Online Research in Biology

What traits can be used to understand evolutionary relationships among organisms? In the investigation Sound Trees, students examine morphological behavioral traits of owls in order to make hypotheses about how they are related. By learning to access the Macaulay Library and interpret graphic representations of sound, they also prepare to do their own independent inquiries. View

What defines a species? And what are the conservation implications of the species definitions we choose? In the investigation Species Concepts in Birds, students examine sound and video recordings of pairs of species to look for evidence of possible hybridization or behavioral reproductive isolation. View

Are the distributions of breeding birds in New York state increasing, or decreasing? To what extent do these changes appear to result from human-caused changes in the habitat? Using data from two Breeding Bird Atlas projects conducted 20 years apart, students investigate Birds in Human Landscapes. This activity uses Google Earth and the New York State Breeding Bird Atlas database. Useful resources are also provided to create your own national or international adaptation of this lesson. View

Why are some bird species so elaborately plumaged? Why do the sexes look alike in some bird species but not others? In the investigation Ornamentation in Birds, students use the Birds of North America Online and the Macaulay Library to learn about the evolutionary forces driving sexual dimorphism. View

news: Survey about Animal Behavior Teaching Resources

Submitted by colleen on 10-09-2012 7:38pm EDT

The Animal Behavior Society Education Committee is working on early plans for a digital archive of teaching resources (both K-12 and college). To help in their planning, they would like to hear about ideas or resources that already exist. If you have a teaching resource that relates to animal behavior (either developed or at an idea stage), please fill out this survey. Answers will be used to help plan for future development needs and portal organization. (Note: the survey is just a BRIEF description of your teaching resource - lab activity, case study, classroom activity - not yet soliciting its contribution for a portal.) Thank you! more ...

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news: Apply to present at the inaugural Life Discovery - Doing Science conference

Submitted by colleen on 07-18-2012 9:06am EDT

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On March 15-16, 2013, the Ecological Society of America and partner societies will be hosting a new Life Discovery - Doing Science conference in St. Paul, Minnesota. This conference is intended for K-16 biology educators and researchers who want to explore the interface between research and real data and innovative teaching techniques. If you are interested in presenting at this meeting, several presentation deadlines are fast approaching. Hands-on Workshop proposals are due July 31, Short Presentations are due August 31, and Education Share Fair proposals are due September 30. The conference will tie into a newly expanded and renamed LifeDiscoveryEd Digital Library (currently the EcoEd Digital Library), which will now encompass K-16 teaching resources, and allow disciplinary societies to host collections focusing on evolution, botany, and animal behavior, among other things. more ...

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news: Article on Teaching with the Macaulay Library

Submitted by colleen on 05-04-2012 9:51am EDT

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In the May issue of the Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education, there is a Tips and Tools article on teaching with the Macaulay Library and Raven software. Our undergraduate intern, Ileana Betancourt was the first author. The American Society for Microbiology just decided to make the journal completely open access, so we encourage you to check it out as a resource if you teach introductory or general biology, microbiology, and related subjects! While designed primarily for undergraduate educators, the journal publishes articles that feature good pedagogy at all levels. By registering with the JMBE site, you can receive electronic Table of Contents alerts when new issues are published twice a year.

Also in this issue, you'll find the abstracts from this year's ASM Conference for Undergraduate Educators. This is a high-quality summer conference with a variety of more ...

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news: Early-bird conference registration deadlines approaching (UPDATED)

Submitted by colleen on 04-26-2012 10:51am EDT

If you're trying to pinch pennies to travel to a science or education meeting this summer, consider this a helpful reminder that several advance registration deadlines are looming! Here's a short list in order of deadlines:

Evolution 2012 in Ottawa is shaping up to be quite interesting with a wide range of symposia, workshops, and mini-conferences. At the start, our collaborators Sam Donovan and Kristin Jenkins are organizing an Education Symposium on "Teaching with Data", and at the end, there will be a concurrent iEvoBio conference on informatics, including a "Software Bazaar." Early-bird registration is due April 30.
Regular registration for the Ecological Society of America meeting runs until July 16. Between now and July 9, you can still submit a late-breaking poster abstract to the Public Participation in Scientific Research conference that will proceed the ESA meeting.
Early-bird registration for the North American Congress for Conservation Biology has been extended to May 11.
Early-bird registration for the North American Ornithological Conference is due May 15. In addition to