This Gulf of Maine educational website takes students aboard the submersible Alvin. Classroom activities explore nautical and mythical names, such as the Titanic, instruct students how to make a model of the ocean floor in a shoebox, and introduce topics such as deep sea vents and plate tectonics.

AlgaeBase is a database of information on algae that includes terrestrial, marine and freshwater organisms. At present, the data for the marine algae, particularly seaweeds, are the most complete. For convenience, we have included the sea-grasses even though they are flowering plants.

The material found at this site provides original, multidisciplinary, inquiry-based ideas to help enrich science teaching using the world famous Great Salt Lake as a springboard theme. During the lesson students will have the opportunity to view two types of algae (fresh water and Great Salt Lake species) under 400x magnification with a compound microscope. Students will make observations and record their observations on a recording sheet where they will describe what they see through drawing and words. The students will learn to identify different qualities such as cell structure, movement and other behavioristic qualities of the two different types of algae.

In this lab activity, students will observe the minute animals that live between sand grains. The activity includes a list of materials, procedures, and discussion question. It is supplemented with reference images and a list of species and their phyla, including Gastrotrichicha, Crustacea/Ostracoda, Crustacea/Copepoda/Harpacticoidea, Nematoda, Turbellaria, Nemertina, Archiannelida, Polychaeta, and Oligochaeta.

The Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) prepared this online handbook on foodborne pathogenic microorganisms (bacteria, viruses and parasites) and natural toxins. Chapters are arranged under the following headings: Pathogenic Bacteria, Enterovirulent Escherichia Coli Group, Parasitic Protozoa and Worms, Viruses, Natural Toxins, Other Pathogenic Agents, and Appendices. The intent of each chapter is to provide basic facts regarding these organisms and toxins including their characteristics, habitat or source, associated foods, infective dose, characteristic disease symptoms, complications, recent and/or major outbreaks, and any susceptible populations. The chapters also contain minimal information on the analytical methods used to detect, isolate, and/or identify the pathogens or natural toxins.

This on-line collection of exercises can be conducted to illustrate the formation and properties of microbial biofilms. Activities include: A Biofilm Primer, An Interesting Paradox, Build a Biofilm Reactor, Bring 'em Back Alive, Buccal Epithelial Cells & Bacterial Cells: Negative Staining, Buried Slide Technique, Dental Biofilms, Flow Through Gram Stain, Microbial Fishing, Pellicle Formation in a Hay Infusion, Rhizosphere Visualization, Microbial Leaching of Copper Ore, Build a Winogradsky Column, Growth of Dental Plaque in vitro, Biofilms from Soil Crumbs, Vinegar Production and Acetic Acid Titration, Isolation of Azospirillum, Observation of the Formation of Biofilms in a Flowing Environment, Measuring Biofilm Depth.

This undergraduate activity introduces students to bioinformatics. During the guided activity students will access the National Center for Biotechnology Information's (NCBI) genetic sequence database to obtain and study DNA sequence entries relating to the chicken ovalbumin mRNA and genomic sequences.

This educational journal article addresses the implementation of bioinformatics in the classroom. The author explains how bioinformatics could play a key role for science students pursuing higher education, foster inquiry learning of content that has often been taught in a dry manner, provide the thread that ties classes together, improve biology teaching, enhance the learning of biotech issues and ethics, expose students to real-world science, and significantly help to reform biology teaching and improve learning. The article includes links to bioinformatics resources, information about how to get involved in bioinformatics, and a glossary of terms.

This collection of lesson plans, created by the Bermuda Biological Station for Research, highlights color change in cephalopods. This page provides links to each lesson plan, which are in PDF format and feature an informative, image-rich introduction followed by a hands-on laboratory activity. The lesson plans highlight cephalopod color change, vision, light quality, and light quantity.

This Wright Center for Science Education lesson plan (PDF) uses pasta as an analog to teach students how deep sea sediments are collected and analyzed to identify different foraminifera species in order to interpret global paleo temperature change. It includes National Science Education Standards as well as background information and images, a list of materials needed, a step-by-step photo-guided walk-through of the activity, evaluation questions, and reference list.

