Annenberg Learner Search Results

Episode 14: LabXchange with Marty Samuels

…Cellular Biology and Chemical and Physical Biology concentrations, where he taught over a dozen courses and advised hundreds of undergraduates. Marty earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry at Harvard University and his BA in Biochemical Sciences from the University of Chicago. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Transcript Nati Rodriguez [02:20] I’m also…

Episode 13: Discovery Education with Matthew Woods, DEN Star

…mom was a biology teacher, a high school principal, and an administrator. Both my grandparents were teachers. I’ve got education just all around. I would tell people, not only do I know what it’s like to be an educator in front of people, I know what it’s like behind the scenes. I know what it’s…

Episode 31: Bringing STEM Education into the Classroom and Making Music Education Relevant

…TPEs – the Teacher Performance Expectations. We’re just trying to get out ahead of the credentialing program and just really introducing that language to them.  Because here’s the thing – they come into our program as experts in STEM, so experts in science, biology, chemistry, math. But in terms of teaching that subject in a…

Episode 29: Understanding Wildlife Conservation and the Importance of Early Math Interventions

…knowing Brad Pitt. Come on. Nati Rodriguez [7:26] So, can you tell us a little bit about what makes P-22 special? And can you tell us about that tattoo? Beth Pratt [8:04] I had an old friend visiting this week. And certainly he’s an educator in the sciences, but not biology. And we were talking…

lesson: Bottle Biology

…as you explore with your own Bottle Biology system. Life Science has also set up these same systems and done some of the suggested activities. You can track our progress and compare it to your own. We’ll make suggestions called “Bottle Biology Spotlights” that are relevant to each session. Bottle Biology Spotlight: Session 1 System:…

lesson: Bottle Biology Spotlight: Session 2

…checking out what can be done with other systems. See these Bottle Biology Spotlights for relevant suggestions for each session. Bottle Biology Spotlights: Session 2 System Activity TerrAqua What Is It? *Note: Bottle Biology activities have been designed to occur over a six-week study period, once a system has been stocked. This allows two weeks…

lesson: Plant Life Cycles: Bottle Biology Spotlight

Bottle Biology Spotlight It’s never too late to start your own Bottle Biology system. The bottle system that has been designed to accompany Sessions 3 and 4 – “Animal Life Cycles and Plant Life Cycles” – is called the “Brassica & Butterfly System.” The plants depend on the animals, and vice versa, for completion of…

lesson: Bottle Biology

…populations of plants? How might new species arise in this way? Check out Bottle Biology Spotlights to see how our experiment turned out, and for more information on building your own Bottle Biology systems. Bottle Biology Spotlights: Session 6 System: Activity Instructions: Track Our Progress: Field Population System Selective Herbivory See Our Selective Herbivory Results…

lesson: Animal Life Cycles: Bottle Biology Spotlight

Bottle Biology Spotlight At this point in your course, we hope that you have selected a Bottle Biology strand for exploration of course topics. The bottle system that has been designed to accompany Sessions 3 and 4 – Animal Life Cycles and Plant Life Cycles – is called the “Brassica & Butterfly System.” This system…

lesson: Bottle Biology

…decomposers. What evidence is there that materials are cycling in this system? Check out Bottle Biology Spotlights to track the progress of our very own Essential Science for Teachers systems. Bottle Biology Spotlights: Session 8 System: Activity Instructions: Track Our Progress: EcoColumn Decomposition Tea See Our Decomposition Tea Results TerrAqua Column Now You See It…

lesson: Bottle Biology

…producers, consumers, and decomposers. What food chains exist within this community? How does energy flow? Check out Bottle Biology Spotlights to track the progress of our very own Essential Science for Teachers systems. Bottle Biology Spotlights: Session 7 System: Activity Instructions: Track Our Progress: EcoColumn Basically, I’m a Fungi See Basically, I’m a Fungi Results…

lesson: Bottle Biology

…to a voracious herbivore. Does one of these plant populations have an advantage over the others? Check out Bottle Biology Spotlights to track the progress of our very own Essential Science for Teachers systems. Bottle Biology Spotlights: Session 5 System: Activity Instructions: Track Our Progress: Field Population System Assessing Variation See Our Assessing Variation Results…

session: Bottle Biology | Bottle Basics

Bottle Basics Bottle Biology uses recyclable containers as building blocks that can be put together to form any number of bottle systems to explore science, nature, and the environment. In Life Science you are invited to choose from four Bottle Biology systems. Each has been designed to provide applications and extension activities for the topics…

unit: Cell Biology and Cancer

Cancers, though studied for decades, continue to amaze researchers with their complexity. This unit reveals new information on normal cell function, proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genres, current research in drug design, as well as an overview of tumor biology and angiogenesis. ONLINE TEXTBOOK The online textbook chapters support and extend the content of each video….

video: Learning Vocabulary in Biology

Mary Murphy uses an engaging narrative to help students understand protein synthesis. Teacher: Mary Murphy School: The Urban School of San Francisco (Private), San Francisco, CA Grade: 10 Discipline: Science (Biology) Lesson Topic: Transcription and translation: Cracking a code Lesson Month: January Number of Students: 13…

unit: Biology of Sex and Gender

Genes determine whether a human embryo develops as a female or a male. This unit examines new findings and concepts – such as genetic imprinting, intersex conditions, and the effect of the hormones on sex determination – that challenge beliefs about the roles of anatomy, environment, and genetics in the determination of gender. ONLINE TEXTBOOK…

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Leroy Hood, Ph.D.

