Process of Science
Problems/Case Studies
"Thinking
Inside
the
Box" Christopher T. Bailey, Wells College.
State University of New
York at Buffalo’s
National
Center
for Case Study Teaching.
In this particular take on the classic "Black Box Experiment,"
students working in groups are given sealed boxes containing
objects that they must make indirect observations about and then
report their observations to the class in a simulated conference
setting. An effective lead-in exercise to a discussion of the
scientific method, it can also be used in a general chemistry
course to teach students about atomic structure and how
experimental evidence can be used to infer structure.
Appropriate for high school and
college undergraduate classes.
"Is
a
Mars
Sample Return Mission
Too Risky?" Troy D. Wood, University at
Buffalo.State University of New York at Buffalo’s National
Center for Case Study Teaching.
Following a public hearing format, this case study allows
students to explore the scientific and public policy issues
surrounding the advisability of a return mission to Mars for
further sampling and, more generally, the question of whether or
not there is life on that planet. The case was developed for a
non-science majors course called "Great Discoveries in Science"
and serves to illustrate the scientific method and the importance
of interdisciplinary efforts in scientific research.
Appropriate for high school
astronomy classes and college undergraduate astronomy courses.
"Nanobacteria:
Are
They
or Aren't They Alive?" Merri Lynn Casem, California State
University, Fullerton.
State University of New
York at Buffalo’s
National
Center
for Case Study Teaching.
This case study draws upon two recently published conflicting
research reports on the status of nanobacteria as living organisms
to explore basic concepts related to the biological definition of
life and the process of scientific investigation.
Appropriate for high school and
college undergraduate biology classes.
"Mom
Always
Liked
You Best: Examining the Hypothesis of Parental Favoritism".
Clyde F. Herreid, University at Buffalo. State University
of New York at Buffalo’s National Center
for Case Study Teaching
This case study is based on a
journal article on the parenting behavior of American coots.
Working through the case, students develop hypotheses and design
experiments to test their hypotheses as they are given pieces of
the case in an interrupted case format. A "prologue" to the case
describes the interrupted case format in detail.
Appropriate for high school general science classes, and college
undergraduate evolutionary biology, zoology, or ecology courses.
"The
Raelians: Visionary Science or Quackery? A Case Study
Exploring the Scientific Method and Human Cloning" Scott
D. Zimmerman, University of Wisconsin—Stout.
State University of New
York at Buffalo’s National Center for Case Study
Teaching.
The topics of human cloning
and pseudoscience are introduced in this case through the story of
Claude Vorilhon, a French auto racing journalist who makes some
unusual claims regarding the influence of extraterrestrials on
human history and purpose. The case describes Vorilhon’s
establishment of a company, Clonaid, whose goal is to produce the
first human clone. Students read about the company’s claims of
success and consider the evidence as well as the ethics involved.
Appropriate for high school and
college undergraduate general science classes.
"Extrasensory
Perception—Pseudoscience? A Battle at the Edge of Science" Sarah G. Stonefoot and Clyde F.
Herreid, University at Buffalo. State University of New York
at Buffalo’s National Center for Case Study Teaching.
The overall purpose of this case study is to teach students to
be skeptical of scientific claims, particularly those that are
sensational and fall outside the boundaries of normal
scientific explanation. Students read the case and then
evaluate information to determine whether they believe there
is enough scientific evidence to confirm the existence of
extrasensory perception. The case was developed for for use in
an introductory science or psychology course, but would also
be appropriate for courses in human biology in which the
nervous system is explored.
Appropriate
for high school and college undergraduate general science classes.
"Love
Potion #10". Susan Holt, New
York State
Biology Mentor
Network. State University of New
York at Buffalo’s National Center for Case Study
Teaching
In this case, students are asked
to consider whether there is evidence to adequately support a
series of scientific claims made in an advertisement for
pheromones. The case teaches students about the scientific method
and the process of science.
The case was designed for use in
advanced, average, and below average high school (grades 9-12)
biology classes. It could also be used in AP Biology or in an
introductory college biology course.
"Mother's
Milk
Cures
Cancer? Researchers Deliberate Over Whether to Publish" Linda
Tichenor, University of
Arkansas, Fayetteville.
State University of New York at Buffalo’s National Center for Case
Study Teaching
This case study on the immune
system, cell cycle regulation, and cancer biology explores the
role that serendipity plays in new discoveries in science, how
scientific research is funded, and the personal and professional
implications of unexpectedly finding one's self on the
"cutting-edge."
Appropriate for high
school general science and general biology classes, and
college undergraduate biology and pharmacology classes.
"How
a
Cancer
Trial Ended in Betrayal". Ye Chen-Izu, University of Maryland School of Medicine.
State University of New
York at Buffalo’s National Center for Case Study
Teaching
In this case study, students
learn about the complexities and issues associated with clinical
trials. After reading a newspaper story about a fraudulently
conducted clinical trial involving a treatment for skin cancer,
students simulate their own small-scale "clinical trial" in class.
The simulation involves a secret breaching of a blind test and
manipulation of data to favor a positive effect for a particular
proprietary drug. As part of the simulation, students examine
"before" and "after" photographs of skin lesions from "patients."
Appropriate
for high school general science and general biology classes,
and college undergraduate biology, pharmacy, and medicine
classes.
"A
Case Study of Memory Loss in Mice". Michael S.
Hudecki, University at Buffalo.