This hands-on activity gives students the opportunity to use skills and concepts developed in a unit on cells with an unknown organism. They are asked to design and complete a controlled experiment which attempts to answer a simple question about the slime mold Physarum. The activity includes background information, preparation time, abstract, materials, procedure, evaluation, and additional thoughts. The activity is part of The Access Excellence Fellows Collection, an archive of the favorite classroom activities submitted by high school biology and life sciences teachers participating in the Access Excellence program.

This Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education activity (PDF) encourages students to practice experimental design and scientific writing through the study of bioluminescence. Students observe and experiment with bioluminescent dinoflagellates (Pyrocystis fusiformis), learning how and why they produce light. The activity includes information for teacher preparation, an introduction to bioluminescence, defined vocabulary terms, a list of necessary materials, procedure, assessment questions, and references.

This information database provides an easy way of accessing the sequences and all-inclusive annotation data on the structures of the cyanobacterial genomes. Cyanobacteria carry a complete set of genes for oxygenic photosynthesis, and are believed to be the ancient ancestors of chloroplast. Maintained by the Kazusa DNA Research Institute, Cyanobase contains information and sequences for Synechocystis, Anabaena, Thermosynechococcus elongatus, Gloeobacter violaceus, Prochlorococcus marinus, Synechococcus, Chlorobium tepidum, and Rhodopseudomonas palustris. It also includes links to CyanoMutants, a database depository of published and unpublished functional and genetic data on Synechocystis 6803 mutants with known mutations, and CyanoGenes.

This University of Delaware interactive web page combines text, images, video, and audio clips to describe the Pompeii worm (Alvinella pompejana), the most heat tolerant animal on Earth. Features of this site include: a 3-D visual which allows users to manipulate and view the organism from all angles, a video that shows the worm feeding on bacteria in its habitat, and audio clips that enhance images of the worm and its hydrothermal vent community.

This hands-on exercise introduces students, grades K-8, to the idea of soil as a habitat for many different organisms, links between the biological adaptation of an organism and the physical demands of its habitat, and identification of soil and aquatic organisms. The activity includes objectives, standards addressed, materials needed, teaching tips, procedure, questions with potential answers, summary of learned material, and additional resources. The exercise was a product of the Soil and Environmental Camp June 2003. PDF document.

From the Digital Learning Center for Microbial Ecology, this web site features "Dirtland", an interactive microbe zoo. The site explores the endless varieties of microorganisms and the environments they inhabit. These habitats include composts, at home, agriculture, hot springs, snow and ice, mines, root cellars, toxic waste, animals, soil, food, space, and water. Each habitat link provides a description of the environment as well as images and descriptions of particular species of microorganisms that thrive there. The site also contains a "What is a microbe?" link with an interactive image comparing the size of a microbe to a mouse and a tree of life with an outline of the major groups of organisms.

The objective of this activity is to plot seven positions of an Autonomous Underwater vehicle (AUV) in the mapping area below, and track the AUV’s motion.

Dive and Discover brings you right aboard the expedition to the Juan de Fuca Ridge in the Pacific Ocean, where scientists are exploring hydrothermal vent fields and microbes inhabiting hydrothermal vents. The site gives you access to the latest oceanographic and deep submergence research from a variety of scientists including geologists, geophysicists, chemists, and biologists who are exploring the seafloor and making amazing deep-sea discoveries. The mission and objectives, daily updates, photos, videos, and e-mail correspondence with scientists aboard research vessels allow you to follow the progress of the scientific mission and find out about life on the floating laboratories at sea. Deeper discovery links allow the user to further explore the related topics of mid-ocean ridges, hydrothermal vents, and vent biology. This web page also provides links to other Dive and Discover expeditions, other deeper discovery topics, a teacher's page, and further Dive and Discover information.

Explore vent basics, vents around the world, vent chemistry, boiling points, videos, and test what you've learned with a quiz!