as a physical proxy for blood flow within blood vessels. (Contains 1 table and 4 figures.)

This paper explores the use of "conservation of life" as a concept and unifying theme for increasing awareness, application, and integration of process safety in chemical engineering education. Students need to think of conservation of mass, conservation of energy, and conservation of life as equally important in engineering design and analysis. By giving them appropriate tools for evaluating and implementing conservation of life principles, we can help them to better understand "what all this safety talk is about," and what their role is in contributing to process safety in the chemical engineering field.

Reform efforts have emphasized the need to support teachers' learning about reform-oriented practices. Educative curriculum materials are one potential vehicle for promoting teacher learning about these practices. Educative curriculum materials include supports that are intended to promote both student "and" teacher learning. However, little is known about the extent to which existing curriculum materials provide support for teachers and the ways they can be improved. In this study, eight sets of high school biology curriculum materials were reviewed to determine their potential for promoting teacher learning. Design heuristics for educative curriculum materials were adapted for use as evaluation criteria. From this analysis, several themes emerged. First, the materials tended to provide support for teachers' subject matter knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge for students' ideas (e.g., misconceptions) but rarely for their pedagogical content knowledge of scientific inquiry. Second, the materials contained several implementation guidance supports but far fewer rationales for instructional decisions, which are an important feature of educative curriculum materials. Finally, the quality of support varied widely, differing in its degree of relevance, pedagogical helpfulness, and depth. The article concludes with recommendations for the redesign of existing curriculum materials. (Contains 7 tables and 1 note.)

According to Carl Sagan (1987), "Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge." Field studies and undergraduate research provide students with the best opportunities for "thinking" about science, while at the same time acquiring a body of knowledge. Natural History of Tropical Carbonate Ecosystems is a spring semester course cross-listed in biology, geology, and environmental studies, with a prerequisite of two semesters of introductory biology, geology, or environmental science. The purpose of the course is to provide from these three discipline areas an introduction to the unique ecology and geology of tropical-marine ecosystems with an emphasis on the Bahamas, including additional opportunities to investigate problems of human impact on tropical island marine and non-marine ecosystems and island karst hydrologic systems. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)

Background: Although DSM-IV requires symptoms in three criterion domains for a diagnosis of autistic disorder, the extent to which those domains are phenotypically independent is an unanswered and important question. The identification of "endophenotypes" of the autistic syndrome may be very useful for genetic and neurobiologic studies of autism, but only if they represent truly independent sub domains of the disorder. Methods: In this study we examined the factor structure of autistic traits using data from 226 child psychiatric patients with and without pervasive developmental disorders, employing cluster analysis of data from the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-r) and principal components factor analysis of data from the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS, a quantitative genetic measure of autistic traits formerly known as the Social "Reciprocity" Scale). Results: The results were consistent with the existence of a singular, continuously distributed underlying factor, resulting in disparate phenotypic manifestations across the three criterion domains for autistic disorder (social deficits, language deficits, and repetitive/stereotypic behaviors). Conclusion: The analyses generally failed to support the existence of independent sub domains of dysfunction in autism spectrum conditions. Future studies of the association between genetic/neurobiologic markers and autistic symptomatology may be enhanced by approaches which consider autistic symptoms as quantitative traits, and which are informed by ongoing research on the development and phenomenology of core deficiencies in reciprocal social behavior.

This article describes and assesses the effectiveness of a 3-yr, laboratory-based summer science program to improve the academic performance of inner-city high school students. The program was designed to gradually introduce such students to increasingly more rigorous laboratory experiences in an attempt to interest them in and model what "real" science is like. The students are also exposed to scientific seminars and university tours as well as English and mathematics workshops designed to help them analyze their laboratory data and prepare for their closing ceremony presentations. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of student performance in these programs indicates that participants not only learn the vocabulary, facts, and concepts of science, but also develop a better appreciation of what it is like to be a "real" scientist. In addition, the college-bound 3-yr graduates of this program appear to be better prepared to successfully academically compete with graduates of other high schools; they also report learning useful job-related life skills. Finally, the critical conceptual components of this program are discussed so that science educators interested in using this model can modify it to fit the individual resources and strengths of their particular setting. (Contains 3 figures and 6 tables.)

