Biology Commons^™

Knowing Your Own: A Classroom Case Study Using The Scientific Method To Investigate How Birds Learn To Recognize Their Offspring, Joanna K. Hubbard, Daizaburo Shizuka, Brian A. Couch

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Understanding the scientific method provides students with a necessary foundation for careers in science-related fields. Moreover, students can apply scientific inquiry skills in many aspects of their daily lives and decision making. Thus, the ability to apply the scientific method represents an essential skill that students should learn during undergraduate science education. We designed an interrupted case study in which students learn about and apply the scientific method to investigate and recapitulate the findings of a published research article. This research article addresses the question of how parents recognize their own young in a system where birds of the same …

"My Paintings Would Be No Different Than A Picture In A Biology Textbook", Andi Kur

UReCA: The NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity

I find that there are innate balances in life, universal dichotomies that permeate our understanding of the world. My paintings are about a duality such as this that exists between art and science. We are told from youth that these subjects are poles in constant strain, as miscible as oil in water. I spent thirteen years in school believing that I must choose between the two, that it is unnecessary to carry both with me. Drawn between a distinct love of each, I realized how vehemently I disagreed. Everything: every rock to every tree to every person is suspended between …

Cultivating Trust In Gmo Science: Moving Past The Deficit Model To Productive And Participatory Science Education, Kate Crowley , '16

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

Most scientists believe GMOs are safe for human consumption, but a majority of the American public remains unconvinced. I argue that this lack of trust stems from scientists' outdated approach to science communication, namely the deficit model. Instead of seeing the public as empty vessels waiting to be filled with scientific knowledge, the scientific community must recognize that many strongly held beliefs about science issues are socially situated. Only through genuine attempts at participatory, two-way conversations with the public can the scientific community come to understand how public values influence GMO acceptance. While these actions will necessitate a redefining of …

Enhancing The Stem Ecosystem Through Teacher-Researcher Partnerships, William E. Tapprich, Neal Grandgenett, Heather Leas, Steven N. Rodie, Robert Duncan Shuster, Chris Schaben, Christine E. Cutucache

Biology Faculty Publications

STEM faculty at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) have partnered with teachers and administrators in the Omaha Public Schools (OPS) to implement a Teacher-Researcher Partnership Program. This program establishes resources and infrastructure that engage K-12 science teachers in scientific research experiences. In the first implementation of this program, eleven UNO faculty mentors, drawn from several STEM disciplines, were matched with eleven OPS teachers to conduct genuine research projects in support of their teaching.

3: "The Current Extinction: Defaunation & Ecosystem Disruption", Sarah O'Leary-Driscoll, Crystal Randall

Ecosystem Disruption & Climate Change

Information taken from: Dirzo, R. et al (2014). Defaunation in the Anthropocene. Science, 345(401).

Scientists estimate, conservatively, that there are 5 to 9 million different animal species on the planet. But that number is continually changing, and unfortunately, dropping, as we are likely losing 11,000- 58,000 species annually, and evidence suggests that on average, there has been a decline of about 28% in terms of numbers of individuals within a species over the last four decades. Both of these statistics are vitally important. The critical nature of the first is perhaps more obvious, as total loss of a species is …

2a: "Illinois Carbon Dioxide Emissions Activity", Sarah O'Leary-Driscoll, Crystal Randall

Ecosystem Disruption & Climate Change

Your goal for this activity is to compare the different sources of carbon dioxide emissions, stemming from the consumption of fossil fuels, in Illinois. To do this you will be working with data spanning from 1980 to 2012.

The Greenhouse Effect: Does The Concentration Of Carbon Dioxide Affect The Air Temperature In A Closed Environment?, Climate Science Investigations - Nasa

Ecosystem Disruption & Climate Change

The purpose of this lesson is to investigate the effect of carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration on air temperature in a closed environment.

Teaching Evolution: Blog As A Liminal Space, Shylaja Akkaraju, Alexander Wolf

Publications and Research

A threshold concept is a challenging concept that acts as a doorway leading to deeper understanding and a dramatic shift in perception. A learner that is in- volved in grasping a threshold concept is said to be undergoing a threshold expe- rience within a liminal space or learning environment. We used the blog as a lim- inal space for our students to engage with the theory of evolution, which is a threshold concept. In order to teach evolution effectively it is necessary to address both understanding and acceptance of evolutionary theory. To explore the latter in an introductory biology course, …

1. "Investigating The Impact Of Changes In Carbon Dioxide Concentration On Ecosystems", Sarah O'Leary-Driscoll, Crystal Randall

Ecosystem Disruption & Climate Change

Question: Does the concentration of carbon dioxide affect air temperature in a closed environment?

