We propose to replace more than half of current Introductory Biology laboratory exercises with four new discovery-based laboratories that will explicitly require students to formulate and test hypotheses in the context of combining modern molecular techniques with traditional organismal biology. In our new Molecular Population Genetics, Plant Chemical Defense, Morphological and Molecular Phylogeny, and Bioacoustic Behavior laboratories students will formulate their own hypotheses and then test those hypotheses using electrophoresis, High Performance Liquid Chromatography and computer simulations. Together, these exercises will help establish a research culture in Introductory Biology by requiring all undergraduate majors to develop the skills of hypothesis formation, experimental design, and statistical analysis and interpretation to test relevant ecological and evolutionary questions using modern molecular techniques.
