Computational Biology: Bioinformatics Unit
This site features an undergraduate Computational Biology course as part of the Red Layer Microbial Observatory (RLMO) Project's Original Waksman/NSF supported courses and workshops. The course is offered as part of RLMO's education and outreach in order to better prepare students in the widely-applicable field of computational biology. Unit outlines, the syllabus, the project, and presentations and manuscripts about this curriculum can all be downloaded on site. Units include using NCBI, using
Cephalopod Lesson Plans
This collection of lesson plans, created by the Bermuda Biological Station for Research, highlights color change in cephalopods. This page provides links to each lesson plan, which are in PDF format and feature an informative, image-rich introduction followed by a hands-on laboratory activity. The lesson plans highlight cephalopod color change, vision, light quality, and light quantity.
Bioinformatics Homework Assignment: Accessing and Analyzing Nucleic Acid Sequence Data from NCBI's D
This undergraduate activity introduces students to bioinformatics. During the guided activity students will access the National Center for Biotechnology Information's (NCBI) genetic sequence database to obtain and study DNA sequence entries relating to the chicken ovalbumin mRNA and genomic sequences.
Studying the Instrument Shelter
The purpose of this activity is to discover why an instrument shelter is built the way it is. Students construct shelters that have varying properties and place them in the same location or place similar shelters in different locations and compare temperature data taken in each shelter. Students should predict what will happen for each of the different shelter designs or placements and perform the steps of student research. Intended outcomes are that students gain an understanding of GLOBE speci
WeatherHawk Weather Station Protocol
This resource provides instructions on how to log atmosphere data using a WeatherHawk weather station. A weather station is setup to measure and record atmospheric measurements at 15-minute intervals and can be transferred to the GLOBE program via email. Students can view data for their school that are continuous and show variations within a day. The data collected includes wind speed and direction and pressure thereby supporting a more complete study of meteorology using GLOBE. Students pursue
Significant Figures
This webpage is an overview of significant figures and their use in scientific notation. A chemistry tutor in the College of Math and Sciences at a public university developed this overview as one of several study aids for undergraduate chemistry students.
Scaling Galileo's Solar System - Times
In this activity students calculate how long it takes for planets and moons to complete their orbits, and their velocity, in a scale model solar system. The orbit of Saturn is scaled so it takes one day to circle around campus. Students recreate spreadsheets, shown in a Powerpoint module, with formulas that answer various pieces of the overall question. This module is the third in a series of four on the Galilean Solar System, and was designed for an undergraduate class where students are asked
ReSciPE Workshops: Scientific Inquiry in the K-12 Classroom
This half-day workshop was developed especially for scientists and science educators interested in contributing to K-16 science education. Workshop activities provide participants with an overview of the research base behind inquiry teaching and learning, an introduction to national standards for inquiry-based K-12 science education, and some hands-on examples of how inquiry can look in the classroom. This workshop is sponsored by the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences
Radioactive Decay and Geochronology
This activity was developed to introduce upper level undergraduate students to dynamical systems modeling. In this exercise, students create a STELLA model of the radioactive decay process. They then learn how the special radioactive series 238U - 206Pb and 237U - 205Pb can be used to determine both the time when a rock initially crystallized and when it underwent a recrystallization, even when the sample being dated was not a closed system. Learning goals, context for use, teaching tips, materi
David Roberts, of Private Equity Firm Angelo, Gordon, on Adapting to Market Transformation
The world of private equity has been in a shambles since the onset of the financial crisis, but some executives see that as an opportunity rather than a threat. Among them is David N. Roberts, senior managing director of Angelo, Gordon, who manages the firm's private equity business. Roberts also founded the firm's opportunistic real estate area. During a visit to campus recently, Roberts pointed out that some opportunities are starting to open up that could ease the credit crunch.Author(s):
Kepler's Third Law - The Equation
In this activity students try various ways of plotting sidereal period vs. orbital radius and discover the simple power-law relationship of Kepler's third law. They recreate spreadsheets, shown in a Powerpoint module, with formulas that answer various pieces of the overall question. This activity was designed for an undergraduate class where students look at geological questions mathematically and may spend more time on the math than on the geology. The site includes teaching notes and tips, and
Issues of Culturally Responsive Educational Evaluation Pertaining to Native Americans
This 109-page PDF document provided a detailed account from a two-day workshop sponsored by the National Science Foundation Directorate for Education and Human Resources. The workshop's purpose was to discuss issues of culturally responsive educational evaluation as they pertain to Native Americans. The three major themes of the workshop were evaluation issues relating to the academic achievement of Native American students, education/training opportunities for Native American evaluators, and de
Hurricane Katrina Impact Studies
This website is a cooperative research project between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), NASA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the University of New Orleans. The goal of the project is to investigate coastal change that occurred as a result of Hurricane Katrina. The site includes aerial video, still photography, and laser altimetry surveys of post-storm beach conditions that were collected August 31 and September 1, 2005 for comparison with earlier data. The comparison data can be used to
Geothermal Technologies Program
This US Department of Energy site offers a wide variety of information about geothermal energy, including the efforts of the Geothermal Technologies Program to find, access, harness and use the Nation's geothermal resources. Some features of the site include animations about geothermal power, maps of geothermal resources, environmental considerations, photo galleries, information on new research in geothermal technologies, and laws and standards that regulate geothermal energy development.
GEOLogic: Volcanologists
GEOLogic questions are puzzles that were developed to support students understanding of geoscience concepts while challenging them to develop better logic and problem solving skills. In this exercise, students are asked to resolve how many days each of five volcanologists spent at a given volcano and what day they started for the volcano. There is also a second part where students are asked to do some additional research about volcanoes on the web. This activity is appropriate for a high school
GEOLogic: The Three Stooges and Their Pet Dinosaurs
GEOLogic questions are puzzles that were developed to support students understanding of geoscience concepts while challenging them to develop better logic and problem solving skills. In this exercise, students are asked to match up each of the Stooges with their favorite group and species of dinosaur based on clues given about which order and group each Stooge prefers. This activity is appropriate for a high school science class or an introductory level undergraduate geoscience course, and can b
GEOLogic: The Big Five Mass Extinctions
GEOLogic questions are puzzles that were developed to support students understanding of geoscience concepts while challenging them to develop better logic and problem solving skills. In this exercise, students are asked to match up the five largest mass extinction events with their relative dates, approximate duration, and severity (percentage of species that became extinct) based on clues given from various perspectives. This activity is appropriate for a high school science class or an introdu
GEOLogic: Lagerstatten and Unique Fossils
GEOLogic questions are puzzles that were developed to support students understanding of geoscience concepts while challenging them to develop better logic and problem solving skills. In this exercise, students are asked to match up several unique fossils with the sites and locations where they were found, as well as their geologic age. This activity is appropriate for a high school science class or an introductory level undergraduate geoscience course, and can be given as an in-class assignment
GEOLogic: How Well Do You Know Your National Parks and Memorials
GEOLogic questions are puzzles that were developed to support students understanding of geoscience concepts while challenging them to develop better logic and problem solving skills. Using a game show format, this exercise asks students to associate historical figures with a particular National Park or Memorial, as well as the number of points each student contestant scored on the show. This activity is appropriate for a high school science class or an introductory level undergraduate geoscience
FishBase
This webpage presents the searchable section of FishBase, a global information system with all you ever wanted to know about fishes. FishBase is a relational database with information that may be useful to professionals such as research scientists, fishery managers or zoologists. The site has pictures and information on more than 28500 species of fish.
