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    Mapping Specimen Occurrence Data in QGIS
    Use digitized natural history collection occurrence data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) to map the distribution of the beaver in the state of Oregon from 1800-2020 using QGIS

    Keywords: natural history collectionsspecies distributionscourse-based research experiences (CUREs)digitized natural history collectionsQGIS

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    Species Range Over Space and Time
    In this module, students use data from natural history collections to look at range shifts related to climate variables over different time periods.

    Keywords: data in the classroomdigital resourcesclimate changenatural history collection

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    Spatial Analysis with QGIS
    Map specimen data points using QGIS, connect them to form a polygon using the Concave Hull plugin, and calculate the range of a species to examine how it changes over time.

    Keywords: natural history collectionsspecies distributionscourse-based research experiences (CUREs)spatial analysisdigitized natural history collectionsQGIS

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    Diving into Deep Sea Data
    A module that combines NOAA's Okeanos Explorer and the iDigBio Portal to explore the deep sea!

    Keywords: Querying databasesremote sensingnatural history collectionsfishesscientific name5ESpeciesichthyologydeep sea

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    Module 3: What on Earth is a Herbarium?
    The goal of this activity is to introduce students to herbarium specimens and why they are an important source of information. The emphasis of this activity is on examining the types of data that...

    Keywords: natural history collectionsherbariumHerbarium digitizationYnez Mexia

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    An Introduction to Revealing Hidden Figures through Data Sleuthing
    In this introduction to hidden figures in natural history collections (NHCs), students will read an article that gives a unique historical perspective of museums and will then participate in a...

    Keywords: identitysocial justicenatural history collectionsAttributionBCEENETdigitizationRepresentationcourse-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs)hidden figuresdata democratizationrestorative practice

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    The Power of Data Standards
    Investigate data standards within the context of the Alpine Chipmunk and the Grinnell Study.

    Keywords: data in the classroomdata standardsdigitized natural history collectionsBLUE Fall 2019 FMNGrinnell

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    Will You Find This Humerus? Homology Lab
    Students will compare and contrast the morphology of vertebrate forelimbs, and will use this knowledge to draw conclusions about their common ancestor and descent with modification.

    Keywords: Evolutionbiologyidigbionatural history collections3D modelsVertebrate MorphologyoVerthomologous structuresWWISE

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    Responses to Climate Change in California Chipmunks: Move, Adapt, or Die
    A series of three modules using data from natural history museum collections to examine responses to climate change in multiple chipmunk species. Elevation and morphological data, beginner skills...

    Keywords: statisticsmodelingmodulemorphologysummary statisticsmodulesclimate datamuseumsclimate changeundergraduate educationR programming languageprogrammingelevationnatural history museumsmammalssmall mammals community dynamicsmuseum collectionsVertebrate Morphologyopen educational resourceR programming environment

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    Cleaning Biodiversity Data: A Botanical Example Using Excel or RStudio
    Access and clean an open source herbarium dataset using Excel or RStudio.

    Keywords: Exceldata in the classroomRStudiobiodiversity informaticsnatural history collectionsHerbariaData cleaning

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    Supersized Life: Comparing Across Scales
    How wide is the size range of living beings, from "big" to "too small to see"? Students will collect and compare measurements from 3D specimens within the metric system by multiplying or dividing...

    Keywords: paleontologyBiodiversitytechnology in biologynatural history collectionsmiddle grades (4-9)3D models3D printingWhole Numbers & Place ValueMIDDLE SCHOOL MATH#NGSSscientific measurementscale and proportions

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    Ancient Insects
    Create a gallery of fossil organisms and identify distinctive body parts (wings, suckers, modified appendages) from the collection. Analyze and interpret these features to predict what type of...

    Keywords: Evolutionpaleontologynatural history collections#NGSS

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    The Importance of an ORCID
    This lesson introduces students and instructors to the use of ORCIDs (Open Researcher and Contributor ID), and walks students through the process of registering for an ORCID. This module also helps...

    Keywords: ORCIDidentitysocial justicecourse-based research experiences (CUREs)AttributionBCEENETdigitizationRepresentationhidden figuresdata democratizationrestorative practice

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    Louse Genetics, Genomics, and Gene Function...Oh My!
    In this module, students will be investigating a louse gene with an unknown function to determine if it might be important in the evolution of the louse ecomorphs.

    Keywords: parasitesgenomicsgene sequence analysisFunctional Genomics

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    Data Visualization
    This is an introduction to the idea of data visualization and the importance of presenting data for understanding.

    Keywords: data in the classroomdata visualization

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    Case Study: Genetic Variation and Speciation in the Black Tailed Rattlesnake complex (Crotalus molossus)
    It is important for biology students to understand how genetic variation is related to the formation of species in nature. This module is intended for students to obtain first hand experience with...

    Keywords: phylogeneticscase studySpeciationtree readingsystematicsTree thinkingPhylogeographydistance learninggenetic variation

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    Introduction to Plant Phenology with Museum Specimens of Desert Prickly Pear (Opuntia phaeacantha)
    Students engage in hands-on exploration of phenology by working with digitized herbarium specimens, particularly focusing on prickly pear specimens from the UTEP herbarium. They learn to identify...

    Keywords: botanyclimate changephenologyherbariumcactus

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    NEON Data in the Classroom: Implementing and Adapting an Open Education NEON Resource “Quantifying the Drivers and Impacts of Natural Disturbance Events-The 2013 Colorado Floods” for the Southern California Classroom.
    Natural disasters and subsequent ecological disturbance events illustrate the complexity of problems in ecology and environmental science, and can be used as effective teaching tools. Unpacking the...

    Keywords: data in the classroomdata interpretationTemperature ChangeprecipitationPalmer Drought Severity IndexEcological Disturbancedisturbance ecology

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    The Influence of Exotic Plant Invasion on Pollinator Abundance
    This lesson introduces two global change factors, natural habitat loss and exotic plant invasion, and analyzes how these stressors impact the biodiversity and abundance of pollinator species....

    Keywords: statisticsinvasion biologyecologyRStudioBiodiversityInvasive SpeciesPearson correlation coefficientgeneral linear modelsinvasive plantspollinatorsPopulation abundance

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    Evolution in Darwin's Finches: Using Darwin's Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection postulates to evaluate evidence of evolution
    Students evaluate evidence for evolution of Darwin's finches using authentic research data sets collected by Peter and Rosemary Grant.
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