Plastic Amniote Phylogeny
Rowan Martindale, The University of Texas at Austin
Students use plastic animals to discuss and synthesize their knowledge about the evolutionary relationships between different vertebrates (amniotes). In small groups, students get a bag of animals (e.g., mammals, ...

Seasonal variation in light, mixing depth and primary productivity in temperate northern hemisphere waters
Lauren Sahl, Maine Maritime Academy
In this exercise students work with light, temperature, and phytoplankton biomass proxy (chlorophyll a concentration) data to; Become more skilled in reading and interpreting semi log graphs, temperature profiles, ...

Unit 2: Causes of Mass Extinction
Rebecca Teed, Wright State University-Main Campus
During Unit 2, students will learn about the causes of two past mass extinctions and discuss the controversies surrounding these causes and the evidence upon which the theories in the debates are based. Before ...

Candy Phylogeny
Lisa Whitenack, Allegheny College
Students learn how make phylogenetic trees from morphological data using a variety of candy. Techniques and concepts learned include outgroup analysis, making a character matrix, coding characters, parsimony, ...

Tree Ring Data and Environmental Variables
Erica Bigio, The University of Arizona
This activity uses Bristlecone pine tree-ring data to understand how tree growth is related to environmental variables. It can be used to test hypotheses about how tree growth has been increasing with increasing ...

Field Exercise in Stratigraphy/Paleoecology
David Sunderlin, Lafayette College
This field activity for GEOL 320 "Paleobiology" is designed to turn what could have been a "look-and-see" fossil collecting trip into one where genuinely interesting hypotheses/questions are ...

Detox Me: How To Reduce Your Exposure To Toxins Found In Everyday Products
Surya Tewari, Bellevue Community College
I use the topic when I am discussing cancer in either nutrition or biology class. Talking about genetic and environmental factors that can increase the incidence of cancer, and the homework, helps students understand how adjusting their environment can help reduce their risk for developing cancer.

Quiz for 8 Reasons for Complex Life on Earth
David McConnell, North Carolina State University
This is a pdf of a quiz composed of multiple choice and True/False questions about the content of the 8 reasons for complex life on Earth video.

Deriving Common Model Characteristics
Jennifer Momsen, North Dakota State University-Main Campus; Tammy Long, Michigan State University; Elena Bray Speth, Saint Louis University-Main Campus
In this activity, students brainstorm ideas about what models are (and are not) and what elements are common to most models of biological systems. Further, students derive the criteria that the learning community ...

Peat Bogs of Allegan County: A Field-Based Research Project Involving College and High School Students
By Suzanne DeVries-Zimmerman, Hope College Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences Project Goals The Hope College REACH (Research Experience Across Cultures) program is a 6-week summer research program ...