KABT BioBlog

What is RNA interference. What is the mechanism for this cellular process and how can I use this as an instructional piece for an advance biology or a biotechnology class? If any of these questions are of interest to you, fear not, you are at a one-stop site for joining the movement started by Cold […]

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As part of the KABT thread at the recent KATS KAMP, I argued that we should be asking our students to use spreadsheets to model the concepts of population genetics–in particular Hardy-Weinberg equilibria. I tried to make the case that most of the efforts to model H-W equilibrium in classroom activities such as […]

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Incorporate writing, inquiry, reading, and collaboration into your classroom. We perform this lab at the end of the Organic Molecule Unit. Students test simulated vomit samples (it isn’t that bad…) for the presence of a common organic compound. Students are required to complete a write-up describing each compound’s structure, how they tested for the compounds, and the […]

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No we’re not talking about bumps on the head–that’s phrenology….

The Monarch Watch is always looking for new collaborative research ideas that will contribute to the every growing knowledge on monarch biology. The latest project is trying to get a handle on the phenology or calendar timing of the various events in the life cycle […]

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One of the easiest organisms to raise in the classroom are the nematodes known as vinegar eels. Recently on the NSTA Biology listserv one of KABT’s own, Candy Surdez had the following to offer. I’ve contacted her and she has agreed to sharing her message here and she’ll be sending a pict or […]

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A few years ago one of my more accomplished students was kind enough to give me a parting gift of David Quammen’s The Song of the Dodo, and even though the book is more generally about the scientific development of Island Biogeography (as the subtitle states), the authors historical accounts of the concept inspired an […]

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On the classroom side of things, I have developed/modified the following assignments and activities in recent years in the hopes of highlighting the importance of Wallace and biogeography to evolutionary theory, and giving my students real world examples that they can work through to infer the process of speciation that Darwin and Wallace first uncovered.  Suggestions […]

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Investigating microbial ecosystems using a Winogradsky Column
Introduction
Winogradsky Columns are named after Sergei Winogradsky, a Russian microbiologist who used the columns throughout his career to study microbial ecology. In the classroom, Winogradsky Columns are incredibly simple tools with which students can explore a variety of topics. Topics such as succession, nutrient cycling, and microbiology […]

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Wednesday at NABT’s national conventions are usually reserved for workshops and field trips. This year a late entry to the workshop program caught my eye and sparked my interest. Dr. Rob Pennock scheduled a workshop to introduce a student resource for exploring evolution concepts in a sophisticated artificial life environment while learning […]

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KABT folks gathered to share some of their favorite labs at NABT this Thurs. We had an enthusiastic crowd Pat W. came by and took a bunch of picts and KABT’s own Todd Carter stopped by and was his presidential electedness…

I chose to present on microrespirometers (since I had some from […]

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