"LORD OF THE ANTS"

On Friday I showed my classes parts of a Nova documentary on one of my scientific heroes, Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson. This documentary was just released in DVD a few weeks ago after airing on PBS last year. There is a web site supporting this episode, available here.

Students who wish to see the entire documentary can view it online for free at Hulu.com, here. I've also embedded it, above.

Wilson's interests touch on some of the important themes we've been covering in this course the last few weeks, including the following important State Standards:

ECOLOGY (6) Stability in an ecosystem is a balance between competing effects. As a basis for understanding this concept, students know:

a. biodiversity is the sum total of different kinds of organisms, and is affected by alterations of habitats.

b. how to analyze changes in an ecosystem resulting from changes in climate, human activity, introduction of non-native species, or changes in population size.

c. how fluctuations in population size in an ecosystem are determined by the relative rates of birth, immigration, emigration, and death.

e. a vital part of an ecosystem is the stability of its producers and decomposers.



I encourage my students to learn more about Wilson's work, and the work of other scientists who are working to preserve natural ecosystems.

POWER POINT: DIVERSITY AND CLASSIFICATION

The Power Point on "Diversity and Classification" can be uploaded here.

The Lecture Guide based on the Power Point can be found as a PDF file here.

POWER POINT: ECOSYSTEM DYNAMICS

This continues the material from Chapters 3-5 that was begun in 'Populations and Ecosystems".

You can download it here.

You can download a PDF of the Lecture Guide covering the last two Power Points here.

POWER POINT: POPULATIONS AND ECOSYSTEMS

The Power Point for Populations and Ecosystems is available here.

There is no Lecture Guide yet for these notes, but when there is, I will post a PDF file.

LECTURE NOTES: BIOTECHNOLOGY

The Power Point with the Notes on Biotechnology is available here.

Students who have lost their original Lecture Guide and need to get another copy can download the Guide as a PDF file here.

Students who are having difficulties getting this information should use the Bullard library resources or arrange to meet with Mr. Hatfield.

POSTER PROJECTS

Students in my Biology classes have been assigned a poster project on Human Genetic Disorders. It is worth a significant number of points (100, as much as a test).

Things you need to know about this:

1) I will be giving a progress check on Friday (3/13/09) to make sure the groups have done research and begun answering the questions they must address on the poster. This is for a grade. If a group fails to show any research, they will lose points.

2) There will be an in-class work day for the poster on Monday (3/16/09). Groups that fail to bring in either a completed poster or work to complete the poster will be lose points.

3) Poster Presentations begin the following day, Tuesday (3/17/09). Groups not prepared to present on that day will lose points.

Students should have already exchanged contact information with the other students and made plans to meet and work together outside of class on the poster prior to Monday's class.

So...get to work!

POWER POINT NOTES: HUMAN HEREDITY

The Power Point Notes for Human Heredity are available here.