Advancements in computation and machine learning have revolutionized science, enabling researchers to address once insurmountable challenges. Bioinformatics, a field that heavily relies on computer-driven analysis of biological data, has greatly benefited from these developments. However, traditional bioinformatics instruction frequently lacks the…

Laboratory reports written in the style of a standard scientific article are commonly used to assess student learning in biochemistry laboratory courses. While most students can complete the Materials and Methods or Results sections successfully, many have difficulty with the Introduction and Discussion. They fail to place their data in a larger…

This study examines how two kinds of authentic research experiences related to smoking behavior--genotyping human DNA (wet lab) and using a database to test hypotheses about factors that affect smoking behavior (dry lab)--influence students' perceptions and understanding of scientific research and related science concepts. The study used pre and…

A series of online interactive teaching units have been developed that illustrate the use of experimentally measured three-dimensional (3D) structures to teach fundamental chemistry concepts. The units integrate a 500-structure subset of the Cambridge Structural Database specially chosen for their pedagogical value. The units span a number of key…

The field of bioinformatics is developing faster than most biochemistry textbooks can adapt. Supplementing the undergraduate biochemistry curriculum with data-mining exercises is an ideal way to expose the students to the common databases and tools that take advantage of this vast repository of biochemical information. An integrated collection of…