Rt-Qpcr Demonstrates Light-Dependent Atrbcs1a And Atrbcs3b Mrna Expressions In Arabidopsis Thaliana Leaves, Ming-Mei Chang, Anna Li, Robert Feissner, Talal Ahmad

Biology

Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is widely used in diagnosis and research to determine specific mRNA expressions in cells. As RT-qPCR applications increase, it’s necessary to provide undergraduates hands-on experience of this modern technique. Here, we report a 3-week laboratory exercise using RT-qPCR to demonstrate the light-dependent expressions of AtRBCS1A and AtRBCS3B genes encoding two Arabidopsis thaliana small subunits of the ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/ oxygenase (Rubisco). In the first week, students purified and quantified total RNA from leaves of A. thaliana pretreated in the dark for 96 hr and untreated controls. In the second week, RNA samples were …

Engaging Minority Students In Sustainable Bioenergy And Water Quality Through An Education And Research Network, Krystel Castillo, Mauricio Cabrera-Rios, Michael W. Persans, Hudson R. Deyoe

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Growing energy demand is connected to water availability and climate change and it places additional stress on the environment. Thereby, It is critical to prepare the next generation of engineers and professionals to face the challenges in bioenergy, expand sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels1 and enable climate-smart agriculture2,3. To address this challenge, a career-oriented multidisciplinary educational model is being implemented at three minority-serving institutions. This paper discusses the foundation of this educational program, which provides a robust response to the current sustainability issues by conducting multidisciplinary coordinated education, mentoring, research and extension activities among multiple universities and laboratories. This educational …

Moss In The Classroom: A Tiny But Mighty Tool For Teaching Biology, Erin E. Shortlidge, James R. Hashimoto

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Here we present a mechanism to infuse ecology into the classroom using a broadly adaptable system. We developed a novel moss-based project that introduces research-based experiences for middle school students, and can be modified for integration into K-16 classrooms. The project is ecologically relevant, facilliating opportunities for students to experience intimate interactions with ecosystem subtleties by asking their own questions. We describe and suggest how students can develop, build, test, and assess microcosm experiments of their own design, learning the process of science by “doing science.” Details on project execution, representative examples of distinctive research-question-based projects are presented. We aim …

Poster 7: Importance Of Protein Structure Prediction, Michael Qian '16, Sarah Dovgin '16, Esther Chung '16

Protein Folding & Structure Prediction Posters

Initially, drugs were discovered by either chance or by trial and error through screening methods. Because scientists did not have the ability to model protein structures, drug discovery was a very expensive process. Currently, researchers are working on technologies to determine protein ligands and potential drugs through the usage of predicted protein structures.

Poster 1: Protein Functions And Relationships Between Structure And Function, Mara Cardona '16, Max Shramuk '16

Protein Folding & Structure Prediction Posters

No abstract provided.

Poster 6: Chaperone Proteins, Grace Carlberg '16, Andy Xu '16, Andrew Adams '16

Protein Folding & Structure Prediction Posters

No abstract provided.

Readings On Current Biology: Bibliography, Imsa Biology Team

Nature of Science

No abstract provided.

Science & Spaghetti Monsters: Understanding The Nature Of Scientific Knowledge & Research, Sarah O'Leary-Driscoll

Nature of Science

What is science?

When students are asked to define science, many of them define science as “a body of knowledge gained by performing experiments.”

A more appropriate definition, however, is that “Science is … a process of inquiry aimed at building a testable body of knowledge open to rejection or confirmation” (Shermer, 2005).

There are three important points that this definition makes:

Poster 2: Primary Structure, Max Shramuk '16, Mara Cardona '16

Protein Folding & Structure Prediction Posters

No abstract provided.

Poster 3: Secondary Structure, Michael Qian '16, Sarah Dovgin '16, Esther Chung '16

Protein Folding & Structure Prediction Posters

No abstract provided.

Poster 4: Tertiary Structure, Grace Carlberg '16, Andy Xu '16, Andrew Adams '16

Protein Folding & Structure Prediction Posters

When proteins form polypeptide chains, they form primary structure - their amino acid sequence - secondary structure - their local shapes - and tertiary structure - their global fold and shape. Tertiary structure and its prediction are of vital importance to the biology community because of its importance for manipulating gene expression, cell-wide processes, and more. Because of the innumerable possibilities for even a simple primary structure protein, prediction is incredibly difficult. As bioinformatics technologies advance, though, our understanding of tertiary folding advances.

Poster 5: Quaternary Structure, Arun Arjunakani '16, Joseph Jagusah '16

Protein Folding & Structure Prediction Posters

No abstract provided.

Poster 8: Predicting Structure: Current Techniques And Challenges, Arun Arjunakani '16, Joseph Jagusah '16

Protein Folding & Structure Prediction Posters

No abstract provided.

Essential Questions, Imsa Biology Team

Evolution

In order to understand the current state of biological life and how it has changed over time, the following questions must be addressed:

Evidence Of Evolution 1: Structures, Imsa Biology Team

Evolution

In order to investigate linage, evolutionary history, and common ancestry, you need to be familiar with the following structures.

Mechanisms And Speciation 1: The Modern Synthesis, Imsa Biology Team

Evolution

The Modern Synthesis or Synthetic Theory of Evolution is an explanation of evolution that is based on modern genetic principles. According to the Modern Synthesis (a.k.a. Neo-Darwinism):

Evolution Practice 1, Imsa Biology Team

Evolution

Answer the following questions using information from the handouts, and examples from the LAB

Evolution Practice 2, Imsa Biology Team

Evolution

Evolution Problems

Common Mistakes In Discussing Evolution, Sarah O'Leary-Driscoll

Evolution

No abstract provided.

Genetic Drift Simulation, Imsa Biology Team

Evolution

Genetic drift can be defined as a random fluctuation in gene frequency. More specifically, it tells us that different alleles may increase or decrease in a population in proportion to one another over time, just by chance, rather than due to any fitness advantage.

Essential Questions, Imsa Biology Team

Nature of Science

Questions that must be addressed in order to understand the current state of biological life and how it has changed over time.