President, Institute for Systems Biology Hood played a key factor in the Human Genome Project and was credited with developing the automated sequencer. He is recognized as one of the world’s leading scientists in molecular biotechnology and genomics. Hood created the cross-disciplinary Department of Molecular Biotechnology at the University of Washington, bringing together chemists, engineers,…

section: Interview with Penny Chisholm

…PENNY: I started being interested in biology in high school, but then got interested in mathematics and when I went to college, I studied mathematics for a while, but realized that it wasn’t quite as interesting as things that were alive so I switched and became a biology major. My advisor worked on plankton in…

section: Interview with Stuart Davies

…hundreds and hundreds of species the population biology, that is the rate at which they grow, the rates they die at, to try to understand the whole biology of the species. And to do that we need large numbers of individuals monitored over a long time period. So for each of these seventeen plots, we…

unit: Interview with Featured Scientist Vinothan N. Manoharan

…and entails much lower manufacturing costs than the traditional ways we have of making, say, micro chips. People have looked at self-assembly in other fields—in condensed matter physics and also in biology, but they don’t call it self-assembly in those fields. We might call it phase transitions, for example, in physics. In biology they might…

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Eric S. Lander, Ph.D.

Director, Whitehead Center for Genomic Research and Professor of Biology, MIT. Lander has been one of the principal leaders of the Human Genome Project. As the director of the Whitehead Center for Genomics, Lander has helped to build a series of maps that show the basic layout of the human and mouse genomes. He has…

unit: Interview with Featured Scientist Harald Paganetti

…that risk in theory should be reduced because we’re given a factor of two to three times less dose to the entire body compared to photon therapy. So, that’s why people are interested in using protons basically. The reason why this is happening is a physics reason. It has nothing to do with biology; it’s…

section: Interview with Daniel Pauly

…developing country setting because I planned to leave Europe and to work presumably in Africa. And I wanted to study a science, which would have practical implication, because at that time in the 60s everybody wanted to help out. And because I couldn’t do physics, I wanted to study biology. Interviewer: And what got you…

section: Online Textbook

Online Text by Robert Austin The videos and online textbook units can be used independently. When using both, it is possible to start with either one. Watching the video first, and then reading the unit from the online textbook is recommended. Each unit was written by a prominent physicist who describes the cutting edge advances…

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Holly A. Ingraham, PhD

Holly A. Ingraham, PhD Professor of Physiology Ingraham is UCSF associate professor of physiology and obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at UC-San Francisco. She studies the development of endocrine and neuroendocrine organs using molecular biology and mouse genetics….

section: Expert Interview Transcript: David Page, MD

David Page, MD Member, Whitehead Institute Page is an investigator at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and is also the associate director of Science at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, and professor of biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1992 his laboratory mapped and cloned the entire Y chromosome. Today, he uses the…

section: Interview with Peter Kenmore

…my college classmates who were majoring in biology who then went on to Med School, I said I would prefer to work outdoors and thought about evolutionary biology for a while. But I felt that it was important to do applied work and so that led to AG School. To come out with a Harvard…

section: Interview with Andy Knoll

…of oxygen that accumulated in the atmosphere and surface ocean was fairly small, probably maybe at best about 10 percent of the amount of oxygen in our current atmosphere. Recently evidence has accumulated that we didn’t have enough oxygen to support the biology of large animals, to support our own biology, until about 580 million…

Resources to Frame Discussions of COVID-19

…to Global Perspectives is a series about recent developments in science designed for high school biology teachers. Produced in 2003, Rediscovering Biology is a snapshot of the state of the life sciences at the beginning of the 21st century. The Emerging Infectious Diseases unit describes how viruses and bacteria infect human beings and cause illnesses….

video: Online Textbook and Video

This online textbook chapter supports and extends the content of the Cell Biology and Cancer video. The chapter covers cancer causes and treatments, and tumor biology and angiogenesis. Click on the Go button to begin reading, or skip to a sub-section of the chapter in the list below….

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Judith Eisen, Ph.D.

Professor of Biology Eisen is a professor at the Department of Biology at the University of Oregon. She studies how neuronal diversity is generated during development, including how the correct number of cells are specified for specific neuronal fates at particular times and in particular locations. She specifically works on the patterning of neurons and…

lesson: TerrAqua Column

…systematic approach to classifying living things into the groups that scientists use to organize the living world. You can follow along online and track your progress with “Is It Alive?” “Now You See It,” and “What Is It?” For more background information and additional activity ideas, you can visit the Bottle Biology website at www.bottlebiology.org….

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Nipam Patel, Ph.D.

Professor of Biology and Anatomy; Investigator, HHMI Patel is a professor in the Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy at the University of Chicago, and an associate investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Using data from Drosophila development, Patel is studying how developmental pathways have been conserved or altered between various arthropods, and between…

section: Expert Interview Transcript: John Postlethwait, Ph.D.

Professor of Biology Postlethwait is a professor of biology at the University of Oregon, Institute of Neuroscience. He studies the genetic regulation of animal development including development of the nervous system, the mechanisms of sex determination, the origin of novel morphologies in evolution and the evolution of the vertebrate genome….

section: Scientists

Content Developer Anne Pringle Anne Pringle is an assistant professor of organismic and evolutionary biology at Harvard University and an associate member at the Broad Institute. Her research explores evolution as it happens in wild populations of fungi. Current work in her laboratory focuses on an introduced symbiont currently expanding its range on the West…

section: Interview with William F. Laurance

…in fact, this is probably the future of much of tropical biology because although it seems like a large area of rain forest, over here we have bulldozers knocking down the forest and over in this direction we have slash and burn farming going on. We have hunters encroaching from all sides of the forest,…

lesson: Featured Classroom: Dr. Kathleen Vandiver, Lexington, MA

…state averages on state tests, and only 4% of them receive a free lunch. Diamond consistently ranks among the top middle schools in Massachusetts. Kathleen has a Ph.D. in cellular biology. Prior to becoming a teacher, she worked on developing new instruments in biology. All that changed when she accepted an invitation to teach a…

