Answers to mechanistic questions about biological phenomena require fluency in a variety of molecular biology techniques and physical concepts. Here, we present an interdisciplinary approach to introducing undergraduate students to an important problem in the areas of animal behavior and neuroscience—the neuronal control of animal behavior. In this lab module, students explore planarian behavior by quantitative image and data analysis with freely available software and low-cost resources. Planarians are ∼1–2-cm-long aquatic free-living flatworms famous for their regeneration abilities. They are inexpensive and easy to maintain, handle, and perturb, and their fairly large size allows for image acquisition with a webcam, which makes this lab module accessible and scalable. Our lab module integrates basic physical concepts such as center of mass, velocity and speed, periodic signals, and time series analysis in the context of a biological system. The module is designed to attract students with diverse disciplinary backgrounds. It challenges the students to form hypotheses about behavior and equips them with a basic but broadly applicable toolkit to achieve this quantitatively. We give a detailed description of the necessary resources and show how to implement the module. We also provide suggestions for advanced exercises and possible extensions. Finally, we provide student feedback from a pilot implementation.ABSTRACT
Rheologic models consisting of combinations of linear elements, such as springs and dashpots, are widely used in biophysics to describe the mechanical and, in particular, the viscoelastic behavior of proteins, cells, tissue, and soft matter. Even simple arrangements with few elements often suffice to recapitulate the experimental data and to provide biophysical insights, making them an ideal subject for educational purposes. To provide students with an intuitive understanding of the mechanical behavior of spring and dashpot models, we describe a computer simulation tool, elastic viscous system simulator (ElViS), written in the JavaScript programming language for designing viscoelastic models via a graphical user interface and simulating the mechanical response to various inputs. As an example application, we designed a virtual laboratory course using ElViS that teaches the basic principles of viscoelastic modeling in a gamelike manner. We then surveyed 50 undergraduate students of a 1-semester course in biophysics who participated in the virtual laboratory course. Students felt that the course was a helpful addition to the lecture and that it improved learning success.ABSTRACT
Microscopy is an essential tool in many fields of science. However, because of costs and fragility, the usage of microscopes is limited in classroom settings and nearly absent at home. In this article we present the construction of a microscope made of LEGO® bricks and low-cost, easily available lenses. We demonstrate that the obtained magnification and resolution are sufficient to resolve micrometer-sized objects and propose a series of experiments that explore various biophysical principles. Finally, a study with students in the age range of 9 to 13 y shows that the understanding of microscopy increases significantly after working with the LEGO microscope.ABSTRACT
In this article, an approach to teaching molecular biophysics is described. The organization and course content has been carefully chosen and curated so that fundamental ideas in molecular biophysics can be taught effectively to upper classmen in higher education. Three general topic areas are introduced along with accompanying experiments that illustrate major principles related to each topic area. This article outlines an approach to organizing chosen course material and suggests multiple teaching activities within each major topic area: thermodynamics, kinetics, and structural biology. Subtopics are presented along with suggested laboratory experiments. The experiments are outlined in a way that they can be readily adopted by educators teaching a biophysical chemistry lab. The accompaniment of workshop exercises as an additional teaching modality is a component of the course intended to enhance the development of important problem-solving skills and comprehension of new content. Finally, a reflection on student feedback and course outcomes along with targeted learning goals is discussed.ABSTRACT
Fluorescence microscopy is a ubiquitous technique in the life sciences that uses fluorescent molecules to visualize specific components of biological specimens. This powerful tool has revolutionized biology, and it represents a perfect example of the advancements enabled by biophysical research and technology development. However, despite its central role in contemporary research, fluorescence is hardly covered in typical secondary school curricula, with few hands-on “entry-level” materials available for secondary school teachers to introduce this important method to their students. Furthermore, most commercially available fluorescence microscopes are prohibitively costly and often appear as “black boxes.” To address this gap, we introduce here an experimental, research-grade fluorescence microscopy kit and educational resource targeted at secondary school students and teachers. Microscope in Action is an interdisciplinary resource based on active learning that combines concepts from both optics and biology. The students assemble a functional microscope from basic optical, mechanical, and electronic parts, thereby testing and understanding the function of each component “hands-on.” We also present sample preparation and imaging activities that can be incorporated to enable an exploration of biological topics with the assembled microscope and exercises in which students actively learn and practice scientific thinking by collecting and analyzing data. Although the resource was developed with secondary schools in mind, the variety of available protocols and the adjustable module lengths make it suitable for different age groups and topics, from middle school to PhD level, from short workshops to courses spanning several days.ABSTRACT
