Understanding a bedload-dominated stream through spreadsheet modeling
The purpose of this lab exercise is to teach students to "think like a stream" by integrating modeling with field data to understand the nature of adjustments in bedload-dominated fluvial systems through the study of a piedmont alluvial stream and its deposits. This is a computer-based lab activity ...
Water Quality Acquisition
In this activity, students visit two sites to practice their field water sample collection and water quality assessment skills. They use a vertical well-water sampler and downhole water quality probes to measure groundwater conductivity, pH, and temperature at different depths in a landfill. Collected water conductivity data is contoured to map the distribution of a contaminant plume. Students then study acid mine drainage by using water quality meters to compare pH and conductivity values up an
Sustainable Development for Engineers
By independent study of the book Sustainable Development for Engineers (K.F. Mulder, 2006) students acquire basic knowledge about sustainable development
"[T]ests have shown . . . that our three average men are equal."
By the mid-twentieth century, the movement of African Americans from farms to cities, along with their participation in World War II industries and union organizing, spawned the origins of the modern civil rights movement. Although conflict between white and black workers continued, many African Americans ...
Mating preference in the commercially imported bumblebee species Bombus terrestris in Britain (Hymen
Commercial trade of bumblebees in Europe results in different subspecies of Bombus terrestris being shipped into regions where they are not native. Although previous studies have shown that these subspecies will interbreed, none have assessed mating preference of the different populations. This study examines the mating preferences between two geographically isolated populations of B. terrestris which have unnaturally been brought together through the commercial trade in bumblebees. Under contr
Mouse Experiment
This Flash based applet simulates data from a case study of treatments for tumor growth in mice. This simulation allows the user to place mice into a control and treatment groups.
Sea Urchin Development
This article describes set-up and maintenance of marine aquaria for maintaining sea urchins and procedures for the study of developmental biology of sea urchins from fertilization to pluteus larva.
The Power of Genetics: Using Classical and Molecular Genetics to Study "Real" Developmental Phenomen
The goal of this laboratory exercise is to provide a laboratory experience for undergraduates, in which they apply fundamental genetic principles to the study of a complex developmental process, specifically, root cell shape determination in the simple plant Arabidopsis thaliana. In this exercise, students identify putative root cell shape mutants, analyze an F2 segregating population, and finally use molecular techniques to determine where a specific mutation in located within the genome. This
Using Bromelain in Pineapple Juice to Investigate Enzyme Function
This investigation introduces students to the structure and function of the proteolytic enzyme, bromelain, which is present in large quantities in the fruit, leaves, and stems of pineapple. In this lab exercise, students study the rate at which bromelain catalyzes the hydrolysis of gelatin (substrate) at different temperatures and pHs. Strips of developed black and white photographic film are placed in freshly squeezed pineapple juice under different experimental conditions. The time it takes fo
Using Handheld Wireless Computers to Increase Interactivity and Collaborative Learning in Large Clas
We conducted a pilot study to determine the effectiveness of wireless, handheld computers in fostering active and collaborative learning in lecture-based teaching. We compared the capabilities of the largest type of handheld, the Jornada 820, to that of the smallest, a Handspring Visor "personal digital assistant." This article describes our use of the handhelds in a variety of classroom exercises, emphasizing wireless internet access. We explain our successes, problems, and proposed solutions.
Were Dinosaurs Cold- or Warm-Blooded?: An Exercise in Scientific Inference
Both metabolic rates and brain masses are approximately 10 times as great in modern terrestrial warm-blooded animals (birds and mammals) as in cold-blooded terrestrial animals (reptiles) of the same body mass. This is one of several lines of evidence scientists have used to infer the mode of thermal regulation of dinosaurs and other extinct amniotes. In this exercise each student is assigned one of a number of dinosaurs. Students estimate brain mass from a drawing of a cranial endocast and body
Unix Tutorial
A self-study workshop to review and/or learn a wide range of Unix tools, including shell scripts, awk, lex, yacc, grep etc. This course did not give grades. It was strictly pass or incomplete.
Therapod Fossil Hunt Dispatch
This five-part online article reports on the finding of a dromaeosaur fossil, the best specimen to date to show that feathers existed long before modern birds and flight. Part 1 includes: It All Started with Feathers, A Path Shrouded in Mystery, and International Collaboration. Part 2 has The Short Email and A Coat of Feathers. Part 3 includes: An Initial Hypothesis and Is It Authentic? The Analysis Begins. Part 4 has The Examination and Description Marathon, A Feathered What?, and Feathers, Fea
Bio Viz: Congo River
Our innovative Science Bulletins include interactive data visualizations that offer a satellite's-eye view of changes in the biosphere. Published in June 2006, this Bio Viz takes a look at one way land cover maps are helping scientists study fish species.
Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries
This Web site, created to complement the Museum's Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries exhibit, offers a virtual visit to the Museum, complete with text, photos, video clips, audio interviews, and more. The site takes an in-depth look at modern paleontology and today's advanced technology.
Electromagnetic Spectrum
Overview of the uses of the electromagnetic spectrum in daily and military life. Many nations around the world, including the United States, are facing a challenge regarding the use of the electromagnetic spectrum. Wireless devices in our modern world work because of a powerful resource called the electromagnetic spectrum. The spectrum includes radio waves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet light, x-rays, gamma rays, and cosmic rays. Countless examples are given of things in our world tha
Rachel Carson's legacy.
Forty-five years after the publication of Rachel Carson's landmark book Silent Spring, which launched the modern environmental movement, her disturbing story of how toxic chemicals were poisoning the earth still resonates. But who was Rachel Carson? And what can the ferocious debate she started and the vicious attacks she endured tell us about environmentalism in the 21st century? Bill Moyers Journal looks at the life and legacy of Rachel Carson through an extraordinary portrayal of her in a o
What is 'Earth System Science?'
This is a NASA Connect segment explaining Earth System Science. The video also explores how modern technology studies the many different areas of Earth System Science. (06:32)
Inequality in America.
While many Americans are working harder for less money and paying more for everyday items like gas and food, the rich are getting richer. Bill Moyers Journal analyzes the growing inequality gap on the ground in los Angeles where recently union workers marched to bring attention to how they are getting squeezed out of the shrinking middle class. Bill Moyers also interviews Steve Fraser, historian and author of Wall Street: America's Dream Palace, about the modern parallels and differences to th
Sam Tanenhaus; Bill Fletcher and Michael Zweig
Digging deep into the roots and evolution of the American conservative movement, Sam Tanenhaus talks with Bill Moyers about why he believes that conservatism is dead and how it might yet come back to life. Tanenhaus is the editor of both THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW and the Week in Review section of the TIMES. And, with public support for labor unions at its lowest point in 70 years, Bill Moyers talks with experts Bill Fletcher, co-author of SOlIDARITY DIVIDED: THE CRISIS IN ORGANIZED lABOR AN
