High school science fairs provide an exceptional opportunity for students to gain experience with scientific research, and participation has positive outcomes with respect to chosen careers in the sciences. However, it can be challenging to engage high school students in university-level research outside of formal internship programs. Here, we…

Purpose: Hands-on training in tissue engineering is often associated with specialized labs and expensive equipment, such as CO[subscript 2] incubators. To minimize the use of costly commercial incubators and provide a more vivid engineering experience in a biology lab, we present a hands-on project that introduces medium to large groups of…

Scientific reasoning, argumentation, and problem-solving are essential skills in 21st century. They help people solve problems in daily life. This study aimed to investigate the effect of local-based teaching materials on student's argumentation, scientific reasoning, and problemsolving skills using Science Project-based Learning (SPjBL).…

To succeed, undergraduate science students need to both acquire knowledge, and learn to apply it effectively. Here a novel 1st year undergraduate module (incorporating blended learning, applied bioinformatic skills and scientific posters) is described and its effectiveness evaluated (quantitatively and qualitatively). The aims were to engage…

Citizen science is a rapidly growing emerging field in science and it is gaining importance in education. Therefore, this study was conducted to document the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of biology teachers who participated in a citizen science project involving observation of wild bees and identification of butterflies. In this paper,…

The United States lags behind other countries in science literacy at the 4th, 8th, and 12th grade levels. Subsequently, this is seen at the higher education level, especially with gateway science courses. BIO 103-General Biology I is a gateway course at Lion University. Passing this course is crucial for students to progress in several science…

This article describes a computational project designed for undergraduate students as an introduction to mathematical modeling. Students use an ordinary differential equation to describe fish weight and assume the instantaneous growth rate depends on the concentration of dissolved oxygen. Published laboratory experiments suggest that continuous…

The German science project "NAWI-Interaktiv" is an example of innovative use of E-Learning and new media education. Since 2009, the learning platform provides learners and teachers with high-quality learning tools, teaching material, useful information and E-learning programs for free. This is to raise the pupils' motivation to learn…

This article describes how DNA barcoding investigations bring biology to life. Biologists recognize the power of DNA barcoding not just to teach biology through connections to the real world but also to immerse students in the exciting process of science. As an investigator in the Program for the Human Environment at Rockefeller University in New…

This article describes the specific methods of a regional partnership that has lasted more than twenty-five years. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has partnered with public and private schools in the southwestern portion of Illinois, and in metro St. Louis, in the Hands-On Science project, which provides instruction development for…

An experiment on the action of the yeast, "Saccharomyces cerevisiae", against a fungal plant disease is proposed for secondary students (Grade 11) to support their study of organism interrelationship. This biocontrol experiment serves as the basis for discussing relationships among three organisms (red chilli fruit, "Saccharomyces cerevisiae," and…

The authors have developed a successful approach to teaching and inspiring undergraduate science and nonscience majors to complete creditable, semester-long, hands-on science research projects. This approach utilizes a carefully developed scaffolding consisting of in-class exercises and discussions, preparatory homework and lab events, and three…

In this paper, the authors describe how two institutions are helping their undergraduate biology students build quantitative competencies. Incorporation of quantitative skills and reasoning in biology are framed through a discussion of two cases that both concern introductory biology courses, but differ in the complexity of the mathematics and the…

Twenty-first-century biology is inherently interdisciplinary. Every aspect of biology, from molecules to organisms to ecosystems, is richly informed by the physical, mathematical, and computational sciences. It is both an exciting and daunting time for biology educators--exciting because of the vast opportunity for important new discoveries that…

An extensive description of the Modeling Chemical and Biological Systems study organized in different practical projects is presented. The course has a highly favorable effect on students, who make perfect presentations, and it also encourages more students to join the course.