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    Interpreting the Pseudocot Phylogeny
    Students use physical characteristics, genetics, and a fossil record of hypothetical flowering plants to develop fundamental phylogenetic tree-building skills.
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    Forensic Phylogenetics: Implementing Tree-thinking in a Court of Law
    Here we describe an in-class activity developed for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity (BioEE1780) at Cornell University, an introductory course required of all biology majors. This activity...

    Keywords: phylogeneticsTree thinkingparaphyly

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    The Tactile Clade Race
    This adaptation of the Vertebrate Clade Race provides a tactile approach to introduce basic tree reading skills for evolutionary phylogenies. Using a Universal Design for Learning informed...

    Keywords: phylogeneticsevolutionary biologytree readingvertebratesaccessibility for students with disabilities or impairmentsvisual impairment

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    Applying phylogenetic tree building in MEGA X to forensic applications for identifying unknown specimens
    This exercise is designed to guide a learner through the construction of phylogenetic trees as a means of addressing research questions in forensic science such as the identification of previously...

    Keywords: taxonomyBioinformatics and GenomicsDNA Barcodinginvertebrate phylogeneticsforensic entomology

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    Introduction to Phylogenetic Trees for Comparative Genomic Analysis
    In this activity, students are introduced to phylogenetic trees and networks as tools for analyzing evolutionary relationships.
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    CURE-all: Large Scale Implementation of Authentic DNA Barcoding Research into First-Year Biology Curriculum
    Growing calls in science education reform have emphasized wide-scale engagement of first-year undergraduate students in authentic research experiences; however, large course enrollments, inadequate...

    Keywords: phylogeneticsbioinformaticsBiodiversityprocess of sciencetaxonomyPCRDNADNA sequencegel electrophoresis

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    A class activity on classification
    Within the sciences, we are often talking of phylogenetic classification; hominin and non-human primate phylogenetic trees are often introduced in a course in biological anthropology. Students are...

    Keywords: hands-onphylogeny and classification

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    Science of Sorting
    Children possess an innate curiosity about the natural world. This Discovery Trunk explores the topic of sorting, or classification, in the study of life science.

    Keywords: species interactionsphylogenyscience educationPropertytaxonomyindividual traitsLife ScienceSortOrganizationReproductionclassifycharacteriesticlivingnonlivingobjectsadvantagedichotomous keyliving systemsoffspringphysical traitbehavioral traitcladecladogramtaxonomistnatural worldkingdomsbinomial nominclatureone class periodgradesK-8K-8

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    "Got Algae?" A Sorting Game for Introducing the Weird and Wonderful Diversity of Algae
    Algae are a fascinating and diverse organismal group, with global ecological importance, a storied evolutionary history and deep connections to both contemporary and historical human societies. Yet...

    Keywords: phylogenyBiodiversityphotosynthesisalgaeseaweedmonophyly

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    Sequence Similarity: An inquiry based and "under the hood" approach for incorporating molecular sequence alignment in introductory undergraduate biology courses
    Introductory bioinformatics exercises often walk students through the use of computational tools, but often provide little understanding of what a computational tool does "under the...

    Keywords: BLASTmultiple sequence alignmentsequence similarityphylogramZika virusAlgorithmScoring Matrix

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    Graphical Organizers as Course Road Maps: Using a geologic timescale in a history of life course
    Both major and non-major biology students lack understanding of important evolutionary events, how they are spaced in time, and how they relate back to the earth system. Graphical organizers like...

    Keywords: Evolutionecologyextinctionadaptive radiationdiversification

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    Cutthroat trout in Colorado: A case study connecting evolution and conservation
    Evaluation of evidence is a key process skill for the core competencies of applying the process of science and using quantitative reasoning. This case study enables upper-division biology students...

    Keywords: population geneticsphylogeneticsSpeciationdivergencegene flow

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    A Remote Introductory Biology Lab Using Backyard Birdwatching to Teach Data Analysis and Communication
    Asking questions, designing experiments, collecting data and interpreting those data, and communicating the results are some of the most important concepts an undergraduate biology lab can teach...

    Keywords: ecologydata analysisdata collection

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    Using QIIME to Interpret Environmental Microbial Communities in an Upper Level Metagenomics Course
    Metagenomics is rapidly evolving due to advances in sequencing technologies and bioinformatics, but without proper training to interpret these datasets, student understanding remains limited. Aimed...

    Keywords: microbiome

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    Quantifying and Visualizing Campus Tree Phenology
    Large enrollment courses present a challenge for instructors who want to engage students in authentic science practices that fit the recommendations of Vision & Change. Our lesson provides a...

    Keywords: ecologyBiodiversityphenologyplant biology

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    Analysis of Microbiomes Using Free Web-Based Tools in Online and In-Person Undergraduate Science Courses
    Our understanding of microbiomes, or the collection of microorganisms and their genes in a given environment, has been revolutionized by technological and computational advances. However, many...

    Keywords: microbiomeDNA SubwayCyVerseCourse based undergraduate researchQIIME2ranacapa

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    Using Open-Source Bioinformatics and Visualization Tools to Explore the Structure and Function of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein
    The relationship between protein structure and function is a foundational concept in undergraduate biochemistry. We find this theme is best presented with assignments that encourage exploration and...

    Keywords: bioinformaticsmolecular modelingCOVID19protein structure and functionUCSF ChimeraSARS-CoV-2 spike proteinACE2 receptor

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    A Lesson on Matter and Energy at the Organismal Scale: Linking Patterns and Processes Across Diverse Taxa
    Pathways and transformations of energy and matter (PTEM) are a conceptually challenging but essential component of biological literacy. Curricular gaps about PTEM nevertheless remain; although...

    Keywords: plantsenergyAnimalsfungimatterorganismal scale

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    Teaching Biodiversity with Museum Specimens in an Inquiry-Based Lab
    In response to the growth of biology datasets and broad efforts to digitize data, an increasingly important skill for science students is the management and analysis of large datasets. We designed...

    Keywords: data analysisnatural historyphylogenyBiodiversitymammalsAllen's RuleBergmann's Ruleecogeographymuseum research

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    Go Extinct! An Award-Winning Evolution Game That Teaches Tree-Thinking as Students Pursue the Winning Strategy
    Evolutionary trees communicate both the diversity and unity of life, a central and important scientific concept, as highlighted by the Vision and Change undergraduate biology education movement....

    Keywords: phylogeneticsnatural historyBiodiversitycladogramCommon ancestorEvolutionary treeLand vertebratesMonophyletic cladeTetrapods

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