Biology Commons^™

Characterizing First-Year Biology Majors’ Motivations And Perceptions Of The Discipline, Jeremy L. Hsu, Lauren Dudley

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Understanding why students choose to major in biology provides important insight into the motivations of biology majors. It is similarly important to investigate how biology majors perceive the discipline, including associated activities, such as independent research, which can influence students’ interests in the field and likelihood to persist in science, engineering, technology, and math. However, there has been little work done examining biology student motivations and perceptions, particularly at non-research-intensive universities or after the COVID-19 pandemic started. To address this gap, we surveyed the first-year cohort of biology majors at a private, comprehensive university. We found that students largely reported …

How Getting Friendly With Bacteria Can Promote Student Appreciation Of Microbial Diversity And Their Civic Scientific Literacy, Davida S. Smyth, Simon Chen, Gina Sompanya, Molly Metz, Theresa Conefrey

Biology Faculty Publications

ePortfolios are digital repositories where students can curate papers, projects, and reflections from individual or multiple courses across the disciplines and in a variety of formats to showcase their learning. This transparent and portable medium, which enables students to document their knowledge and abilities for assessment and career development, has been recognized by the American Association of Colleges and Universities as one of 11 high-impact practices. Using tailored rubrics, student assessment of learning gain surveys, and end-of-course exam questions, this study demonstrates how an ePortfolio assignment can be used in microbiology courses taken by majors and nonmajors to measure student …

Bbt Acoustic Alternative Top Bracing Cadd Data Set-Norev-2022jun28, Bill Hemphill

STEM Guitar Project’s BBT Acoustic Kit

This electronic document file set consists of an overview presentation (PDF-formatted) file and companion video (MP4) and CADD files (DWG & DXF) for laser cutting the ETSU-developed alternate top bracing designs and marking templates for the STEM Guitar Project’s BBT (OM-sized) standard acoustic guitar kit. The three (3) alternative BBT top bracing designs in this release are
(a) a one-piece base for the standard kit's (Martin-style) bracing,
(b) 277 Ladder-style bracing, and
(c) an X-braced fan-style bracing similar to traditional European or so-called 'classical' acoustic guitars.

The CADD data set for each of the three (3) top bracing designs includes …

Bbt Side Mold Assy, Bill Hemphill

STEM Guitar Project’s BBT Acoustic Kit

This electronic document file set covers the design and fabrication information of the ETSU Guitar Building Project’s BBT (OM-sized) Side Mold Assy for use with the STEM Guitar Project’s standard acoustic guitar kit. The extended 'as built' data set contains an overview file and companion video, the 'parent' CADD drawing, CADD data for laser etching and cutting a drill &/or layout template, CADD drawings in AutoCAD .DWG and .DXF R12 formats of the centerline tool paths for creating the mold assembly pieces on an AXYZ CNC router, and support documentation for CAM applications including router bit specifications, feeds, speed, multi-pass …

Sprouting Systems, Abaigeal Aydt, Cassidy Smith

Honors Expanded Learning Clubs

After taking a class at UNL about environmental awareness, two honors students paired up to start a hydroponics club at a local Lincoln school. In reaching out to the LPS director of sustainability, they were paired up with Prescott Elementary School. Over the course of a semester, they developed a club that got a hydroponic grow tower functioning for the school and taught students about nutrition and sustainability. This club is only in its beginning stages, but the impacts that it is making around the school can already be seen.

Food For Thought: The Relationship Between Nutrition And Academic Performance, Sarah Freeman

Honors Projects in Science and Technology

Nutrition has been shown to impact the level of cognitive function in individuals. Through the analysis of nutritional diets, this new research will aim to uncover the impact that diet has on cognitive function of Bryant University students by analyzing their ability to perform on a variety of cognitive assessments. This study will provide recommendations to students at Bryant University on what they should eat so they can perform their best academically. This research will also investigate whether Bryant University is offering the best food for students to eat setting them up for success.