section: Scientists

Content Developer Noel Michele “Missy” Holbrook Missy Holbrook is professor of biology and the Charles Bullard Professor of Forestry in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. Her research interests include long-distance transport physiology in plants; root physiology: interactions between uptake and growth; water relations associated with flowering and flower production; biomechanics…

section: Scientists

…and “The Creation”), ecologist, and environmentalist, his work has had a profound impact on the public understanding of biodiversity loss and humanity’s role in the planet’s ecosystem. Prof. Wilson is the recipient of the National Medal of Science, the International Prize for Biology, the gold medal of the World Wildlife Fund, the Distinguished Humanist Award…

section: Scientists

…quantifying large-scale ecosystem processes, using satellites, atmospheric data, models, and census data. They have explored global-scale patterns of vegetation-climate feedbacks, carbon cycle dynamics, primary production, forest management, and fire. At the ecosystem-scale, Field has, for more than a decade, led major experiments on grassland responses to global change, experiments that integrate approaches from molecular biology…

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Peter H. Raven, PhD

Peter H. Raven, PhD Director, Missouri Botanical Garden Director of the Missouri Botanical Garden, and one of the world’s leading botanists and advocates of conservation and biodiversity. He is a past president and chairman of the board of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a recipient of the esteemed National Medal of…

section: Expert Interview Transcripts: Stanley Fields, Ph.D.

Director, Center for Gene Research and Biotechnology Director of the Oregon State University’s Center for Gene Research and Biotechnology. Carrington’s lab conducts research on how viruses and host plants interact, using the model organism Arabidopsis. He uses genetic, genomic, and proteomic strategies to understand RNA silencing pathways, virus recognition events, and cellular targets for various…

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Ajit Varki, M.D.

Director, Glycobiology Research and Training Center Professor of Medicine and Cellular Molecular Medicine and Director of the Glycobiology Research and Training Center at the University of California at San Diego. He studies the medical and evolutionary applications of glycobiology, the study of glycans, sugar chains that regulate many cellular functions….

video: How We Organize Knowledge: The Structure of the Disciplines

“When we want to learn something new, we have to figure out what are the main guideposts in the terrain of a body of knowledge. And that’s what we call the structure of the disciplines – the big ideas, the big modes of inquiry that are used in history, mathematics, science and so on. And…

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Mary-Claire King, Ph.D.

Professor of Medicine and Genetics King is an American Cancer Society professor of medicine and genetics at the University of Washington in Seattle. She was the first to prove that breast cancer is inherited in some families. She is now investigating the genes that predispose some women to breast cancer to learn what these genes…

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Christopher Wills, Ph.D.

Professor of Biology Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of California at San Diego. He studies intriguing questions about evolution, such as, what is the evolutionary history of sex? Perhaps it originated as the incorporation by cells of exogenous genetic material. He is the author of several books, including Children of Prometheus: the Accelerating…

video: Online Textbook and Video

This online textbook chapter supports and extends the content of the Evolution and Phylogenetics video. The chapter covers the evolution of phylogenetics as a field of study.

lesson: The EcoColumn

…water and fertilizer solution versus water that has flowed through the terrestrial and compost components of the EcoColumn. You can follow along online and “Track Our Progress” with the “Basically, I’m a Fungi,” and “Decomposition Tea” activities. For more background information and additional activity ideas, you can visit the Bottle Biology Web site at www.bottlebiology.com….

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Jonathan Eisen, Ph.D.

Assistant Investigator, The Institute for Genomic Research An investigator at the Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR). His research interests include DNA repair, extremophiles, and phyogenomics….

unit: Bringing It All Together – Science

…other topics that would arise from their close reading. Be clear that close reading is part of the process of writing. Video: Watch Using Scientific Discourse to see how a 10th-grade biology teacher has her students apply their scientific literacy skills to explore and reason through a problem that the class explores as an inquiry…

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Ian Tattersall, Ph.D.

…as a leading scientist in the field of Human Evolution, with a career than spans several decades and countries around the world. Tattersall has authored many books, including Becoming Human: Evolution and Human Uniqueness, and is credited with a number of major exhibits at the AMNH, in particular the Hall of Human Biology and Evolution….

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Kari Stefansson, M.D.

CEO and Chairman of the Board, DeCode Genetics CEO and the Chairman of the Board of DeCode Genetics in Iceland. The company takes advantage of 1,000 years of genealogical records kept by the Icelandic people, and of the willingness of Icelanders to make their DNA available to the company for study of genetic patterns in…

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Philip D. Gingerich, Ph.D.

Professor of Geological Sciences Gingerich is a professor of geological sciences and director of the Museum of Paleontology at the University of Michigan. He has studied the evolution of archaic whales for over twenty-five years, collecting specimens in Pakistan and Egypt. In 2000, he found fossils that confirmed the assertion by molecular biologists that whales…

video: Using Scientific Discourse

Students learn how to apply scientific reasoning to new problems and then communicate about it with peers. Teacher: Mary Murphy School: The Urban School of San Francisco (Private), San Francisco, CA Grade: 10 Discipline: Science (Biology) Lesson Topic: Transcription and translation: Cracking a code Lesson Month: January Number of Students: 13…

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Eleanor Sterling, PhD

Eleanor Sterling, PhD Director, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation Sterling has over fifteen years of field experience studying biodiversity from Madagascar to Vietnam. She is also an adjunct professor at Columbia University, where she now serves as the Director of Graduate Studies for the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology….

video: Thinking and Communicating Like a Biologist

Amy Sheck leads students as they read and discuss a scientific paper on biofilms, design and propose an experiment, and then set up their experiment. Teacher: Amy Sheck School: North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Durham, NC Grade: 11–12 Discipline: Science (Biology) Lesson Topic: Design and conduct an experiment Lesson Month: November Number of…

lesson: Featured Classroom: Duke Dawson, Science Consultant with Debbie Bastian; Worcester, Massachusetts

…and Technology Location: Worcester, MA Grades: K-6 Enrollment: 561 Ethnicity: 48% Hispanic 37% White 11% Asian 4% African American Percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch: 85% versus a state average of 29% Duke Dawson earned his B.A. and Ph.D. in biology, and was en route to becoming a research scientist specializing in psychobiology…

unit: Interview with Featured Scientist Piers Coleman

…4 billion years ago and is still going strong today. Between biology and the most mundane crystals is a whole panorama of possibilities. And what we’d like to do is understand the principles that govern that emergent collective behavior. In so doing, we’re not abandoning a reductionist point of view. In fact, the two have…

It’s Here! You’re Viewing the New Annenberg Learner Website! 

