Written by Bethany Adamec

In celebration of Earth Day, we’re offering up 4 open-access, peer-reviewed resources from the Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education (JMBE) to help infuse biodiversity-related content into your K-12 or undergraduate classroom and lab.

For Undergraduates:

HORMONES AND ANTIBIOTICS IN NATURE: A LABORATORY MODULE DESIGNED TO BROADEN UNDERGRADUATE PERSPECTIVES ON TYPICALLY HUMAN-CENTERED TOPICS

A discovery-based research module shifted students’ thinking about hormones and antibiotics from primarily human-based concepts to the broader environment, such as hormones in fungi and antibiotics in soil.

SPECIES-RECOGNITION PROGRAM: A COMPUTER-ASSISTED APPROACH TO RECOGNIZING SPECIES

A low-cost, digital species-recognition program helped students learn to identify fish species better than studying preserved specimens did.

PRINTED IDENTIFICATION KEY OR WEB-BASED IDENTIFICATION GUIDE: AN EFFECTIVE TOOL FOR SPECIES IDENTIFICATION?

Undergraduate students preferred an online dichotomous key to a printed key for identifying slime molds, although they found the printed key to be more accurate.

For K-12, undergraduates, and other students:

CITIZEN SCIENCE INITIATIVES: ENGAGING THE PUBLIC AND DEMYSTIFYING SCIENCE

An overview of a wide-range of citizen science projects that learners of various levels can participate in, including wildlife and microbial monitoring. 

Bethany Adamec is a Science Education Specialist at ASM, where she communicates about ASM’s work in student and faculty professional development, supports the ASM Education Board, and works with colleagues to promote evidence-based education reform.