This article presents a brief overview of the impact that antibiotic use in clinical medicine and in other settings, such as agriculture and animal farming, exerts on antimicrobial resistance. Resistance has been described to all antibiotics that are currently in use, and resistant strains were sometimes reported as soon as months after specific antibiotics became commercially available. There are many examples in which the increasing prevalence of resistant microbial strains jeopardized the continuing effective use of the respective antibiotics in clinical medicine. In addition to resistant infections that occur in health-care establishments, one of the recent challenges is the emergence of pathogens, such as MRSA, in the community, among individuals without any apparent risk factors for the infection. The transmission of resistant pathogens and antimicrobial resistance determinants across different components of the ecosystem transforms antibiotic resistance into a topic that extends beyond the scope of clinical medicine and needs to be visualized through an integrated global perspective that should incorporate a broad range of disciplines, including molecular genetics, microbiology, food science, ecology, agriculture, and environmental science. Understanding this complex multi- and interdisciplinary framework will enable the implementation of the most appropriate interventions toward determining the dynamics of antimicrobial resistance, limiting the emergence and spread of resistant strains, and ensuring the ongoing effective and safe use of antibiotics.

Teachers know that educational experiences extend far beyond the classroom. With a wide variety of science-related programs on television, there is a need for more research into how these programs can he utilized in a classroom setting. In this mixed-methods study, we asked the question: Can student understanding of human physiology he improved through the use of multimedia resources, specifically through the use of popular television? Episodes of Fox's popular medical drama “House, M.D.” were incorporated into high school biology curricula during instructional units on two body systems: the nervous system and the immune system. Through the use of integrated media and classroom discussions, students were exposed to the social aspect of learning as they worked together to analyze what they viewed on TV. This study was conducted over a traditional school year in a general biology class at a lower-socioeconomic urban high school.

In an effort to update the microbiology teaching-lab curriculum by making lab experiments more current, we designed a microbiology lab experiment that used the polymerase chain reaction to identify microbes growing in students' homes. This experiment successfully engaged students, reinforced theoretical information presented in lectures, provided our students with valuable and current molecular technique exposure, and made molecular microbiology personally meaningful and exciting.

In this two-part activity, students examine living cervical cancer cells and chromosomes from a women named Henrietta Lacks who died over 60 years ago, hut whose cancer cells continued to divide and grow even after her death. Students then debate the legal and bioethical issues surrounding the use of her cells. This laboratory activity reinforces important introductory biology concepts such as mitosis and cancer. Once the students have experimented with Henrietta Lacks's cells, they feel connected to her story and passionate about exploring the science, legal, and racial issues surrounding the use of her cells.

This work details a science experiment on garlic's antibiotic properties designed to acquaint high school and introductory-level undergraduate students with concepts such as natural antibiotics, bioactive substances, and biosafety. This activity is optimized to be implemented by teachers with limited experience in laboratory activities and/or in poorly equipped schools. A list of materials is provided, along with safety and procedural instructions, discussion topics, and assessment suggestions.

Teaching the scientific method can he a challenge for any teacher, and finding a way to engage students can become more difficult as culture changes. Sex has always been an interesting and popular topic for students, so 1 used mini-lessons in safer sex, STIs, and condoms as tools to teach the scientific method. Student engagement and effort were higher than usual.

Case studies generate active discussion and decision-making skills. This 50-minute case-study lesson teaches high school and undergraduate students about a fundamental and private aspect of their lives, birth control methods. Students direct their own learning by researching, teaching one another about, and making recommendations about the methods. Students are more likely to apply what they have learned to their own lives after being involved in and practicing decision-making skills during the cases. Because students openly discuss their ideas in relation to the cases, instructors can correct misconceptions about birth control without embarrassing students.