…Every Classroom Workshop Connecting With the Arts Library Connecting With the Arts Workshop The Expanding Canon Exploring the World of Music In Search of the Novel Write in the Middle Conversations in Literature  The World of Abnormal Psychology  Engaging With Literature Library Engaging With Literature Workshop Rediscovering Biology Making Meaning in Literature Workshop Making Meaning…

section: Interview with Lonnie Thompson

…almost a national interest in science, and – and a lot of those people, you know, initially they’re young people; they want to go into rockets and – you know, space, but most of them never got there. They went into other types of science – biology, physics, whatever. But – but the motivation and…

Have You Flipped Your Classroom Yet?

…end of the Against All Odds: Inside Statistics resource, so students can practice their skills. Similarly, the Rediscovering Biology series program on Applied Genetic Modification allows students to engage in an interactive, animated case study to explore the practical details of genetic engineering. After watching and completing the case study at home, students will have…

unit: Featured Scientist Paul Kwiat

Interviewer: What first got you interested in science? PAUL: Well, I guess when I was in high school I knew I wanted to do something sciency. I liked understanding the way things worked. And I didn’t really like biology. I didn’t have a head for memorizing lots of names. And at the time, I didn’t…

video: Applying Psychology in Life

…mental health professionals. Child witness testimony can go off track for a variety of reasons, some having to do with biology. Young children’s brains aren’t fully mature, especially the centers of the brain that are important in tracking and monitoring memories, and discriminating real memories from suggestions, dreams, and fantasies. There are also what we…

section: Scientists

Content Developer Paul R. Moorcroft Paul Moorcroft is a professor of biology at Harvard University who specializes in terrestrial ecosystem dynamics. His research investigates how ecological processes affect the structure, composition, and functioning of terrestrial ecosystems at regional to global scales. He has published a book with Mark Lewis on animal movement, entitled Mechanistic Home…

video: Remembering and Forgetting

Essay: The Biology of Memory Memory is defined as stored information. When we take in information — a lecture, for example — neurotransmitters in the brain are working to filter and store the information in memory. While it sounds simple, memory is a complex and dynamic process that relies on a series of factors. At…

lesson: Featured Classroom: Monique Brinson; Jamaica Plain, MA

…for urban children in Boston. Its mission statement reflects the school’s belief “that every student can learn algebra and understand the concepts of biology, can plot the course of a beam of light, and come to grips with the vastness of the stars.” The scope of the science program at YASM includes teaching three to…

lesson: Muriel Rukeyser (1913-1980)

…World War II; and authored several children’s books. Rukeyser never wrote in any particular poetical form, but instead preferred to experiment with language and structure. Her intricate and complex verse addresses a wide variety of subjects, including anthropology, war, the environment, biology, psychology, religion, and social issues such as women’s rights, motherhood, lesbianism, and anti-Semitism….

section: Interview with Deborah Balk

…knew I could study a bunch of different business options. I could become a lawyer, but it was never evident that I could be a social scientist. I think it was a little clear that I could become a natural scientist, that those were offerings that people actually had careers in – biology or chemistry…

section: Interview with Wendy Graham

…so they look at the nutrient composition and the ionic composition of the water, and how that varies throughout the landscape. There are other people that look at the biology of the system and the ecology of the system, and look at how various parts of the landscape have different balances of various organisms. Interviewer:…

lesson: Featured Classroom: Cindy Plunkett; Boxborough, MA

Cindy Plunkett; Boxborough, MA “My father was an elementary school biology teacher and a principal and my mother was a nursery school teacher, so I guess it was in the blood. And I’ve always loved children, so it’s a fun profession.”   School at a Glance: Blanchard Memorial School, Boxborough, MA Grades: K-6 Enrollment: 630…

section: Scientists

Content Developer James J. McCarthy James McCarthy is an Alexander Agassiz Professor of Biological Oceanography and director of Harvard University’s Museum of Comparative Zoology. He holds faculty appointments in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, and is the head tutor for degrees in environmental science and…

lesson: Energy Flow in Communities: A Closer Look

A Closer Look Look for the following topics in the video, indicated by the onscreen icon, and click below to learn more. Energy and Life Communities Photosynthesis Energy Pyramids Scientist at Work Curriculum Resources Cell Respiration…

section: Scientists

…which the first complex animals emerged. // Read interview transcript   Andrew H. Knoll Andrew Knoll is the Fisher Professor of Natural History in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. He is broadly interested in the evolution of life, the evolution of Earth surface environments, and the relationships between the two….

video: Thinking About Thinking: Metacognition

“We can teach children to think about their thinking in ways that help them understand what they know and what they don’t know and what they’d like to learn, and to help them reflect on their learning and to evaluate their work against a continuum that they’re on. All of those kinds of thinking actually…

section: Expert Interview Transcripts: Eric Vilain, M.D., PhD

Eric Vilain, M.D., PhD Assistant Professor of Genetics Vilain is an assistant professor of Human Genetics at UCLA. His laboratory is exploring the genetics of development, of the reproductive axis using the analysis of patients with disorders of sexual development and the study of animal and cellular models. He is also testing the hypothesis that…

section: Expert Interview Transcript: James Miller, PhD

James Miller, PhD Curator and Head, Applied Research Department at the Missouri Botanical Garden; Adjunct Professor Curator and head of the Applied Research Department at the Missouri Botanical Garden, as well as an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Miller studies the genetics of tropical plants and the natural products they generate….

