Race and racism are considered standard subject matter in introductory college courses in the social sciences, but remain relatively absent in biological science courses (Donovan, 2015; Morning, 2011). Given a resurgence of biologically deterministic racial science (e.g., Risch et al., 2002; Shiao et al., 2012) and ongoing racial tensions in the United States, it is imperative that biology professors actively engage students in introductory and upper-level courses. This paper presents a tested approach used in an introductory natural science course (for undergraduate, non-science majors) at a mid-sized regional university. A biocultural focus is advocated for teaching about the fallacies (i.e., biological race concept) and realities of race (i.e., racism) (e.g., see Gravlee, 2009; Thompson, 2006). Further, an emphasis is placed on using a visual approach for relaying these complex and sensitive topics.

Teaching the topic of genetics in relationship to ancestry and race generates many questions, and requires a teaching strategy that encourages perspective-based exploration and discussion. We have developed a set of dialogues for discussing the complex science of genetics, ancestry, and race that is contextualized in real human interactions and that contends with the social and ethical implications of this science. This article provides some brief historical and scientific context for these dialogues, describes their development, and relates how we have used them in different ways to engage diverse groups of science learners. The dialogue series can be incorporated into classroom or informal science education settings. After listening to or performing the dialogues and participating in a discussion, students will: (1) recognize misunderstandings about the relationship between DNA and race; (2) describe how DNA testing services assign geographic ancestry; (3) explain how scientific findings have been used historically to promote institutionalized racism and the role personal biases can play in science; (4) identify situations in their own life that have affected their understanding of genetics and race; and (5) discuss the potential consequences of the racialization of medicine as well as other fallacies about the connection of science and race.

Race is a hot-button topic in American society, but one that needs to be addressed in the biological science curriculum. This paper examines how college students in a large introductory course came to understand race through the exploration of four key concepts about the nature of human biological and genetic variation. Using clicker data collected from four courses (n = 296), change in starting and ending understanding of content was compared using paired t-tests and mean difference scores. Results indicate statistically significant improvement in student understanding of common fallacies of the “biological race concept” after a single exposure to content.

Dragons are a staple of fantasy literature, and various aspects of the creatures (most notably their anatomy) have been explored scientifically across different forms of media. Their distinct anatomical characteristics and the variations therein among the recognized “species” of dragons make the taxa appropriate models for basic phylogenetic analysis in an undergraduate general biology or systematics class. The wyvern, an obviously more primitive, distant cousin of the “true” dragons, is also an appropriate outgroup for these estimations of shared evolutionary history. Separating metallic from chromatic dragons, the generated tree shows relationships among the species that are consistent with their separation in the Dungeons & Dragons games according to alignment, scale color, and religion, three characters that are not used in the analysis. Manual construction of a character matrix and cladogram of dragons followed by repetition of this process via conventional computer software allows the students to track their progress not only in terms of understanding such concepts as choice of character states and parsimony but also in terms of the applicability of said software.

Undergraduate introductory biology students at the university level often struggle to trace movement of matter and energy through catabolic and anabolic processes in biological systems. A sequential guided simulation of cellular respiration and photosynthesis provides students an opportunity to actively model and visualize matter transformation and energy accumulation and degradation through the movement of molecular and energy “game pieces.” The activity was designed to help students generate a simplified outline of these two highly complex processes, while reinforcing the principles of conservation of matter and energy. My students participated in this activity during peer-led review sessions in an undergraduate, introductory, majors biology course (ca.150 students in 18 SI sessions over two semesters), but instructors could also easily adapt it for use in small lecture or laboratory classrooms, introductory cell biology, physiology, and ecology courses, or with high school students.

The addition of field experimentation to the theory of behavioral biology and ecosystem science creates a significant critical thinking link for students at all levels. First-hand observations of the responses of salamanders in the field permit students to see how organisms behave in their natural habitat. This exercise introduces students to the study of animal behavior, specifically the antipredator responses of salamanders. The students form hypotheses regarding the behavior of salamanders in their natural environment and then record responses of individual salamanders, compile data, interpret data, and draw conclusions about the behavior of salamanders in response to natural stressors.

Global human population size and understanding how it has changed and will change in the future are important concepts for students. Here I describe exercises that use online databases provided by the U.S. Census Bureau to show students how both population size and the rate of change vary over time. In the first exercise, the U.S. population clock is used to calculate daily birth, death, and migrant and death rates, and how the world population clock is used to calculate the rate of change. These rates can be used to predict what the population size would be if the rates remained unchanged for a predetermined time interval. In the second exercise, historical data are used to determine the years with the most change in U.S. and world population size, then calculate how much larger the current population would be if those historical rates of change remained constant. These exercises have improved quantitative literacy while showing students current and historical trends in human population.

This article describes a problem-based, cooperative learning activity, where students investigate the role of ethylene in flower senescence. The cooperative learning activity is contextualized in an authentic problem experienced in the cut flower industry: how can the shelf life of cut flowers be prolonged? We describe the procedure for conducting the experiment and show the affectiveness of contextualized science that includes indigenous knowledge— an approach that Gibbons calls “mode 2 knowledge production.” In addition we also give suggestions on how this type of problem-based, cooperative teaching-learning activity can be used in a school biology classroom.

Insects provide an excellent model for examining concepts in endocrinology in the classroom. They are relatively inexpensive to rear, short-lived, and free from animal welfare regulations. Using the tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta) as a model, we have developed a simple laboratory experiment to demonstrate the role of hormones in development. In this experiment, students will use a readily available agonist to disrupt insect development, preventing metamorphosis. This exercise fits well into the AP lab curriculum and the NGSS LSB.1 objectives.

Teaching the techniques to collect and analyze data on wild populations presents many obstacles. Capturing, identifying, and collecting data from wildlife has many safety-related and logistical challenges. Pokémon GO, a relatively new, smartphone-based augmented reality game, provides a new landscape for simulating wildlife ecology research. The world of Pokémon GO is overlaid onto the physical world and is populated with a variety of species, each having biologically relevant characteristics. Each individual Pokémon also has unique morphometric data. These features of the game provide a platform for data collection and analysis that mimics real-world practices, while eliminating many logistical and safety-related constraints. Additionally, little to no training is involved to begin data collection, allowing more time to plan and execute simulated wildlife ecology projects and activities. The availability of this new virtual wildlife community provides a widely accessible, freely obtained resource for data collection that has directly relevant applications for wildlife ecology education.