Describes some problems of classroom dissection including the cruelty that animals destined for the laboratory suffer. Discusses the multilevel approach that the National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS) has developed to address the problems of animal dissection such as offering a dissection hotline, exhibiting at science teacher conferences, and lending detailed models and computer programs to students and teachers. (PVD)

Educators at a symposium on dissection shared a variety of views on dissection through their personal experiences as educators and as students. For example, one was turned off to science because of dissection. Another mentioned the frivolous attitudes of students who are insensitive to animals. Another indicated that most people perceive their experience with dissection as either unfavorable or questionable. (PVD)

Defines biological engineering and discusses why it is needed. Lists some interesting areas of biological engineering. Presents a table of four phases of scientific disciplines. (YP)

A simple multiday laboratory exercise suitable for use in a high school or community college chemistry course or a biotechnology advanced placement biology course is described. In this experiment students gain experience in the use of column chromatography as a tool for the separation and characterization of biomolecules, thus expanding their exposure to chromatographic procedures beyond those more commonly employed in the high school environment (e.g., paper or thin-layer chromatography). Students chromatographically separate a standard mixture of three highly colored compounds of varying molar mass (vitamin B[subscript 12], bovine hemoglobin, and blue dextran) on a short Sephacryl S-300 size exclusion column, determining their relative elution volumes. Students later apply a sample of the enzyme wheat germ acid phosphatase to the same column, collect eluant fractions and determine the elution position of the enzyme by use of a rapid and simple enzyme assay carried out in a 96 well plate. The relative molar mass of the enzyme is estimated by comparison of its elution volume to the elution profile of the molecules in the standard mixture. (Contains 2 figures.)

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children and phenocopies a muscle precursor that fails to undergo terminal differentiation. The alveolar subtype (ARMS) has the poorest prognosis and represents the greatest unmet medical need for RMS. Emerging evidence supports the role of epigenetic dysregulation in RMS. Here we show that SMARCA4/BRG1, an ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling enzyme of the SWI/SNF complex, is prominently expressed in primary tumors from ARMS patients and cell cultures. Our validation studies for a CRISPR screen of 400 epigenetic targets identified SMARCA4 as a unique factor for long-term (but not short-term) tumor cell survival in ARMS. A SMARCA4/SMARCA2 protein degrader (ACBI-1) demonstrated similar long-term tumor cell dependence in vitro and in vivo. These results credential SMARCA4 as a tumor cell dependency factor and a therapeutic target in ARMS.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae provides an excellent tool for students to enter into inquiry-based science. This very simple organism is used to demonstrate that the principles governing life apply to all organisms. Students learn to design experiments using trypan blue and heat, build upon their findings with new experiments, and refine and repeat experiments. (PVD)

Describes some of the problems students encounter when they refuse to dissect animals in the classroom, most notably ridicule from other students and even the teacher. Offers suggestions for dealing with ridicule such as humor and education of the offenders. Notes the potential for increased self-esteem and confidence that can be gained by dealing successfully with ridicule. (PVD)

Reviewed is computer software on: (1) classification of living things, a tutorial program for grades 5-10; and (2) polynomial practice using tiles, a drill-and-practice program for algebra students. (MNS)

Provides a format for the identification of fossils when introducing geologic time in the laboratory. Presents an organization of fossils into three major groups based on radial, bilateral, and no apparent symmetry. States that this method reinforces student learning and provides for an orderly approach to fossils. (RT)

Cites representative extensions of concept of entropy (measure of the amount of energy unavailable for useful work; from the second law of thermodynamics) noting basic relationships between entropy, order, information, and meaning in such disciplines as biology, economics, information science, the arts, and religion. Seventy-eight references are cited. (EJS)