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Fred Gage, Ph.D.

Professor of Genetics Fred Gage, Ph.D., is a professor in the Laboratory of Genetics at the Salk Institute in San Diego. His research is focused on the generation of new neurons during adulthood, an idea that runs counter to neuroscience dogma. Gage hopes that the work will one day lead to therapeutic uses for people…

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Leland Hartwell, Ph.D.

Director, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Dr. Hartwell is presently the president and director of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. He won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2001 for his work on control of the cell cycle. Using the yeast as a model organism, he has identified many genes responsible for…

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Aaron Hirsh

Computational Geneticist Hirsh is a graduate student in Marcus Fieldman’s lab at Stanford University. His paper on the evolution of protein interactions, in collaboration with Hunter Fraser, was published in the journals of Science and Nature….

video: Lessons for Life: Learning and Transfer

“We don’t learn in school just to stay in school for the rest of our lives. We have to be able to transfer what we learn in one setting and use it somewhere else. In order to transfer our knowledge we have to be able to learn things in a way that is flexible, that…

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Stuart B. Levy, M.D.

Scientist, Environmental Defense Dr. Levy is a professor of Molecular and Microbiology and a professor of Medicine at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts where he researches the Tetracycline Efflux Protein. He is also the President of the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics, which is an organization that aims to promote responsible and appropriate…

section: Classifying Living Things | A Closer Look

Look for the following topics in the video, indicated by the onscreen icon, and click below to learn more. Classifying Living Things CO2 and O2 Taxonomic Classification Teaching Tips Scientist at Work Curriculum Resources…

section: Expert Interview Transcript: David Altshuler, M.D., Ph.D.

Affiliate Member, Whitehead Institute Altshuler is a member of the Whitehead Institute, as well as a practicing endocrinologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. His research led to the discovery of a single nucleotide polymorphism in a gene that is implicated in type 2 diabetes. He is now involved with creating a haplotype map of the human…

section: Expert Interview Transcripts: Timothy Read

Assistant Researcher Read, is an assistant researcher with the Microbial Genetics Group at The Institute for Genomic Research in Maryland. In addition to examining the genome and evolutionary history of Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium that causes anthrax, Read also explores microbial genes as potential drug targets….

unit: Reading In Science

video: Online Textbook and Video

This online textbook chapter supports and extends the content of the HIV and AIDS video. The chapter provides an overview of the human immune system, and covers the viral life cycle and current obstacles in controlling HIV. Click on the Go button to begin reading, or skip to a sub-section of the chapter in the…

section: Expert Interview Transcripts: Phil Stewart, PhD

Professor of Chemical Engineering Stewart is the Deputy Director and Research Coordinator a professor of Chemical Engineering at the Center for Biofilm Engineering at Montana State University. He studies biofilm control with antimicrobial agents, transport phenomena in biofilms, biofilm modeling, and biofilm detachment….

section: Expert Interview Transcripts: Carl R. Woese, PhD

Professor of Microbiology Professor Woese of the University of Illinois, is a self-described molecular biologist turned evolutionist. Woese used ribosomal RNA as an evolutionary record to identify archaea as a huge and diverse group, separate from the prokaryotes (bacteria) and the eukaryotes. As a result, the entire “Tree of Life” as we know it was…

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Markus Grompe, M.D.

Professor of Genetics Grompe is a professor of medical and molecular genetics at Oregon Health and Science University and also in the Department of Pediatrics. He studies metabolic liver diseases and the molecular genetics of Fanconi anemia. His research into hepatic gene therapy represents a potential cure for many hereditary and acquired liver diseases. Grompe…

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Hunter Fraser

Molecular and Cellular Biologist Fraser is a UC Berkeley doctoral candidate. His research on the evolution of protein interactions, in collaboration with Aaron Hirsch, was published in the journals Science and Nature….

section: Expert Interview Transcripts: Ned David, Ph.D.

Founder, Syrrx, Inc. Founder of Syrrx, Inc., a proteomics company in San Diego that specializes in x-ray crystallography and determining protein structure for use in drug discovery….

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Wolfhard Almers, Ph.D.

Senior Scientist, Vollum Institute Wolfhard Almers, Ph.D., is a senior scientist at the Vollum Institute in Portland, Oregon. Neurons release neurotransmitter packed in vesicles in a process called exocytosis. Almers uses evanescent field microscopy to visualize and examine the events and molecules surrounding exocytosis, including vesicle docking, membrane fusion, and recycling….

video: Expectations for Success: Motivation and Learning

“A lot of times people think about motivation as something that the student has – she’s either motivated or un-motivated. But we actually know that motivation is a function of what happens in classrooms. The way teachers construct tasks, the way they let students know about their competence, the way they scaffold and support developing…

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Lukas K. Tamm, Ph.D.

