Single-Celled Organisms Unit
This Project Oceanography lesson plan (PDF) explores the symbiotic relationships of single-celled organisms. In this activity, students will compare and contrast three types of symbiotic relationships, describe the relationship between zooxanthellae (a dinoflagellate) and coral, and explain the effects of nitrogen-fixing bacteria on their symbiotic partners. It begins with an introduction to symbiotic relationships, the dinoflagellate/coral system, and cyanobacteria, and then features an interac
NCBI: Education
This Web site from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) offers a set of detailed tutorials to help users make full use of NCBI's bioinformatics tools. The tutorials, which target both new and veteran users, cover NCBI's BLAST and PSI-BLAST, Entrez data retrieval system, Cn3D molecular structure software, and more. Additionally, the Science Primer tutorial offers a "basic introduction to the science underlying NCBI resources" geared more toward the general reader.
Collaboration via Slime Mold
This hands-on activity gives students the opportunity to use skills and concepts developed in a unit on cells with an unknown organism. They are asked to design and complete a controlled experiment which attempts to answer a simple question about the slime mold Physarum. The activity includes background information, preparation time, abstract, materials, procedure, evaluation, and additional thoughts. The activity is part of The Access Excellence Fellows Collection, an archive of the favorite cl
Tuboflex
Year 2010. The need of mobility has grown to excess since the first years of the millennium. That's why Tuboflex inc., the world's leading Human Resources Services organisation, created a complex tube system that make it possible to dislocate employees in real time, depending on demand.
Bird Beak Accuracy Assessment
The purpose of this resource is to quantitatively evaluate the accuracy of a classification system. Students sort birds into three possible classes based on each bird's beak: carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores. Students compare their answers with a given set of validation data.
Leaf Classification
The purpose of this resource is to develop a classification system for a set of objects and learn about hierarchical classification systems. Any set of objects, such as insects or rocks, may be used as well.
Odyssey of the Eyes Beginning Level
The purpose of this resource is to familiarize students with the importance of perspective and various scales of remotely sensed data. Students create a 3-D model of an area and develop a classification system for the landforms in their model. The maps can then be used to answer certain questions about the environment.
Components of the Earth System Working Together
The purpose of this resource is to develop familiarity with interactions among the major components of the Earth system at the global scale. Students brainstorm about the nature of connections between their region and others, across oceans and on different continents. On a black-line map of the world, they trace possible pathways of water and wind currents from their part of the continent to other continents, and identify what the wind and water carry. Then they write about the possible effects
Connecting the Parts of the Study Site
The purpose of this resource is to help students articulate and integrate their existing knowledge about the air, water, soil, and living things by viewing them as interacting parts of a system. Students visit a study site, where they observe and recall their existing knowledge of air, water, soil, and living things to make a list of interconnections among the four Earth system components. They make predictions about the effects of a change in a system, inferring ways these changes affect the ch
Representing the Study Site in a Diagram
The purpose of this resource is to help students learn the skills and value of the translating complex interactions among Earth System components into a simplified diagram. Students visit a study site, where they observe and recall their existing knowledge of air, water, soil, and living things to make a list of interconnections among the four Earth system components. They make predictions about the effects of a change in a system, inferring ways these changes affect the characteristics of other
Using Graphs to Show Connections
The purpose of this resource is to show how graphs of GLOBE data over time show the interconnectedness of Earth's system components at the local level. Students visit a study site, where they observe and recall their existing knowledge of air, water, soil, and living things to make a list of interconnections among the four Earth system components. They make predictions about the effects of a change in a system, inferring ways these changes affect the characteristics of other related components.
Comparing the Study Site to One in Another Region
The purpose of this resource is to deepen students understanding of the Earth as a system, and their appreciation for the value of diagrams as tools. Students visit a study site, where they observe and recall their existing knowledge of air, water, soil, and living things to make a list of interconnections among the four Earth system components. They make predictions about the effects of a change in a system, inferring ways these changes affect the characteristics of other related components.
Effects of Inputs and Outputs on a Region
The purpose of this resource is to identify what enters and leaves the regional system, and how changes in the input or output of one component can affect other components.
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
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
Ground Water Atlas of the United States: Idaho, Oregon, Washington
This website contains a complete hydro-geologic summary of the Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer System. The summary includes thirteen maps and figures that are accompanied by text descriptions. All texts and figures are available for download.
Gulf Coast Geology Online Interactive Mapping System
This interactive mapping system is one component of the U. S. Geological Survey's Framework Studies and Assessment of the Gulf Coast Project. This project provides the geologic, geophysical, and geochemical framework for the region. The mapping system displays different aspects of the energy resources which reside in the Gulf of Mexico Basin, one of the major hydrocarbon producing areas of the world.
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.
Daisyworld Lab
In this activity, students explore Daisyworld, a model of a self-regulating system incorporating positive and negative feedbacks. The model explores the effect of a steadily increasing solar luminosity on daisy populations and the resulting planetary temperature. The activity was developed to introduce upper level undergraduate students to the concepts of dynamical systems modeling. The exercise guides students through some of the mathematics behind the modeling. Learning goals, context for use,
22.091 Nuclear Reactor Safety (MIT)
Problems in nuclear engineering often involve applying knowledge from many disciplines simultaneously in achieving satisfactory solutions. The course will focus on understanding the complete nuclear reactor system including the balance of plant, support systems and resulting interdependencies affecting the overall safety of the plant and regulatory oversight. Both the Seabrook and Pilgrim nuclear plant simulators will be used as part of the educational experience to provide as realistic as possi
