MoScience Blog: Newest HHMI Lectures and Resources--Check them out!

OCTOBER 12, 2016




	Wade into Ecology


	Watch our 2016 Holiday Lectures “Ecology of Rivers & Coasts,”now available for streaming. Ecologists Mary Power (UC Berkeley) and Brian Silliman (Duke University) describe the complex interactions between species and their environment in aquatic ecosystems. Dr. Power’s research dives into river systems and the interplay between fish, insects, algae and river conditions. Dr. Silliman’s work in salt marshes of the U.S. southeast explores how snails, fungi, and physical factors regulate these incredibly productive ecosystems – and how climate change threatens them.


	Spotlight on: Working With Bees

Buzzing New Videos

Meet Dr. Shawn Steffan as he designs an experiment to study the effects of fungicides on bumble bee colonies, and watch as graduate student Jeremy Hemberger tags bumblebees to study their foraging behavior.


	Image of the Week

A Model Microbe

Featured in our Image of the Week, Tetrahymena thermophila makes for a beautiful model organism. Research using this freshwater protozoan has led to two Nobel Prizes. Now that’s a supermodel!


	Featured Animation

Clarifying the Y

Tetrahymena can assume one of seven possible sexes. Humans aren’t as versatile, but the Y chromosome still tells an interesting story. Our animation shows how the chromosome’s many palindromic sequences provide clues to its evolution.


	Events and Announcements

Where's Howie?

For the next few weeks, Howie’s on the road. Check out our calendar to see when to find him in Denver at the National Association of Biology Teachers Conference, and in Minneapolis, Portland, and Columbus at NSTA Regional Conferences.


	Educator Tip

Monitoring Nipah in Bat Populations Scientist At Work

Spooky Science

I'm developing a seasonal project-based learning module centered around the theme of a zombie apocalypse as a way to engage my high school students. HHMI BioInteractive features learner-friendly resources that are aligned with the AP and IB Biology frameworks. For the zoonotic and emerging diseases portion of my unit, I'll definitely be employing the BioInteractive Scientist at Work video, "Monitoring Nipah Virus in Bat Populations." Bats, after all, are among those autumnal things that go bump in the night! Additionally, I'll be using “Virus Explorer,” (including the Click & Learn interactive and student worksheet), as well as a version of the West Nile vectors-hosts game tweaked to become a zombie vector-host tag game.
-Nancy Edwards Perovich, Hope College Upward Bound Program, MI

Do you have a favorite BioInteractive resource and want to tell us how you use it in your class? Email us the tip at BioInteractive@hhmi.org. If we feature yours, we'll send you a T-shirt!