The proposed lesson, a model active-learning activity designed to give college students experience in synthesizing information and developing a solution, can be used to address socioscientific issues across fields. As a consequence of climate change, global temperatures are anticipated to rise. This rise in temperature is expected to have a negative impact on agricultural systems due in part to increased disease incidence and decrease in crop yields. This activity is written in the context of plant pathology and agricultural systems to emphasize the importance of collaboration and communication among scientists or experts in different fields to address global agricultural issues. Students will gain an understanding of the importance of agriculture on a global scale and work together to develop a solution through the development of an agricultural policy.

A five-week research project was designed as part of a summer internship for high school students, and could also be used with educators or in introductory undergraduate research courses. This is a guided-inquiry-based project, framed within the significant issue of supplementing fertilizer use in agriculture with nitrogen-fixing microorganisms. This experience exposes students to how scientists are studying real-world problems; it teaches them basic research techniques, and promotes inquiry-based learning in a real research environment. It also fills a current gap in K-12 education that lacks enough microbiology emphasis. Research interns collect soil samples from various fields and use culture-dependent and culture-independent techniques to test whether there are nitrogen-fixing microorganisms that can be isolated and identified in each soil sample. Students work in a research laboratory making nitrogen-free media; culturing, isolating, and identifying microorganisms; extracting soil DNA; and amplifying the 16S rRNA and nifH genes. We administer a pre-test and a post-test, and students present their research both in a short talk and with a poster. By hosting high school students in a research laboratory and immersing them in laboratory science, we hope to inspire them to pursue a STEM-related career.

A 3-week laboratory module was developed for an undergraduate microbiology course that would connect student learning to a real-life challenge, specifically a local water-quality project. The laboratory series included multiple field trips, sampling of soil and water, and subsequent analysis for bacteria and nitrate. Laboratory results confirmed the usefulness of comparing real environmental samples, and student survey and performance data supported the original hypothesis of this study in terms of student learning objectives.

A simple sensory assessment of apples provides an enjoyable and stimulating introduction to topics in genetics and the related areas of agriculture, selective breeding, and plant science.