The Secret Life Of Diatoms: An Exploration Of The Fascinating World Of Diatoms Through The Art Of Printmaking, Zofia Danielson

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Diatoms are a type of microscopic primary producer that fall within the group of phytoplankton. They are named for their two halves: two cell walls made of glass (silica). These glass walls have a variety of forms depending upon the species that allow diatoms to adapt to their marine environments. Diatoms also contribute to productive coastal ecosystems, global oxygen production, and nutrient cycles. This project explored the significance of diatoms to marine ecosystems and their beauty in form through relief linocut printmaking in a workshop setting. The final result of this project is a relief printmaking workshop curriculum about diatoms …

Rapid Pivot Of Cure Wet Lab To Online With The Help Of Instructor Communities, Enid T. González-Orta, Deborah Tobiason, Brittany J. Gasper, Aarti Raja, Sarah Miller

Biology Faculty Articles

The pivot to remote and hybrid learning during the Covid-19 pandemic presented a challenge for many in academia. Most institutions were not prepared to support this rapid change, and instructors were left with the burden of converting a traditional face-to-face course into multiple modalities with very limited preparation time. When institutional support is lacking, we posit that instructor communities of practice can help provide the resources needed to meet the instructional demands. Tiny Earth, a course-based-undergraduate research experience (CURE) and international network of instructors and students, responded to the instructional challenges of the pandemic by leveraging its large community of …

Source Of Off-Type Frequencies In Winter Wheat Varieties, Michaela Benes

Honors Theses

The enzyme polyphenol oxidase (PPO) is undesirable in most wheat products due to the discoloration it causes. Purifying wheat varieties through selective breeding is the best way at getting rid of PPO in a variety. The variety NW15443 was planted in both a field in McCook, NE, and in a greenhouse in Lincoln, NE. Individual heads were snapped from the field and the greenhouse seed was harvested in bulk. After completing a PPO test of the seed, it was determined that the percentages of off-type frequencies from the field seed and the greenhouse seed were 11% and 3.6%, respectively. Using …

Bacteriophage That Infect Gordonia Species Show Varying Host Specificity And Infection, Lindsay Birge

Honors Theses

Bacteriophage (phage) are an incredibly abundant species of virus that infect bacteria. One major characteristic of phage is their small host range- many phage are known to infect only one or a few hosts. This phage and host relationship has led to phage therapy recently becoming highlighted as a possible alternative to traditional antibiotics in light of the growing antibiotic resistance crisis. The study of phage host specificity has risen in line with this concept, as a phage with a more extensive host range can provide more opportunities for use as an antibiotic. Samples of phage previously isolated on a …

The Effects Of Epistemic Beliefs On Undergraduate Students' Emotions And Attitudes Towards Genetically Modified Foods, David Andrew Lee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Much research has explored socio-scientific issues (SSIs) in science instruction, including the connections between conceptions and attitude. Studies have also shown that epistemic beliefs affect epistemic emotions, which are a key component of students’ reaction to complex scientific topics. Correcting misconceptions can also result in emotional and attitude change, particularly surrounding the topic of genetically modified foods (GMFs). However, the impact of epistemic beliefs on emotions and attitude towards GMFs has largely gone unexplored. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of epistemic beliefs on epistemic emotions and attitudes towards GMFs. This quantitative correlational study sampled 78 …

Professional Development For Early Career Dber Scholars Through In-Person And Virtual Career Panel Workshops, Miranda M. Chen Musgrove, Elizabeth Genné-Bacon, Kelsey Gray, Ashley B. Heim, Anupriya Karippadath, Rita Margarida Magalhães, Brie Tripp, Anna J. Zelaya

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

In discipline-based education research (DBER), early career scholars, such as graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, observe a slew of possible career pathways. Yet, there is a lack of opportunities to learn about such pathways, particularly when transitioning from traditional science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) disciplinary training into a DBER position. Thus, the DBER Scholars-in-Training Professional Development subcommittee was created within the Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER) community to develop a collection of workshops that would serve the greatest professional development needs of early career scholars entering DBER. Through a series of surveys disseminated over multiple …

