Conceptual models are useful for facing the challenges of environmental sciences curriculum and course developers and students. These challenges are inherent to the interdisciplinary and problem-oriented character of environmental sciences curricula. In this article, we review the merits of conceptual models in facing these challenges. These…

Processes that transform carbon (e.g., photosynthesis) play a prominent role in college biology courses. Our goals were to learn about student reasoning related to these processes and provide faculty with tools for instruction and assessment. We created a framework illustrating how carbon-transforming processes can be related to one another during…

The Diagnostic Question Cluster (DQC) project integrates education research and faculty development to articulate a model for the effective transformation of introductory biology and ecology teaching. Over three years, faculty members from a wide range of institutions used active teaching and DQCs, a type of concept inventory, as pre- and…

Not all biology students get to experience scientific research firsthand, but the National Genomics Research Initiative (NGRI) is working to change that. The NGRI is the first initiative to spring from Howard Hughes Medical Institute's (HHMI) new Science Education Alliance (SEA). At present, a competitive application process determines which…

The peer review model is one of the most important tools used in science to assess the relative merit of research. We manipulated a published article to reflect one of the following four author designations: female, male, initial, and no name provided. This article was then reviewed by referees of both genders at various stages of scientific…

Discusses interdemic (interpopulation) selection, the Levins and Boorman-Levitt models, and the significance of group selection for ecology. (JR)

Examines aspects of competitive exclusion, which develops when two species jointly utilize a vital resource that is in short supply. When this occurs, one of the species will eventually eliminate the other from the habitat where their distributions overlap, unless one or both species evolve differences that reduce competition. (JR)

Describes a laboratory exercise in ethology that has proven to be successful in teaching the analytical power of biological observation to students at the University of Wisconsin. (JR)

Cites numerous examples of exceptions to rules which define levels of organization in the biological sciences. Advocates deemphasizing the teaching of the concept of levels of organization because of the ambiguity of the definitions. (CP)

Presents a mechanical analog designed to reduce the conceptual difficulties experienced by many students in thinking about age distribution concepts in demography. (JR)

The role of technology throughout history and its relationship to science is discussed. The new frontier of societal technology is considered in terms of human behavior and misbehavior in the face of conflict. (SA)

Describes a new software package for the Apple Macintosh computer which can be used to create elaborate simulation models in a fraction of the time usually required without using a programming language. Illustrates the use of the software which relates to water usage. (TW)