BIG news from BioQUEST! We are honored to announce that we've received a $493,000 award from the U.S. National Science Foundation Research Coordination Networks for Undergraduate Biological Education (RCN-UBE) Program. This funding will allow us to enhance access to resources and tools that improve scientific literacy, aiming to help dismantle barriers for underrepresented students.

With accessibility at the forefront of all efforts, our coordinated resources and activities will employ a shared framework to address a variety of technical, social and professional challenges faced by faculty as they integrate computational and data-rich instructional practices in their biology courses.

Read more about the program and the changes we are implementing here.

BioQUEST News

• QUBES Corner
• Featured Content: BioQUEST at NABT conference

Partner Corner: News & Opportunities

• New RIOS Learning Community
• Allen Institute Study Recruiting Intro-Level Biology Faculty
• NEON Monthly Seminar: Environmental and Biological Controls of Water Use Diversity Across U.S. Ecosystems
• 2024 HEED Award Recipients 
• Biology Student Science Policy Fellowships, Internships, & Training Opportunities
• BEDE Network Office Hours
• ESA Excellence in Ecology Scholarships
• ImmunoReach Manuscript Request

Upcoming Events

If you would like to share an event with us, reach out to Tessa Gatz.

BioQUEST News

QUBES Corner

Fourteen (14) educational resources were published to the QUBES Library in June with 3,087 resources in total. Browse the new resources here.

Featured Resources

• Instructor Guide: Integrating Project Leadership, Artificial Intelligence, Simulation and Google Tools to Understand Regulation of Gene Expression with the Lac Operon and Lactase Gene  Scientific leadership and current artificial intelligence (AI) skills are important skills to be included in the course curriculum. Together or individually, these skills can enhance knowledge, critical thinking, and creativity. In this guide, we provide an overview of how leadership skills and AI can be integrated into class activities to help students understand examples of regulating gene expression.

• Mentoring with Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) empowers mentees to succeed This article examines the important role of mentoring in retaining new teachers, especially teachers of color, through the lens of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ). It discusses recent teaching retention statistics and outlines the three phases of the Teacher Mentoring Process: pre-implementation, implementation, and post-implementation. By emphasizing trust, open communication, and integrating DEIJ principles, the article advocates for a more equitable educational environment that supports the growth of all educators.

• Salmon, Society, and Success: A case study on the intersections of colonialism, ecological degradation, and the power of social action. Using a case study approach, this lesson examines colonialism as an ongoing force affecting nature, culture, and society by focusing on decades of tribally led efforts resulting in recent federal approval of four Klamath River dams. Chinook Salmon are not only endangered keystone species among the Pacific Northwest, but they also play invaluable roles to the communities that rely on them. Using the Four-Dimensional Ecology Education Framework (4DEE) combined with aspects of environmental sociology, this module encourages students to critically examine the causes and consequences of salmon population decline. Further, students will evaluate the decision-making involved in the largest dam removal by critiquing different stakeholder perspectives through a role-playing activity. With the conclusion of this module, students will recognize the opportunity imposed by climate change as a vehicle for social action and the integration of various forms of knowledge as a driver in making more equitable ecological decisions for our futures.

Other News:

Join BioQUEST at the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) Professional Development Conference!
BioQUEST staff, partners and board members are attending NABT. We’d love to connect with you! Scroll below to read our scheduled opportunities:

Posters

• The BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium: A Community of Educators Supporting Evolution and Revolution in STEM Education (Attending: BioQUEST staff members Sarah Prescott, Deb Rook and Sam Donovan)
• Improving Access to Computational and Data-Centric Teaching and Learning Resources for Biology Education: The Open Education Ecosystem Research Coordination Network (Attending: BioQUEST staff members Sarah Prescott, Deb Rook and Sam Donovan)

Workshop

• Shaping the Future: Using Interdisciplinary Collaboration to Advance Quantitative Biology Education at Community Colleges (Presenting: Partners of BioQUEST, Quantitative Biology at Community Colleges network)

Sessions

• HHMI Presents: Addressing Misconceptions about Patterns of Human Phenotypic and Genetic Diversity Using HHMI BioInteractive Resources (Presenting: BioQUEST Board Member Paul Beardsley)
• Searching for “Catalysts” for the IGELS Project (Presenting: BioQUEST Partner IGELS, Gordon Uno)
• AI and Paper Summaries: A Brief Lesson (Presenting: BioQUEST Board Vice President: Stacey Kiser)
• Introduction to Trauma-Informed Pedagogy (Presenting: BioQUEST Board Member Melissa Haswell)
• Learning Unity and Diversity in Alabama: A Cultural and Religious Sensitivity Resource and Curriculum Materials for Teaching Evolution in General High School Biology Classrooms (Presenting: BioQUEST Board Member Paul Beardsley)
• MicroBIOMES for All (Presenting: BioQUEST Board Member Davida Smyth)
• The LifeSkills Guide: A Tool for Faculty Teaching Undergraduate Life Science Courses (Presenting: BioQUEST staff member Sam Donovan and BioQUEST Board Member Davida Smyth)

Reach out to BioQUEST (info@bioquest.org) to be added to our NABT slack channel. Learn more about the conference here. 

