This lesson plan is an introductory activity asks students to research the …
This lesson plan is an introductory activity asks students to research the lobes of the brain and their basic functions. Students also construct a wearable brain cap. Wearing the brain cap assists students with understanding the structure and function of the brain.
Many people do not like spiders and consider them pests. However, spiders …
Many people do not like spiders and consider them pests. However, spiders provide a service to humans. They eat many of the insects that bother people. In this 7th grade life science activity, students will study 4-6 spider webs and discover what and how much spiders eat. They will identify the spiders building the webs, collect data and make observations related to the webs and what the spiders eat. They will use the information to develop a conclusion.
Students learn about providing healthcare in a global setting and the importance …
Students learn about providing healthcare in a global setting and the importance of wearing protective equipment when treating patients with infectious diseases like Ebola. They learn about biohazard suits, heat transfer through conduction and convection and the engineering design cycle. Student teams design, create and test (and improve) their own Ebola biohazard suit prototypes that cover one arm and hand, including a ventilation system to cool the inside of the suit.
This video and resources can be used to support educators' professional development …
This video and resources can be used to support educators' professional development related to data and assessment literacy. Consider using this supplement to kick off your next PLC meeting to enhance your own data and assessment literacy.
In this project, students will assume the role of citizen scientistshelping researchers …
In this project, students will assume the role of citizen scientistshelping researchers answer questions about how dandelions acquire beneficial symbiotic microbes from different soil types. Students will collect and transplant dandelions, conduct experiments on dandelion growth and microbe growth, and then submit data to scientists at the Genomics and Microbiology Research Lab at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. The researchers will use these data to supplement DNA and RNA sequencing efforts. Students will receive results from the genetic analyses from a limited set of classrooms whose dandelions had previously been sequenced. By maintaining a connection with researchers, students will have an active, hands-on role in current science. Besides aiding scientists with research, students will also create their own inquiries.
Introduction to axiomatic design. Theoretical basis for rational design. One-FR Design. Multi-FR …
Introduction to axiomatic design. Theoretical basis for rational design. One-FR Design. Multi-FR design. System design. Software design. Product design. Materials and materials process design. Manufacturing system design. Complexities in design: time-independent real complexity, time-independent imaginary complexity, time-dependent combinatorial complexity, and time-dependent periodic complexity. Industrial case studies. This course studies what makes a good design and how one develops a good design. Students consider how the design of engineered systems (such as hardware, software, materials, and manufacturing systems) differ from the "design" of natural systems such as biological systems; discuss complexity and how one makes use of complexity theory to improve design; and discover how one uses axiomatic design theory (AD theory) in design of many different kinds of engineered systems. Questions are analyzed using Axiomatic Design Theory and Complexity Theory. Case studies are presented including the design of machines, tribological systems, materials, manufacturing systems, and recent inventions. Implications of AD and complexity theories on biological systems discussed.
Introduction to quantitative methods and modeling techniques to address key questions in …
Introduction to quantitative methods and modeling techniques to address key questions in modern biology. Overview of quantitative modeling techniques in evolutionary biology, molecular biology and genetics, cell biology and developmental biology. Description of key experiments that validate models. Specific topics include: Evolutionary biology: theoretical models for evolution, evolution in test tube, evolution experiments with viruses and bacteria, complexity and evolution; Molecular biology and genetics: protein design, bioinformatics and genomics, constructing and modeling of genetic networks, control theory and genetic networks; Cell biology: forces and motion, cell motility, signal transduction pathways, chemotaxis and pheromone response; Development biology: pattern formation, self-organization, and models of Drosophila development.
This unit is designed to help 4th grade students foster an understanding …
This unit is designed to help 4th grade students foster an understanding of the effects climate change in Connecticut. Students will learn about specific species native to Connecticut, that depend on salt marshes, that are experiencing heavier precipitation and loss of habitat due to the changing climate. The unit focuses on these main questions: How is climate change and the greenhouse effect related? What is happening to the animals on our coastline? Why is there so much flooding occurring in my neighborhood? Students will explore and research species in Connecticut who’s survival has been negatively impacted by climate change, specifically the rise in sea level.
This course covers introductory microbiology from a systems perspective, considering microbial diversity, …
This course covers introductory microbiology from a systems perspective, considering microbial diversity, population dynamics, and genomics. Emphasis is placed on the delicate balance between microbes and humans, and the changes that result in the emergence of infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance. The case study approach covers such topics as vaccines, toxins, biodefense, and infections including LegionnaireŰŞs disease, tuberculosis, Helicobacter pylori, and plague.
Students learn about water quality testing and basic water treatment processes and …
Students learn about water quality testing and basic water treatment processes and technology options. Biological, physical and chemical treatment processes are addressed, as well as physical and biological water quality testing, including testing for bacteria such as E. coli.
