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Workshop Detail: Tuesday, July 21, 2009
(9-12): Using Technology to Study Cellular & Molecular Biology
presented by
Peggy Deichstetter
Curriculum Developed by National Institutes of Health (NIH) and BSCS
Technology is more than just computers. Experience classroom activities that explore the nature of technology and how we use it to solve biological problems.
The proposed workshop introduces two weeks of lessons for high school students to develop their critical thinking skills by exploring the use of technology in solving biological problems. These inquiry-based activities are from “Using Technology to Study Cellular & Molecular Biology,” a curriculum supplement developed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and BSCS.
The workshop begins with a discussion—what is technology, what does it do for us and how has it changed over time. Participants then determine the mechanism of a mysterious muscle-wasting disease using different imaging tools: the human eye, a light microscope, an electron microscope and x-ray crystallography. This activity highlights the appropriateness of different technologies in solving biological problems and that the newest technology is not always the best. The session concludes by contrasting the resources available to a 19th century scientist with the hypothetical instruments a researcher in 2052 might use. Participants recognize that many science and math disciplines are needed to develop new research tools.
The NIH curriculum supplements are free to teachers nationwide. The lessons are designed with the 5-E instructional model and aligned with the National Science Education Standards for content, teaching and assessment.
Summer Institute, a component of the MIDAS Project, is supported by a