Professor of Biophysics, University of Virginia Tamm is a professor of Biophysics at the University of Virginia where he is studying the structures and interactions of viral fusion proteins in lipid bilayers, mainly using the influenza surface protein, hemagglutinin (HA). This research opens possibilities to develop new classes of viral entry inhibitors, which would serve…

section: Online Textbook

unit: Evolution and Phylogenetics

Molecular techniques are reigning our perspective on evolution. This unit illustrates how molecular data are combined with fossil evidence to explore relationships between species that until now scientists have only been able to guess at. The unit takes a glimpse at the evolution of Phylogenetics as a field. ONLINE TEXTBOOK The online textbook chapters support…

lesson: Plant Life Cycles: A Closer Look

Look for the following topics in the video, indicated by the onscreen icon, and click below to learn more. Alternation of Generations Transition From Water to Land Flowers and Pollination Fruit and Dispersal Seeds vs. Eggs Teaching Tips: Asexual Reproduction Scientist at Work Curriculum Resources…

video: Online Textbook and Video

video: Online Textbook and Video

This online textbook chapter supports and extends the content of the Proteins and Proteomics video. The chapter covers protein modification, and tools for identifying protein structure and composition.

video: Online Textbook and Video

This online textbook chapter supports and extends the content of the Genetics of Development video. The chapter examines how the molecules work to coordinate — or misdirect — the formation of an entire organism. Click on the Go button to begin reading, or skip to a sub-section of the chapter in the list below….

section: Expert Interview Transcripts: Anna-Louise Reysenbach, PhD

Microbial Ecologist Reysenbach is a microbial ecologist with special interests in the ecology of terrestrial and deep-sea hydrothermal vents, and in the evolution of biogeochemical cycles. She teaches the core microbiology course at Portland State University, as well as courses in Microbial Ecology and Microbial Diversity….

video: Online Textbook and Video

This online textbook chapter supports and extends the content of the Neurobiology video. The chapter covers the basic electrical workings of the neuron and more complex phenomena like Long-Term Potentiation….

unit: Proteins and Proteomics

The proteins made by a cell determine what the cell does. This unit explores some basics of fundamental biochemistry, such as protein structure, interactions, and post-translational modifications. It also introduces the new ‘big-picture’ field of proteomics, exploring the implications of protein expression at levels from species determination to human disease. ONLINE TEXTBOOK The online textbook…

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Robert Weinberg, Ph.D.

Member, Whitehead Institute Weinberg is a founding member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. Weinberg and his colleagues discovered the first human cancer-causing gene, Ras . Weinberg has written and edited five books and more than 290 articles….

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Elizabeth Blackburn, Ph.D.

Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics Blackburn is a professor of microbiology and biochemistry at the University of California at San Francisco and an expert on telomeres. She is credited for discovering the substance called telomerase and has published extensively on the subject of these protective caps on the ends of chromosomes….

section: Expert Interview Transcript: James Carrington, Ph.D.

Director, Center for Gene Research and Biotechnology Director of the Oregon State University’s Center for Gene Research and Biotechnology. Carrington’s lab conducts research on how viruses and host plants interact, using the model organism Arabidopsis. He uses genetic, genomic, and proteomic strategies to understand RNA silencing pathways, virus recognition events, and cellular targets for various…

section: Expert Interview Transcript: G. David Tilman, PhD

G. David Tilman, PhD Professor of Ecology; Director, Cedar Creek Natural History Area Professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior at the University of Minnesota, and Director of the Cedar Creek Natural History Area. Tilman studies patterns in the biological diversity, structure and dynamics of plant (and sometimes insect) communities, as well as the effects of…

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Rick Ostfeld, PhD

Rick Ostfeld, PhD Animal Ecologist Animal ecologist at the Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York. His research focuses on the interactions among organisms that influence the risk of human exposure to vector-borne diseases and the dynamics of terrestrial communities. His recent research has focused on the causes of the spread of Lyme disease…

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Capt. Daniel Carucci, M.D., PhD

Director, NMRC Malaria Program Dr. Carucci is the Director of the Malaria Program at the Naval Medical Research Center where he oversees Navy research efforts on malaria, focusing on vaccine development and novel approaches to protecting individuals from the disease. He is also the Department of Defense coordinator for the Malaria Genome Project, where he…

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Richard Huganir, Ph.D.

Professor of Neuroscience; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Richard Huganir, PhD, is a professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. His laboratory is working to understand the interaction of molecules during long-term potentiation, a neuronal hyperactivity that is thought to underlie learning and memory….

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Rita Colwell, Ph.D.

Marine Microbiologist Dr. Colwell is a Marine Microbiologist and serves at the President of the National Science Foundation. She is an advocate of an integrated approach to studying disease called biocomplexity, giving a holistic, system-wide view of the causation and effects of disease. She was pioneer in the research done on the Cholera epidemics in…

unit: Building New Neural Networks

video: Introduction: The Art and Science of Teaching

lesson: Children’s Ideas

Children’s Ideas about What’s Living, Dead, and Nonliving Below are common ideas children in grades K-6 have about this topic, compiled from research on children’s ideas about science (see the Session 1 Children’s Ideas Bibliography). For each idea, consider why a child would be likely to believe this and what evidence might refute it. 1….

timeline: History of Psychology: Timeline

Contemporary Foundations

program: Genetics and Bioengineering: The Societal Impacts of Mutations

Introduction For at least 10,000 years, humans have been cultivating plants and selectively breeding them for fast growth, pest resistance, long-term survival in storage, and bigger and better fruit. We’ve been domesticating animals for just as long, selecting for traits that suited our needs, such as size, appearance, or even personality. For a few decades,…

video: The Metallic World: Electrochemistry and Coordination Compounds

Metals allow the transfer of electrons through a process called oxidation-reduction, or “redox,” when one species gains electrons while another loses them. Chemists take advantage of this process by using electron transfers to power the batteries in our flashlights, phones, or cars. In biochemistry, trace metals, such as cobalt in Vitamin B12, often drive chemical…

lesson: Animal Life Cycles: A Closer Look

A Closer Look Look for the following topics in the video, indicated by the onscreen icon, and click below to learn more. Body Cell Reproduction Sex Cell Production Cloning The Incredible Egg Teaching Tips: DNA Extraction Scientist at Work Curriculum Resources…