Students experience the engineering design process as they design, fabricate, test and …
Students experience the engineering design process as they design, fabricate, test and redesign their own methods for encapsulation of a (hypothetical) new miracle drug. As if they are engineers, teams make large-size prototypes to test proof of concept. They use household materials (tape, paper towels, plastic wrap, weed-barrier fabric, glues, etc.) to attach a coating to a porous "shell" (a perforated plastic Wiffle® ball) containing the medicine (colored drink mix powder). The objective is to delay the drug release by a certain time and have a long release duration—patterned after the timed release requirements of many real-world pharmaceuticals that are released from a polymer shell via diffusion in the body. Guided by a worksheet, teams go through at least three design/test iterations, aiming to achieve a solution close to the target time release constraints.
This lesson can be added to the study of the life cycle …
This lesson can be added to the study of the life cycle of the monarch butterfly, specifically when it’s time to release your classroom monarchs in the fall. If your class isn’t studying monarchs, but the monarch migration is observed in your area, this is a lesson that could be used to find out more.The pursuits addressed are skills and intellectualism. The skills in this case are reading a map and gathering details from a text. Intellect is the practice of using skills to increase the understanding of the world around you, the practice of reflecting on how one uses a skill. According to Gholdy Muhammad in Cultivating Genius, Intellectualism is knowledge of people, places, things and concepts and the ability to put this knowledge into action. As learning takes place, one asks, “What am I becoming smarter about?” The students are using the pursuit of intellectualism to discover how science research works to discover new things about the world around them.
Details: This lesson can be added to the study of the life …
Details: This lesson can be added to the study of the life cycle of the monarch butterfly, specifically when the children are learning about monarch migration. It is suggested to use this lesson after Monarch Butterflies Lesson 1. Pursuits: Identity is questioning who you are, how others see you and who you want to become. Students will learn about each other and further define their own identities in relation to their culture, their families and their culture. Skills are writing, collaborating with others, and reading informational texts Criticality: Students are deepening their understanding of the intersections of a group's culture with the economic and land-use expectations of the economic powers of the world. In this case the people in the lesson chose to follow their traditions and culture over these expectations and found an alternative path to support themselves economically.
Students are introduced to an engineering challenge in which they are given …
Students are introduced to an engineering challenge in which they are given a job assignment to separate three types of apples. However, they are unable to see the color differences between the apples, and as a result, they must think as engineers to design devices that can be used to help them distinguish the apples from one another. Solving the challenge depends on an understanding of wave properties and the biology of sight. After being introduced to the challenge, students form ideas and brainstorm about what background knowledge is required to solve the challenge. A class discussion produces student ideas that can be grouped into broad subject categories: waves and wave properties, light and the electromagnetic spectrum, and the structure of the eye.
An interview with biologist David Pearson, an author and expert on tiger …
An interview with biologist David Pearson, an author and expert on tiger beetles. Did you know that tiger beetles can run so fast that they go blind and just what would it be like to be hunted by these tiny, but ferocious animals? These are a few of the questions that we learn the answer from our guest biologist.
Dive in with NSF funded researcher John Long and his robotic sharks. …
Dive in with NSF funded researcher John Long and his robotic sharks. A professor at Vassar College, John Long and his team study real live sharks and their vertebral columns. They then takes these findings and design computer models and artificial vertebral columns to understand sharks' movement and biomechanics.
Survey and special topics designed for graduate students in the brain and …
Survey and special topics designed for graduate students in the brain and cognitive sciences. Emphasizes ethological studies of natural behavior patterns and their analysis in laboratory work, with contributions from field biology (mammology, primatology), sociobiology, and comparative psychology. Stresses human behavior but also includes major contributions from studies of other vertebrates and of invertebrates.
This is a seminar based on research literature. Papers covered are selected …
This is a seminar based on research literature. Papers covered are selected to illustrate important problems and approaches in the field of computational and systems biology, and provide students a framework from which to evaluate new developments. The MIT Initiative in Computational and Systems Biology (CSBi) is a campus-wide research and education program that links biology, engineering, and computer science in a multidisciplinary approach to the systematic analysis and modeling of complex biological phenomena. This course is one of a series of core subjects offered through the CSB Ph.D. program, for students with an interest in interdisciplinary training and research in the area of computational and systems biology.
Students carry out independent experimental study under the direction of a member …
Students carry out independent experimental study under the direction of a member of the Biology Department faculty. Subject allows students with a strong interest in independent research to fulfill the project laboratory requirement for the Biology Department Program in the context of a research laboratory at MIT. Written and oral presentation of the research results is required. The permission of the faculty supervisor and the Biology Undergraduate Office must be obtained in advance. Instruction and practice in written and oral communication provided.
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