DOWNLOAD this information as a clickable PDF here.

Partner News and Opportunities

RIOS Institute Learning Community

The Institute for a Racially Just, Inclusive, and Open STEM Education (RIOS Institute) is excited to invite you to a new community of learning focused on Implementing Alternative Grading! Alternative grading practices are growing in popularity as a way to promote equity in courses. In this learning community, participants will work through a scaffolded implementation plan to incorporate an alternative grading schema into their next course. Participants should have some familiarity with alternative grading and have identified a course they will teach next semester/quarter in which they would like to use alternative grading.

Meeting times: Wednesdays, 5-6pm EST/2-3pm PST
Dates: October 30-December 18
Register: Please complete this form (https://forms.gle/zC7XiLaA8YxQ5Wio9) to ensure that you have access to all of the session materials and resources.

Allen Institute Study Looking for Intro-Level Biology Faculty

The Allen Institute is looking for participants to join in a study on the impact of teaching mitosis and cell structures with open science. They are searching for up to 30 faculty at 2-year and 4-year colleges/universities who will teach intro-level biology courses. More details below:

• Seeking courses in fall ‘24 or winter/spring ‘25 
• They will provide teaching and student material for unit designed to fit into your existing course 
• You receive a $500 stipend and each eligible student who completes all curriculum/survey materials receives a $10 Amazon gift card 

Fill out our interest form: redcap.link/AllenInstituteIUSEFaculty2425. Questions? Email PI Kaitlyn Casimo at kaitlync@alleninstitute.org.

Congratulations to the Insight Into Diversity Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award Recipients 

Numerous opportunities exist for early career scientists to build skills and explore careers in science policy. American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) compiled a thorough list of opportunities for biologists studying in the United States. While most positions are for researchers who have already completed a graduate degree, some opportunities are available for current graduate and undergraduate students.Visit the website here.

Biology Student Science Policy Fellowships, Internships, & Training Opportunities

Numerous opportunities exist for early career scientists to build skills and explore careers in science policy. American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) compiled a thorough list of opportunities for biologists studying in the United States. While most positions are for researchers who have already completed a graduate degree, some opportunities are available for current graduate and undergraduate students.

National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) Monthly Seminar: Environmental and Biological Controls of Water Use Diversity Across U.S. Ecosystems 

Join Gabriel Bowen of the University of Utah on November 12, 2024 for a talk, "Environmental and Biological Controls of Water Use Diversity Across U.S. Ecosystems. The goal of the NEON monthly science seminar series is to build community among researchers at the intersection of ecology, environmental science, and NEON. All talks are 12-1 pm MT. Each NEON Science Seminar in the series provides 0.25 continuing education units from the Ecological Society of America's Board of Professional Certification. 

Register here.

The Biological and Environmental Data Education (BEDE) Network is holding Office Hours and Searching for Office Hour Discussion Volunteers

Happening on the third Wednesday of each month from 2-3 pm EST, BEDE Network is holding office hours during the Fall 2024 semester. One SLO (Student Learning Outcome) will be discussed from our curriculum map at each meeting. The SLOs are: analysis, Coding, Ethics, Management, Modeling, Reproducibility, Visualization. Are you able to volunteer to lead an office hour discussion? Reach out and let us know at bedenetwork@gmail.com. The office hour discussion should kick off with an example of how you teach and assess the SLO in your classes. Thanks for participating!
 
Join our group to access the Zoom link for office hours.

Ecological Society of America (ESA) Excellence in Ecology Scholarships: Application is Open

Applications are open through Oct 28 for our Excellence in Ecology Scholarships! These scholarships are awarded to early-to-mid career ESA members from groups that have faced barriers to full participation in the science & Society. Learn more & apply.

ImmunoReach asking for manuscripts related to the teaching of immunology and/or outreach activities related to immunology

Immunology is a difficult topic to teach to undergraduates due to its complexity. Our group has organized a new immunology education special topic called “Immunology Education: In the Classroom and Beyond” at Frontiers in Education and Frontiers in Immunology. We plan to organize a collection of articles related to the teaching of immunology and/or outreach activities related to immunology. 

Whether you teach immunology as a stand-alone course, or as a subtopic in an interdisciplinary, introductory or advanced course, we would love to have your distinct viewpoint in this discussion. Please consider submitting a manuscript.

The manuscript summaries can be submitted for feedback by October 31, 2024. The completed manuscripts will be due by April 1, 2025.