Category: News
-
Anatomy for Kids – New Edition (2023)
During the year of the 2020 pandemic, I got the opportunity to write a book! After a lot of hard work, and a learning process on how to write for publication, the book is finally ready to be released. I have enjoyed the process and really challenged myself to create a resource I think kids…
-
What Happened to Virtual Dissections?
Many of us may have used virtual dissection platforms to supplement classroom activities or provide make-up work for students who missed lab days. Unfortunately, many of the platforms for virtual dissections were created using flash animation. Web browsers no longer support flash, mainly because they create security risks. Viruses and malware can be delivered through…
-
Why Does Biology Corner Have Advertisements?
When I started this website in 2001, it was a simple project required to earn my graduate degree in educational technology. At the time, all of the pages were created by writing html into a text file. It was a painstakingly long process and the pages never really looked like I wanted them to. Eventually,…
-
HHMI and Case Studies
HHMI Biointeractive has many interactive resources, case studies, and data analysis. Here is a list of my favorites: Interactive Case Study For Studying Elephant Communication Effects of Fungicides on Bumble Bee Colonies Human Skin Color: Evidence for Selection Lactase Persistence: Evidence for Selection Exploring Trophic Cascades Exploring Biomes in Gorongosa Nutrient Cycling in the Serengeti
-
Deer Heart Dissection
My anatomy students learn the heart every year which ends with the dissection of a preserved sheep heart. This year, a hunter friend brought me a fresh deer heart which I was able to dissect in front of the class to show my students how the deer heart compared to the sheep heart. There isn’t…
-
High School Students Doing Field Biology
If you are fortunate enough to teach near a university, there is a very good chance that programs at the college are in place to help high school teachers. For years, I have been able to borrow equipment from Southern Illinois University and Washington University to alleviate the costs of buying the equipment for…
-
Your Inner Fish – Video from HHMI
At the NSTA Conference in Chicago last year, I had the pleasure of meeting (at least from a distance) Neil Shubin, who is a fish paleontologist. We watched one of the newer movies, were treated to refreshments and popcorn and were given a t-shirt and a DVD copy of “Your Inner Fish.” This amazing…
-
Can Bacteria Be Designed to Create Gasoline?
I’ve heard the term “biofuel” before, and that usually conjures up images of corn fields and ethanol. I recently attended a lecture at Washington University presented by Fuzhong Zhang. The title of the workshop was quite intimidating: “Synthetic Regulatory Systems for Dynamic Metabolic Pathways.” Teachers don’t just spend our summers lazing about at the pool!…
-
Trip to the St. Louis Zoo
As I walked along a path with bird exhibits to either side, it was very peaceful. I didn’t feel crowded at all, and could sit at a bench and watch a little vulturine guineafowl as it went about its daily activities.
-
Finding Images for Your Projects and Classroom
One of the most common searches I do on Google is for images. I may need images for a cell unit. I might want a simple diagram of the heart. Google makes it very easy to add images to your slides and documents. There is a built-in image tool! If you are just searching on…