About 1000 students enroll in Introductory Biology Laboratory II every year. For most of them, this is the last formal scientific instruction they will have and the last chance scientists have to produce scientifically literate citizens. This project can improve students' understanding of, and attitude toward, science by allowing them to do science; specifically, by developing two process-driven introductory biology laboratory exercises that emphasize experimentation. The new exercises replace traditional content-driven dissection exercises. The project also can increase students' appreciation of other organisms, thus promoting responsible stewardship, by using a variety of live fishes in one exercise and a variety of bird and frog calls in the other exercise. The two new laboratories incorporate physics, mathematics, and computer technology into the course. New computer data acquisition systems detect and measure electrical emissions of fish with an active electric sense and detect and analyze frog and bird calls.