lesson: Evolution and the Tree of Life: A Closer Look

A Closer Look Look for the following topics in the video, indicated by the onscreen icon, and click below to learn more. Classifying Reptiles Identifying Species Vertebrate Evolution Building a Tree of Life Scientist at Work Curriculum Resources…

video: A Better Brain: The Ethics of Neuro-Enhancement

As our story begins, Maria, a teacher, sits at a school assembly, where a graduate who now works at Hype Pharmaceuticals describes a new drug called Alerta. Developed for people with narcolepsy, it allows someone to forego sleep for extended periods of time. Maria doesn’t have narcolepsy—she is perfectly healthy, in fact—but she does have…

video: Different Kinds of Smart: Multiple Intelligences

“Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, gives us a different framework for teaching and thinking in the classroom, as well as how we think about what people do in life. We rely on lots different abilities to succeed in life. Different people have those abilities differently developed, and using the strengths that we have as…

video: Online Textbook and Video

This online textbook chapter supports and extends the content of the Emerging Infectious Diseases video. The chapter content covers the factors affecting the emergence of disease. Click on the Go button to begin reading, or skip to a sub-section of the chapter in the list below.

video: When Chemicals Meet Water: The Properties of Solutions

The majority of chemical reactions happen in solutions—whether inside an espresso machine or in a human cell. For example, when we breathe, the nitrogen in the air dissolves in our blood. Henry’s Law gives us the power to predict, prevent, and treat “the bends”—a life-threatening condition that can happen to SCUBA divers when nitrogen in…

video: Online Textbook and Video

This online textbook chapter supports and extends the content of the Human Evolution video. The chapter explores the incredibly small variations in human genetics and how they tell us about our past. Click on the Go button to begin reading, or skip to a sub-section of the chapter in the list below….

video: Plant Life Cycles

Learning Goals Pollination During this session, you will have an opportunity to build understandings to help you: Describe the stages in the life cycle of a flowering plant Compare the plant and animal life cycles Video Overview Which life forms reproduce at a distance, give rise to offspring miles away and even after death, trick…

video: Variation, Adaptation, and Natural Selection

Learning Goals Natural variation During this session, you will have an opportunity to build understandings to help you: Recognize how populations vary with regard to inherited traits Distinguish between DNA, chromosomes, and genes Relate genes to variation in populations Describe the process of adaptation through natural selection Video Overview How is it that life always…

video: Evolution and the Tree of Life

Learning Goals Which skull is a lizard and which is a snake? During this session, you will have an opportunity to build understandings to help you: Define what is meant by “species.” Describe how new species evolve as a result of variation and adaptation through natural selection. Comprehend a tree of life as a model…

unit: A Writer’s Notebook

“Writing is very difficult. What I like best is having written.” – Judith Ortiz Cofer No one knows the anguish and joy of writing better than a writer. That’s why numbers of educational organizations believe those who teach writing should be writers themselves. That doesn’t mean that you have to be a great elegist or…

video: Energy Flow in Communities

Learning Goals The sun, source of energy for life on Earth During this session, you will have an opportunity to build understandings to help you: Distinguish between energy and matter as they relate to the living world Distinguish between producers, consumers, and decomposers with regard to energy flow in a community Describe what happens to…

video: Material Cycles in Ecosystems

Learning Goals A coniferous forest ecosystem During this session, you will have an opportunity to build understandings to help you: Distinguish between producers, consumers, and decomposers with regard to material cycling in an ecosystem Describe examples of material cycling through an ecosystem Contrast energy flow with material cycling Video Overview Our final session looks at…

unit: Different Learners, Different Minds

video: Biophysics – Video

unit: Writing in Science

lesson: Children’s Ideas

Children’s Ideas About Energy Flow in Communities Below are common ideas children in grades K-6 have about this topic, compiled from research on children’s ideas about science (see the Session 7 Children’s Ideas Bibliography). For each idea, consider why a child would be likely to believe this and what evidence might refute it. 1. Interdependencies…

unit: Microbial Diversity

Microbial diversity far surpasses that of other organisms on Earthmovers. This unit examines recent studies of microbes including extremophiles, the comparisons of Bacteria and Archaea, the formation and life cycle of biofilms, and the myriad ways that microbes impact our lives and our planet. ONLINE TEXTBOOK The online textbook chapters support and extend the content…

section: Commentary

section: Public Policy and the Federal Budget — Teacher Perspectives

Teacher Perspectives: Leslie Martin Leslie Martin teaches a two-semester course on economic, legal, and political systems to ninth-grade students at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, North Carolina. The course is called a freshman seminar in recognition of the fact that more than half of these students are considered gifted. These interview excerpts relate to…

section: Expert Interview Transcript: Leon Corzine

Leon Corzine Farmer; Director, National Corn Growers Association Corzine and his wife grow corn and soybeans on their family farm near Assumption, Ill. Corzine is past president of the Illinois Corn Growers Association. He currently serves on the National Corn Growers Association’s Relations Committee and as chairman of the Biotechnology Working Group….

unit: Different Brains

unit: Introduction

Introduction To Online Text By Christopher Stubbs  …

lesson: Online Textbook

Online Text by David Kaplan The videos and online textbook units can be used independently. When using both, it is possible to start with either one. Watching the video first, and then reading the unit from the online textbook is recommended. Each unit was written by a prominent physicist who describes the cutting edge advances…

video: Online Textbook and Video

This online textbook chapter supports and extends the content of the Sex and Gender video. The chapter covers genetic imprinting, inter-sex conditions, the effect of hormones on sex determination, and ethics. Click on the Go button to begin reading, or skip to a sub-section of the chapter in the list below….

