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    Keep It Shrimple: An Adaptable Student-Driven Research Project for the Introductory Biology Laboratory
    A challenge in introductory biology laboratory courses is to provide students with authentic, engaging research opportunities that allow them to take ownership of their experiments. We present a...

    Keywords: hypothesis testingexperimental designanimal behaviorbrine shrimp

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    Causes and consequences of resisting herbivory: How long-lived plants avoid damage from diverse short-lived insect herbivores
    This module guides students through decades-long studies of tropical plant-insect interactions to elucidate the ecology and evolution of plant defenses while encouraging students to consider the...
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    Module 1: Discovering Your Family's “Botanical History.”
    We all know that understanding family history is important to understanding our place in the world. To help students learn to appreciate plants, this activity will connect family memories to...

    Keywords: botanyherbariumPlant awareness disparityfamily history

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    Marsh Madness: Using Video Games and a Case Study to Explore Food Webs and Ecosystem Services in Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve
    As the complexity and interconnectedness of our world increases, we are continually expected to be capable of complex, non-linear thinking in order to successfully tackle and solve the challenges...

    Keywords: food webssystems thinkingGame Based LearningEcosystem Servicessocio-ecological networks

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    Between a rock and a hard place. What can turning rocks tell us about land-use change impacts on animals living in a rock outcrop?
    Unique rock outcrops in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot in India provide a setting that challenges students to develop a study to assess the impact of land-use change on threatened animals...

    Keywords: conservationagricultureland useamphibianstropicalbiodiversity losslateritic outcropopen natural ecosystemsreptilesrocks

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    Agents of change: Determining effects of pollution on marine environments through data interpretation
    In this lesson, students discuss the effects of disturbance in marine environments with a focus on pollution. They also evaluate the anthropogenic causes and consequences of pollution on a variety...

    Keywords: fishgraph interpretationfmnmarine ecosystemsmarine ecologymicroplastic pollutionEcological Disturbanceintermediate disturbance hypothesisstudent STEM identitypollutionBioGraphIrepresentation in STEMoil spill

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    Bacteria to Brains in Backyard Coyotes: An Interdisciplinary Pedagogical Case Study
    Our interdisciplinary pedagogical case study explores the differences between rural and urban coyotes at the levels of organismal and community ecology. The focus is on how coyotes’ gut...

    Keywords: dietanimal behaviorimmune systemmicrobiomeNervous systemgut-brain axisImmunoReachdysbiosisCoyoteCytokines

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    Ethics in ecological forecasting: four case-based teaching modules
    Working with ecological data often involves ethical considerations, particularly when data are applied to address societal needs. However, data science ethics are rarely included as part of...

    Keywords: data scienceremote sensingethicsuncertaintyecological forecastingindigenous knowledgetropical forestscultural competenceconflicts of interestmarine fisheriesflying foxesfreshwater qualityinequities

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    The Power of Place: A Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience Studying Urban Ecology, Local Apple Trees and Disease Susceptibility
    Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) offered early in an undergraduate student’s career have the potential to include a greater number and diversity of students than...

    Keywords: Disease ecologyurban ecologyUrban food forestsUrban heat islandsGenetic resistance

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    What Shapes a River: Field Lesson
    This lesson introduces students to field methods and theoretical concepts regarding the factors that shape river environments and ecosystems. Introductory material is followed by instruction in...

    Keywords: substrateRiver Field Studies Network Fluvial GeomorphologyWolman Pebble CountBankful FlowSediment Transport.

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    SCIENCE/Fiction: Modular Template for Class Design
    We present a modular scaffold for designing an introductory seminar using speculative fiction and science papers to welcome university undergraduates to the biology major. A list of twelve possible...

    Keywords: geneticscell biologyneurosciencesystems biologyScience Fiction

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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 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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    Snail Races: An Inquiry-Based Approach to Learn Invasive Species Ecology
    Inquiry-based lessons allow learning that is hands-on and student-driven, fostering engagement and retention of knowledge in any discipline. Here, we use this learning framework to engage students...

    Keywords: ecologyenvironmentInvasive SpeciesScience CommunicationScientific InquiryDispersal

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    A CURE in traits and species distributions: Reproductive modes, range sizes, and natural history collections
    This course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) focuses on developing hypotheses about how traits influence the range sizes of species. Topics with substantive content include symbioses,...

    Keywords: Evolutionbiostatisticsecologynatural history collectionsSymbiosisspecies distributionsherbariumplant functional traitsLichenReproductive biologyAppalachian mountains

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    Exploring the City of Biofilms: An Engaging Analogy-Based Activity for Students to Learn Biofilms
    Multicellular biofilms constructed by microbes are key aspects of microbiology with significant implications in various fields, including medicine, environmental science, and biotechnology. While...

    Keywords: bacteriaBiofilmsquorum sensing

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    An Interactive Protocol for In-Classroom DNA Extraction
    Using commonly available materials, this tool allows students to extract DNA, exploring DNA chemistry and the principles of experimental design and execution. We take a “Choose Your Own...

    Keywords: geneticsDNAbiochemical structure and function

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    My Fish Tank: An Active Learning Activity for Bacterial Nitrogen Metabolism
    This active learning activity introduces students to the second part of the nitrogen cycle, nitrification. In terrestrial and aquatic environments, bacteria from the Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter...

    Keywords: nitrogen cyclenitrificationnitrifying bacteria

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    Helping Students to Metacognitively Read Scientific Literature With Talking to the Text
    Reading primary scientific literature enhances students’ understanding of material, increases their self-efficacy, and critical thinking skills. However, scientific articles often present...

    Keywords: scientific literaturereading comprehensionmetacognitionScience process skillsTalking to the TextDense Scientific Texts

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    A rainforest with a gold chain? The impacts of gold mining on the trophic web of an Amazonian rainforest of SE Peru
    The use of mercury in artisanal gold mining affects aquatic and terrestrial food webs in the Peruvian Amazon. Learn about bioaccumulation, explore data on mercury deposition in vegetation and how...

    Keywords: conservation biologydeforestationhuman healthpollutionbiodiversity losstropical land use

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