Students develop and test simple kinetic models of the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus. Microsoft Excel is used as the modeling platform because it is nonthreatening to students and it is widely available. Students develop finite difference models and implement them in the cells of preformatted spreadsheets following a guided inquiry pedagogy that introduces new model parameters in a scaffolded step-by-step manner. That approach allows students to investigate the implications of new model parameters in a systematic way. Students fit the resulting models to reported cases per day data for the United States using least squares techniques with Excel's Solver. Using their own spreadsheets, students discover for themselves that the initial exponential growth of COVID-19 can be explained by a simplified unlimited growth model and by the susceptible-infected-recovered (SIR) model. They also discover that the effects of social distancing can be modeled using a Gaussian transition function for the infection rate coefficient and that the summer surge was caused by prematurely relaxing social distancing and then reimposing stricter social distancing. Students then model the effect of vaccinations and validate the resulting susceptible-infected-recovered-vaccinated (SIRV) model by showing that it successfully predicts the reported cases per day data from Thanksgiving through the holiday period up to 14 February 2021. The same SIRV model is then extended and successfully fits the fourth peak up to 1 June 2021, caused by further relaxation of social distancing measures. Finally, students extend the model up to the present day (27 August 2021) and successfully account for the appearance of the delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The fitted model also predicts that the delta variant peak will be comparatively short, and the cases per day data should begin to fall off in early September 2021, counter to current expectations. This case study makes an excellent capstone experience for students interested in scientific modeling.ABSTRACT
Many efforts have been made to bridge the gender gaps in science and technology, but disparities still persist within academic, scientific, and technologic fields (1, 2). The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) surveys conducted in June 2019 show that women represent only 30% of the population of researchers globally (3). Going deeper into the analysis, women are restricted in access to decision-making positions, even in countries in which the participation of women in science is higher than the global trend (4). The representation of women in science inIntroduction
Scientists sometimes walk a fine line between exploration and expertise. We are always taught to ask questions and look for new and exciting ideas, but we are rewarded for in-depth analysis that can only come from narrowing interests. Although science becomes more multidisciplinary, it also becomes more niche driven. As a result, graduate students may often find themselves honing skills as researchers in highly specific fields for several years. A colleague I had stayed during part of his BSc, MSc, and PhD in the lab where we both studied. This period, spanning almost 10 years, made him a world-renowned scientist
I recently became acquainted with the work done by Lisa J. Lapidus on new curricular development for courses on Introductory Physics for the Life Sciences (IPLS) (1). While I enjoyed reading the article, I was expecting a description of the assessment modalities of such a physics course that is highly focused on molecular and cellular biology. The author, however, is still developing this aspect. Several afterthoughts left me wondering about the best assessment modes for this course. From my perspective, introductory physics remains the only basic course in the life sciences curriculum where students are taught to apply
Dr. Shlyonsky makes some important points in his comment on my paper but perhaps misunderstands the discussion of assessments because of cultural differences. In the United States, the use of standardized assessments, or concept inventories, is quite common in introductory physics courses to measure learning gains by students (and effectiveness of teaching by instructors) through the use of pretests and posttests (1). These concept inventories are research based and standardized to allow comparison between different modes of courses in the same university or universities across the country. Their usefulness is based on a consensus among physicists of what