"Experimental and Investigative Laboratory Courses in Evolutionary Biology"

“进化生物学实验和研究实验室课程”

• 批准号: 9752409
• 负责人: Janis Antonovics
• 金额: $ 12万
• 依托单位: Duke University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1998
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1998-04-01 至 1999-09-29
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9752409&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Experimental; Investigative; Laboratory; Courses; Evolutionary

Over the past twenty years, evolutionary biology has developed in to a vibrant, investigative science with a potent relevance to societal issues such as origins of infectious disease and biotechnology. The emerging role of evolutionary biology as a scientific discipline is in stark contrast to the continuing efforts to limit teaching evolution in high-schools, or to question evolutionary ideas as a valid province of science. While the teaching of evolutionary biology at both high school and college levels is now struggling to emerge from such censoring and neglect, evolution is still largely taught as a theoretical, dialectical discipline that often seems only to impact on theoretical ideas and broad conceptual landscapes. Rarely is it taught as an experimental, analytical science of applied relevance on a par with, say, physiology or molecular biology. We propose to rectify this situation in two ways. First, we will develop an experimental investigative laboratory in evolutionary biology that can serve as a "flagship" for illustrating how evolution can be taught at the college level as an experimental and investigative science that is societally relevant. We also illustrate how such an investigative course could be run with minimal resources and using a wide range of possible materials. Second, recognizing that curricula and colleges will vary in terms of their ability or desire to commit to such a focused laboratory course, we will also stimulate the teaching evolution as a hands-on science by additionally developing a web-site for distribution via the internet of laboratory exercises in evolutionary biology. Currently, such a resource is not available, and we only know of one manual on teaching evolution as a laboratory course. We will therefore gather, collate, and distribute materials that can be used to enrich discussion sections and laboratory classes.

在过去的二十年里，进化生物学已经发展成为一门充满活力的调查科学，与传染病和生物技术的起源等社会问题密切相关。进化生物学作为一门科学学科的新兴作用与限制高中进化论教学或质疑进化论思想作为科学有效领域的持续努力形成鲜明对比。虽然高中和大学阶段的进化生物学教学正在努力摆脱这种审查和忽视，但进化论在很大程度上仍然是作为一门理论的辩证学科来教授的，往往似乎只影响理论思想和广泛的概念景观。它很少被作为一门实验性的、分析性的应用科学来教授，可以与生理学或分子生物学相提并论。我们建议从两方面纠正这种情况。首先，我们将开发一个进化生物学的实验调查实验室，它可以作为一个“旗舰”，说明如何在大学阶段将进化论作为一门与社会相关的实验和调查科学进行教学。我们还说明了如何这样的调查过程中可以运行最少的资源和使用广泛的可能的材料。第二，认识到课程和大学将在他们的能力或愿望方面有所不同，致力于这样一个重点实验室课程，我们也将刺激教学进化作为一个动手科学，另外开发一个网站，通过互联网的实验室练习在进化生物学的分布。目前，这样的资源是不可用的，我们只知道一个手册教学进化论作为实验室课程。因此，我们将收集，整理和分发材料，可以用来丰富讨论部分和实验课。