This site offers an ask a scientist service, a question of the week, and resources developed and identified by teachers.

Water quality monitoring activities can support student inquiry into ecological concepts and pollution issues, as well as offer insight into integrating field and lab work. This exercise provides students with practice in identification (to order or family level) of stream macroinvertebrates that they've previously collected. Provided information indicates water pollution tolerance of the various taxa. Students use the data to calculate several different biotic indices for the macroinvertebrates; these are compared to express overall stream water quality. Ideas for possible extensions of this activity are presented.

As part of their general education studies, all students at the University of Kentucky must take two natural science courses. Many non-science majors choose the biology sequence of courses. Unfortunately these courses are lecture-only courses, and so some students can graduate without ever having had a science laboratory course. In an effort to provide students with some laboratory experience, I have developed / adapted a number of laboratory activities, which I have successfully incorporated into a non-majors biology course (Human Ecology). These activities are carried out in a lecture hall with 300 students in 50-minute time periods. In this chapter, two of these laboratory activities are presented. 1) Soil Testing - students test soil samples for nitrogen, potassium, phosphate and pH; compare the relative fertility of different soil samples; and carry out an inventory of animal and microbial life in soil samples. 2) Water Pollution Testing - students examine the effects of household chemicals on water quality (from Using Fast Plants and Bottle Biology in the Classroom, published by National Association of Biology Teachers, 1994, ISBN #0-941212-17-3).

Coral reefs are dying a death of a thousand cuts and their disappearance threatens not only the incredibly diverse ecosystem that depends on them, but also human health and welfare. In this episode of MicrobeWorld Video marine scientists Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, Ph.D., chair of marine studies at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, and Kiho Kim, Ph.D., director of the environmental studies program at American University, explain the important relationship between microbes and corals, and how this delicate symbiosis that sustains life on and around reefs is facing numerous threats from human interactions to global climate change. In addition, Tundi Agardy, Ph.D., founder and executive director of Sound Seas, discusses the need for public policy and community-based conservation efforts that may help stave off the degradation of these vital ocean ecosystems. According to a 2004 report issued by the World Wildlife Fund, 24% of the world's reefs are under imminent risk of collapse through human pressures; and a further 26% are under a longer term threat of collapse. If nothing is done to protect these resources, many scientists estimate that reefs around the West Indies in the Caribbean will be gone by 2020, while the Great Barrier Reef may only last for another three decades. Please visit the following sites for more information about coral reefs:www.climateshifts.org, www.reefrelief.org, www.coralreef.noaa.gov

Carex communis habit. For context, see: Carex communis species page and Carex Interactive Identification Key.

Carex davisii habitat, habit, and perigynium dissection to expose achene. For context, see: Carex davisii species page and Carex Interactive Identification Key.

Carex intumescens habit and perigynium dissection. For context, see: Carex intumescens species page and Carex Interactive Identification Key.

Carex lupulina habit and dissection. For context, see: Carex lupulina species page and Carex Interactive Identification Key.

Carex oligosperma habit and perigynium dissection. For context, see: Carex oligosperma species page and Carex Interactive Identification Key.

Carex pachystachya habit and perigynium dissection. For context, see: Carex Interactive Identification Key.

Carex squarrosa habit and perigynium dissection. For context, see: Carex squarrosa species page and Carex Interactive Identification Key.

Habit and habitat of Chaptalia tomentosa. Characters demonstrated include the taxon's glabrous adaxial leaf surfaces, tomentose abaxial leaf surfaces, peduncles, and the involucral bracts surrounding the head as seen at the end of the video. At anthesis its heads are ascending on sunny days but nodding downward when in bud and in fruit. Flowering period for this plant is usually from December through May. This plant grows in sandy soils of the coastal plain, pineland savannas of the southeastern U.S., where it is native.

The Chinese Chestnut is commonly mistaken for the American Chestnut. Here are some pointers on the differences between the two. The American Chestnut Society is attempting to re-establish the latter in the North American forest, and biotype diversity requires many American Chestnut crosses with resistant forms.

Plant genome research is already revolutionizing the field of biology. Currently, scientists are unlocking the secrets of some of the most important plants in our lives, including corn, cotton and potatoes. Secrets of Plant Genomes: Revealed! takes viewers on a lively, upbeat journey that explores how these plants got to be the way they are and investigates how we can make better use of them in the future. Plant scientists are hard at work--in the lab, in the field and at the computer--to increase our understanding of nature. Secrets of Plant Genomes: Revealed! makes the study of plants exciting and relevant by showing how learning more about plants can improve our everyday lives.

Courtesy: National Science Foundation. For more details see: http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/mmg_disp.cfm?med_id=61504&from=mmg

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In problem-based learning (PBL), complex, real-world problems motivate students to discover interconnections between important concepts and in doing so acquire essential skills. These skills include teamwork, problem solving, information retrieval and analysis, and communication. The activity presented here suggests a way to add a "hands on" component to PBL by integrating a problem with a guided inquiry exercise. Problem resolution depends on observations made in the laboratory, using probes and computer data acquisition systems. Content topics that students will explore in the course of the exercise include C3 and C4 photosynthesis, global carbon cycles, and global warming.

This workshop details the physical description and use of a small ROV submarine, built in 2004 to explore and video bottom features at Mountain Lake, Giles County, Virginia. This project represents an ongoing co-operative effort between the Wilderness Conservancy at Mountain Lake, Roanoke College and Virginia Polytechnic Institute as academic partners. Mountain Lake is the only natural lake in the southern Appalachian Highlands. It is a low nutrient, high altitude, sub-alpine lake and associated ecosystem. In many ways the lake may be considered to be an environmental "early warning" system for much of the Southern Appalachians. It is of particular interest because of its unusual geologic structure (a fault and crevice in the deepest portion of the lake). It is also a cyclic lake on the scale of decade to century, and has recently gone through the low portion of its cycle. The ROV is constructed of PVC, with direct umbilical to the surface. It is controlled by use of 6 (12-volt) electrical mini bilge pumps, and is outfitted with an infrared/visible light underwater video camera, as well as dive lights. The ROV has been used to determine bottom textures across the lake, particularly in the deepest portion of the lake, at more than 95 feet of depth. The ROV is also designed for educational use of visiting groups by the Wilderness Conservancy at Mountain Lake.

Scientists have developed nanoscale biosensors that can help detect diseases on farms and in hospitals. Disease Detectors is a segment from Partners Video Magazine's latest episode, The Science of Small. To view the entire episode visit: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/newsroom/partners/partners.html

Fifty years after Sputnik, satellites peering down on Earth have become valuable scientific tools to study the global environment and offer much needed insight into the future of our planet.

One of the most important factors in the success of undergraduate biology laboratories rests with the instructors, often undergraduate or graduate students, who teach them. This ABLE 2000 workshop, which continued a session presented at ABLE 1999, focused on the theme "teaching effectively in the laboratory." Topics included preparation, organization, supervision of group work, and involvement of students in discussion. In addition to presentations by the workshop organizers, participants engaged in lively discussion of their own experiences and methods.