This project proposes will develop a laboratory component for a popular biology course for non-science majors, Natural History of Alaska. This course serves 180 students per year and has a high enrollment of Alaskan Natives (15-20%) and pre- service teachers (15-20%) The new laboratory exercises are designed as explorations into the natural world. Students are encouraged to observe, question, design their own studies, and present findings orally and in writing. The laboratory component will set the agenda for the lecture portion of the course. Plant community ecology, plant/herbivore interactions, stream and lake ecology, adaptations for living in the cold, population dynamics, and parasite/host relations are among the topics students will explore.