State University of New
York at Buffalo’s National Center for Case Study
Teaching
This discussion case explores
the scientific process involved in implementing an animal model in
the study of Alzheimer's disease. Students read a short paragraph
describing a study in which the brains of "trained" mice were
injected with beta-amyloid fragments, which subsequently caused
them to forget their tasks. The paragraph is a very short New York
Times story reporting on an experimental study originally
published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Based on the short description provided, students are asked to
identify relevant components of the scientific method (problem,
method, results, and conclusions).
The case is suitable for a wide
variety of science majors and non-majors courses.
"The
Case of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker: The Scientific Process and
How It Relates to Everyday Life". Kathrin Stanger-Hall,
University of Georgia: Athens, Jennifer Merriam, SUNY Orange, and
Ruth Ann Greuling, Northern New Mexico College. The National
Center for Case Study Teaching in Science. Based on the disputed rediscovery of
the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in April 2005, this interrupted case
study tells the story of Brad Murky, a student and research
assistant who must decide whether the current evidence is
sufficient for him to accept the bird’s existence. Brad and his
sister debate the issue through a series of emails leaving him
to wonder whether the press conference to announce the
rediscovery of the bird was scheduled in haste. Designed for an
introductory biology course, this case would also work well in
an ecology, environmental science, ornithology or science and
society course.
Appropriate for high school
general biology classes, and college undergraduate ecology and
environmental science classes.
"Don tries to
culture fish cells". Thinking
Toward Solutions: Problem-Based Learning Activities for
General Biology . Allen, D. E. and Duch, B. J.
(1998). New York: Saunders College Publishing
Stage 1: Don attempts to
design an experiment using biomarkers for heavy metal toxins. His experiment goes wrong.
It is up to the students to determine why, teaching
experimental design techniques.
Stage 2: Students analyze the results of
application of ringers solution on three types of fish and tell
why the ringers solution did not function to keep the angel shark
cells physiologically active.
Stage 3: This
provides an overview of the entire fish culture experiment. Students will examine osmolarity,
aeration, composition of ringers solution, and other variables for
the cells to flourish.
Teaching Resources - Located in resource cabinet
outside of SCIC 207. Filed under this subject heading.
"Spontaneously generating life in your classroom?
Pasteur, Spallanzani, and Science Process". The American
Biology Teacher, 67,
2005, p. 340.
This activity allows students to
recreate past scientific work involving spontaneous
generation. After preparing nutrient broth flasks and
nutrient agar plates in multiple environments, the students
examine if “life” exists on the plates. The students then
test their conjecture with outlined questions and debate whether
spontaneous generation has occurred.
"Modeling the classic Meselson and Stahl experiment." D’Agostino, J. The American
Biology Teacher, 67,
2005, p. 358.
This activity can be used with the
book The Double Helix (Watson, 1969) and The Structure of DNA
(Crick, 1957). Meselson and Stahl developed the experiment
that proved the double helix structure of DNA. The
experiment with students uses yarn and a simulated CsCl gradient
to display the varying densities of DNA.
Articles - Located in resource cabinet outside of SCIC
207. Filed by subject heading and topic.
"The species
problem and the value of teaching the complexities of species."
Chung, C. The American Biology Teacher, 66, 2004, p. 413
The article discusses the meaning of the term “species” and the
definitions that can be applied to define it as a teaching model
in the biology classroom. Species
exist, change, and then cease to exist, a measure of evolutionary
processes. Students must understand
concepts such as species because of the interrelatedness of
biological concepts.
"Technology
instead of a textbook." Simon, E. J. The
American Biology Teacher, 63, 2001, p. 89.
In order to reach non-majors,
current events in biology may be of interest (e.g. cloning, DNA
fingerprinting, AIDS). Multimedia can also enhance
understanding. The article describes how Fordham
University expanded their non-majors biology
class into a web-site based curriculum.
"Improving students’ questions in inquiry labs." Marbach-Ad, G., and Claasen, L. A.The
American Biology Teacher, 67, 2005, p. 410.
The article shows how to gear the
class to a more student-centered investigative learning approach
and how to get students to ask more intelligent, thought-provoking
questions. The conclusion to improve student questioning is
to combine direct instruction in questioning with increased
background knowledge. Therefore, before beginning
student-investigative techniques, adequate factual knowledge must
be present for the questions that are asked to be meaningful and
actually help to clarify the subject being discussed.
"Nearing Zero" - Strange Matter
Cartoons
Cartoon Freeware on a variety of
science topics.
"Beyond Discovery"
National Academy of Sciences.
"The Path from Research to Human Benefit is a series of articles
that trace the origins of important recent technological and
medical advances. Each story reveals the crucial role played by
basic science, the applications of which could not have been
anticipated at the time the original research was conducted."
Videos
Topic: "History of artificial hearts": Biology 5th Ed.
CNN Ed 2001 (2:25).
The history of artificial hearts
is reviewed, with video of the 1969 implantation of the first such
device by Denton Cooley and the Jarvik 7 used on Barney Clarke in
1982. The drawbacks of these devices led researchers to turn
toward devices that are not designed to replace the heart but
rather to assist a failing ventricle. The most recent
product, the fully implantable AbioCor artificial heart, is shown
and its function is described. The worksheet includes the URL for
AbioMed, the company that manufacturers and is currently testing
the AbioCor heart. This video could be used to
challenge students conceptions of the relationship between science
and medical technology.
PBS
Evolution - short
videos to spur classroom discussion about the nature of science
and evolution.
- Isn't evolution just a theory?
- Who was Charles Darwin?
- How do we know evolution happens?
- How does evolution work?
- Did humans evolve?
- Why does evolution matter now?
- Why is evolution
controversial?