The third in a series of 10 STEM project-based lessons focuses on cells types, functions, and physiology. Through research, discussions, writings, and presentations, groups learn about the difference between plant and animal cells, the...

What goes into a museum display? A secondary-level STEM project prompts groups to design a museum display for the Tech Museum of Innovation. They create an analogous, interactive model illustrating a science concept to complete the...

Drugs interact with the brain to alter moods, emotions, and behaviors by changing the brain's chemistry, perceptions, and interactions. The final lesson in the Pharmacology unit shows scholars experiments, has them complete four labs,...

Is personalized medicine for individual bodies in our future? Possibly -- with the use of stem cells, undifferentiated cells with the power to become any tissue in our bodies. The following learning module describes the role of these...

Students learn about stem cells, and how these cells are used in medical research and treatments. Find out scientific facts, read several case studies, and participate in a group debate activity to explore the ethics of this topic. A...

A resource to help facilitate understanding of stems cells and their uses.

A learning module that begins with "Scientists Clone Human Embryos to Make Stem Cells" by Rob Stein and Michaeleen Doucleff, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed...

In this unit, students look at the components of cells and their functions and discover the controversy behind stem cell research. The first lesson focuses on the difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. In the second lesson,...

Stem cells found in the bone marrow are crucial for our health because they are needed to become new blood cells that sustain and protect our bodies. But when the transformation goes wrong, harmful mutations can cause the cells to start...

This slide show provides an illustration of the process of creating embryonic stem cells using a cloned mouse embryo. Scientists generally refer to the technique as "somatic cell nuclear transfer." It is the process at the heart of what...

Have you ever wondered how important gases enter and leave cells? Take an up close tour of a pore in a cell membrane. Then explore diffusion, osmosis, and active transport through this collection of interactive models.

Imagine something small enough to float on a particle of dust that holds the keys to understanding cancer, virology, and genetics. Luckily for us, such a thing exists in the form of trillions upon trillions of human, lab-grown cells...

This lesson focuses on cell specialization. This cell must divide to produce a multi-cellular organism. It must also differentiate, so that its cells develop features that enable them to fulfil specific roles. Links are provided to a...

Students trace the generation of the formed elements of blood from bone marrow stem cells, and then learn the role of hemopoietic growth factors in promoting the production of the formed elements.

The process of cellular differentiation leads cells to assume their final morphology and physiology - learn here all about this process.

This unit provides students the opportunity to explore methods engineers have devised for harnessing sunlight to generate power. Students will initially explore heat transfer and heat storage through the construction, testing, and...

Excellent site where students are challenged to read several case studies and make choices about what they would do in the situation. After they choose they are presented with some of the consequences that their decision may produce in...

Two lessons and their associated activities explore cellular respiration and population growth in yeasts. Yeast cells are readily obtained and behave predictably, so they are very appropriate to use in middle school classrooms. In the...

Students learn about complex networks and how to use graphs to represent them. They also learn that graph theory is a useful part of mathematics for studying complex networks in diverse applications of science and engineering, including...

All of us have felt sick at some point in our lives. Many times, we find ourselves asking, "What is the quickest way that I can start to feel better?" During this two-lesson unit, students study that question and determine which form of...

Through two lessons and five activities, students explore the structure and function of cell membranes. Specific transport functions, including active and passive transport, are presented. In the legacy cycle tradition, students are...

An interactive, self-guided lesson on the function of the human immune system and how medical intervention prevents disease. This lesson has many descriptive animations as well as graphs and diagrams to help with understanding. There is...

An in-depth look at cloning and the technology behind it. Students work through interactive learning material, understanding the ethics involved in all types of cloning. There is a suggested classroom activity and a self-checking quiz at...

A video and a short quiz on the central and peripheral nervous systems.