Navigating The “Covid Hangover” In Physiology Courses, Jennifer E. Schaefer

Biology Faculty Publications

Undergraduate educators and students must navigate lingering aftereffects of the COVID pandemic on education in the 2021–2022 academic year even as COVID continues to impact delivery of undergraduate science education. This article describes ongoing difficulties for undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students and educators and suggests strategies and easy-to-use resources that may help educators navigate the “COVID hangover” and ongoing COVID-related disruptions.

Creating An Interdisciplinary Curriculum Within The Undergraduate Arts And Sciences Through Agar Art, Julie Torruellas Garcia, Kandy Lopez, Véronique Côté, Katie E. Crump

Biology Faculty Articles

Evidence-based studies on the benefits of integrating STEM into the arts are limited; however, some suggest that it can lead to improved scientific literacy and new approaches for artistic scholarship. Unfortunately, undergraduate education often creates disciplinary silos where the two are not integrated. Here, we discuss a unique collaboration between professors in the art and biology departments. Our goal was to integrate science into art courses using an agar art activity. We hypothesized that art students could effectively learn microbiology laboratory techniques and use them as novel tools for artistic practice. The activity was integrated into two to four sessions …

Can Gdp Be Predictive Of Fertility Rates In Sweden?, Hannah Coleman

Honors Theses

Fertility rates in a country vary and can be influenced by numerous different aspects of an individual’s life and the society in which they live. One aspect that may influence fertility rates at the national level is the gross domestic product (GDP). GDP is an indicator of a country’s economic productivity. Because fertility is linked to both economic development and individual resources, GDP may be a useful indicator of fertility rates. If so, knowing or predicting GDP could be used to project the fertility rates of a population years into the future. To determine if a reasonable connection between GDP …

Integrating Tropical Research Into Biology Education Is Urgently Needed, Ann E. Russell, T. Mitchell Aide, Elizabeth Braker, Carissa N. Ganong, Rebecca D. Hardin, Karen D. Holl, Sara C. Hotchkiss, Jeffrey A. Klemens, Erin K. Kuprewicz, Deedra Mcclearn, George Middendorf, Rebecca Ostertag, Jennifer S. Powers, Sabrina E. Russo, Jennifer L. Stynoski, Ursula Valdez, Charles G. Willis

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Understanding tropical biology is important for solving complex problems such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and zoonotic pandemics, but biology curricula view research mostly via a temperatezone lens. Integrating tropical research into biology education is urgently needed to tackle these issues.

The tropics are engines of Earth systems that regulate global cycles of carbon and water, and are thus critical for management of greenhouse gases. Compared with higher-latitude areas, tropical regions contain a greater diversity of biomes, organisms, and complexity of biological interactions. The tropics house the majority of the world’s human population and provide important global commodities from species …

Find The Bullseye: Targeting Conservation In The Candy Darter, Jemelyn Grace P. Baldisimo

Reports

Grade: 7th grade, ability to scale up to high school Biology Subject: Life Science

Determining a species’ risk of extinction using available data and spreading awareness for conservation of an endemic species.

A Call To Action: Education Driven Strategies For Successful Implementation Of Blue Economy Initiatives At Coastal Universities, Matthew Tallino

Education Theses

Microplastic pollution impacts the earth’s oceans. Research at the deep sea and surface level, as well as research examining different bodies of water, indicates this problem is widespread. This research examines data from 2012 to the present to assess the impact the human stressor of microplastic has on marine ecosystems and ocean sampling and the insight that peer reviewed research on microplastics can provide as coastal universities create Blue Economy strategic action plans. Data indicates microplastics are a critical issue to the oceans overall health. The implications of the research are designed to target a variety of community members at …