unit: Many Planets, One Earth

video: Animal Life Cycles

Learning Goals Animal (frog) During this session, you will have an opportunity to build understandings to help you: Describe the life stages in the life cycle of an animal Comprehend the role of DNA in ensuring the continuity of life from generation to generation Video Overview There are life processes that are so much a…

video: Classifying Living Things

Learning Goals During this session, you will have an opportunity to build understandings to help you: Distinguish between plants, animals, and other life forms based on cell features Classify different life forms into broad biological groups Video Overview Japanese Maple leaves. Image courtesy Len Gittleman. Our Earth hosts an astonishing diversity of life forms. We…

unit: About This Course

Reading and writing are no longer the sole responsibility of the English classroom, but a critical part of how students explore and understand complex concepts across all disciplines. By examining general disciplinary literacy strategies and practices—and then focusing more deeply on their own discipline—middle and high school teachers will gain insight into how to support…

video: Sensation and Perception

Interview Excerpt: David Hubel and the Visual Pathway Dr. David Hubel explains how cellular structures in the nervous system create the visual pathway between eyesight and brain processing. In order to understand what we mean by pathway, you need to understand that cells are clustered in the nervous system. They’re aggregated into groups the size…

section: Resources

lesson: Field Population System

The Field Population System The Life Science Field Population System is designed to demonstrate concepts that are fundamental to understanding biological evolution. It is a companion to the videos for Session 5 (Variation, Adaptation, and Natural Selection) and Session 6 (Evolution and the Tree of Life). The name is derived from the system that it…

unit: Robo Hand

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL – LEVEL 1 Leonardo da Vinci is one of history’s most notable scholars. Among other interests, he studied human anatomy. Through his artwork, Leonardo detailed the human muscular and skeletal systems. His paintings have had a lasting impression on the medical community as well as the art world. The anatomy of our cardboard…

unit: Biodiversity Decline

video: Making Molecules: Lewis Structures and Molecular Geometries

Molecules can form when atoms bond together by sharing electrons and can be represented by a useful shorthand called Lewis Structures. These visual representations provide information to predict the three-dimensional shapes of molecules using valence shell electron pair repulsion (“VSEPR”) theory. Understanding how atoms bond within molecules provides insight into cell replication. Building on this…

unit: The Basic Building Blocks of Matter

In this unit, we shall explore particle physics, the study of the fundamental constituents of matter. These basic building blocks lay the foundation for all of the ambitious projects detailed throughout this course. Dramatic discoveries over the last century have completely changed our view of the structure of matter, as physicists have delved into the…

video: The Responsive Brain

Experiment: The African Cichlid Fish Dr. Russell Fernald is a neuroethologist at Stanford University. Neuroethology integrates brain science with the study of behavior in natural habitats. The goal is to illustrate the interaction among brain, behavior, and environment. Dr. Fernald’s long-term work focuses on the African cichlid fish and how its social system regulates not…

unit: Conclusion: A Community of Educators

section: Online Textbook

section: Patriotism and Foreign Policy — Lesson Plan

The Lesson Plan section contains everything you will need to fully understand the featured lesson. It has the following sections: Context presents background information on the teacher, the school, and the course in which the lesson was taught; Lesson-Specific Standards identifies the national standards from the Center for Civic Education and the National Council for…

video: What Is Life?

Learning Goals Boy with “green stuff” During this session, you will have an opportunity to build understandings to help you: Distinguish between living, dead, and nonliving Define the characteristics of life Video Overview What is life? This question at first seems deceptively simple—we all know how to recognize what is living and what is not….

video: Can Frogs Dance?

PROGRAM AT A GLANCE School Mineral Springs Middle School Location Winston-Salem, NC Grade 7 Disciplines Dance Science Language Arts Description Students study dance and anatomy and debate a frog’s admission to a ballet company. The Integrated Instruction Noël Grady-Smith, Dance Teacher Students at this age are beginning to understand that the body is not just…

section: Patriotism and Foreign Policy — Essential Readings

The following essential readings are available below: Cooperative Learning Multiple Intelligences: Gardner’s Theory  …

video: How People Learn: Introduction to Learning Theory

“Teaching is not simply random, and ad-hock and haphazard; there are some ways to actually shape your work that are likely to be more effective, because they respond to what learners are actually doing, thinking, and experiencing.” Linda Darling-Hammond Key Questions How do people learn? How can learning inform teaching practice? Learning Objectives History of…

video: Building on What We Know: Cognitive Processing

“We process information, efficiently or inefficiently depending on what the context is, whether we can hook it to what we’ve learned before, whether there’s some advanced organizers that let us know where the information is heading, and we also tend to process differently, some of us more orally, some more visually, some more kinesthetically. If…

section: Online Textbook

Online Text by William P. Reinhardt The videos and online textbook units can be used independently. When using both, it is possible to start with either one. Watching the video first, and then reading the unit from the online textbook is recommended. Each unit was written by a prominent physicist who describes the cutting edge…

lesson: What Is Life? | A Closer Look

Look for the following topics in the video, indicated by the on-screen icon. Cells Organic Molecules Extremophiles Teaching Tips Scientist at Work Curriculum Resources  …

video: First Steps

This session provides an overview of the first steps teachers should take when working with student writers. The educators, researchers, and writers featured in the video programs talk about specific goals they share with their students, recognizing the local, state, and national standards that serve as a floor, not a ceiling, for their work. They…

video: Properties

Part 1: Factoring Quadratic Expressions Factoring is the process of rewriting a number or expression as a product of two or more numbers or expressions. It can be used to break a polynomial into smaller parts. By writing the factors of a polynomial, it is often easier to solve equations. The distributive property plays a…

video: Online Textbook and Video

This online textbook chapter supports and extends the content of the Biodiversity video. The chapter examines our moral responsibilities to catalog and maintain the world’s ecosystems. Click on the Go button to begin reading, or skip to a sub-section in the list below….

unit: Seeing Others from the Self