Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education最新文献

{"title":"Integrating STEM career exploration into busy introductory biology courses through a student-driven podcast project.","authors":"Joanna I Giza, Canan Karaalioglu","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00280-25","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00280-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Introductory biology courses at 2- and 4-year colleges attract students from diverse disciplines, fulfilling both science prerequisites and general education requirements. Therefore, these introductory classes provide an ideal opportunity to ignite interest in science and introduce students to STEM professions, which will likely expand with artificial intelligence (AI). Unfortunately, densely packed curricula offer no room for career exploration. Science majors often struggle to connect class concepts to their long-term goals, while those with no prior background feel overwhelmed catching up with more experienced classmates. This disconnect can reduce students' emotional engagement with the course, increase dependence on AI tools, and potentially contribute to course withdrawal. To address these challenges, we developed a student-driven, semester-long podcast project that integrates career exploration into the curriculum with minimal impact on class time and instructor workload. Grounded in educational psychology, this assignment builds personal connection with the course over time and enhances motivation and interest in the field while fostering a sense of community, difficult to achieve in classes with mixed background knowledge. Administering surveys across multiple semesters revealed the high efficacy of this strategy. Eighty-four percent of the students were inspired to explore careers in biology, and 84% expanded their interest in the field. Furthermore, 87% felt motivated by their classmates' stories, and nearly 90% noted an improved sense of connection with peers.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0028025"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147844338","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reclaiming the writing process using AI: a scaffolded writing assignment that promotes critical thinking, reflection, and accountability.","authors":"Hannah Meyer Schapiro, Manuela Tripepi, Julia Blackley","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00337-25","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00337-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>As the educational landscape changes with the widespread use of generative artificial intelligence (AI), we have made the deliberate choice to adapt with intention through the constructive integration of this tool within the curriculum. Writing assignments are often vulnerable to AI shortcuts, and therefore, we reimagined the project in our online microbiology lab to incorporate AI in a structured and pedagogically sound way that prioritizes both the writing process and the final product. Students must work with AI to create a script for a 5-minute video which they then illustrate and record on the differences between <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and methicillin-resistant <i>S. aureus</i>. The drafting process is highly structured and provides a scaffold for students to reflect on their own knowledge, think critically about AI outputs, develop AI literacy skills, and engage in self-reflection. Students are graded based on their involvement in this modified writing process rather than the final product. Subsequently, students create illustrations and record their 5-minute video; engaging in this verbal and visual communication helps reinforce student learning. Surveys conducted in the Fall 2025 semester suggest that the assignment reinforced student content understanding and reiterated the importance of responsible AI use. Additionally, students self-reported increased confidence in their prompt engineering skills. This assignment achieves student engagement and fosters the growth of AI literacy without compromising critical thinking or scholarly diligence. It can be adapted to different fields and topics and showcases a purposeful, strategic, and thoughtful incorporation of AI in undergraduate education.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0033725"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13130989/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147505182","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Harnessing the power of community to navigate biology education careers.","authors":"Lee E Hughes","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00039-26","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00039-26","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Academic careers are often thought of as having a traditional path that most faculty will follow, yet there are many unique ways that individuals enter and navigate through their academic careers. While I followed a particularly unorthodox pathway, along the way I benefited from several supportive and collaborative communities. There is power in finding your community, and my successes in microbiology education and research are directly related to the communities to which I belong. This work shares my academic journey, the communities that have supported me along the way, and discusses opportunities for other biology educators to find and harness the power of their own supportive communities.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0003926"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13130977/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146229204","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bridging the gap: increasing accessibility to authentic learning in undergraduate education.","authors":"Lindsay A McCulloch, Brittany Cavazos, Carissa Ganong, Carlos Goller, Melissa Kjelvik, Pankaj Mehrotra, Rebecca Hardin, Ann Russell","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00218-25","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00218-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Authentic learning, defined as direct engagement with real-world problems, data, and professional practices, is widely cited for improving STEMM students' knowledge, skills, and retention. Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) and research experiences for undergraduates (REUs) increase students' understanding of scientific content and processes, and STEMM career interest. However, these experiences are often resource and time intensive. As a result, many students are unable to access these formative experiences due to differences in ability, financial constraints, or family and caregiving responsibilities. Open educational resources can broaden access to authentic learning, especially for place-based learning in tropical field settings. We introduce a new concept of free interactive research-based experiences (FIREs) as a category of instructional design that has many of the benefits of CUREs and REUs while removing many barriers. As a case study, we present the Online Content for Experiential Learning of Tropical Systems (OCELOTS) network and their open-access modules that are grounded in peer-reviewed tropical biology research. Hosted on the Gala platform, these modules are adaptable, multilingual, and integrative; they feature real data sets, visualizations, and simulations for instructors to implement authentic learning without specialized infrastructure. Instructor feedback from OCELOTS module implementations highlights gains in student engagement, conceptual understanding, and appreciation for real-world science. We argue that FIREs complement existing authentic learning frameworks and should be part of a diverse set of authentic learning opportunities used by educators. As a community, we should prioritize the assessment of short- and long-term impacts of FIREs on student outcomes to guide further adoption and funding support.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0021825"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13130976/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145679087","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Harnessing synthetic circuits to illuminate microbial electron transfer: a perspective on engineered metabolism.","authors":"Wilgince Apollon, Soumya Ghosh, Sathish-Kumar Kamaraj","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00290-25","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00290-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Synthetic biology is transforming how we understand and teach microbial energy metabolism. In a recent study (F. Li, B. Zhang, X. Long, H. Yu, et al., Nat Commun 16:2882, 2025, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57497-z), the authors demonstrated a synthetic gene circuit that enables <i>Shewanella oneidensis</i> to produce and release phenazine-1-carboxylic acid, a redox-active metabolite that enhances extracellular electron transfer and electricity generation. This perspective highlights the significance of their work, focusing on how controlling the production of redox mediators provides new insights into microbial electron flow and bioelectronic design. Beyond its technological implications, this system also serves as a valuable educational case study for teaching principles of redox balance, gene regulation, and metabolic engineering. Viewing this advancement in the context of biology education underscores the potential of synthetic circuits to deepen our understanding of microbial metabolism and to promote interdisciplinary learning in microbiology, biotechnology, and engineering.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0029025"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13130984/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146107623","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring food spoilage: an inquiry-based laboratory for food microbiology education.","authors":"Nicola Mangieri, Stefania Arioli, Michele Isotti, Pasquale Russo, Diego Mora","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00335-25","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00335-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Proper maintenance of the cold chain is essential to ensure both food quality and safety. This laboratory activity was designed to help undergraduate students understand the microbiological implications of cold chain failure through direct microbiological analysis and data interpretation on commercial foodstuffs. We designed an inquiry-based laboratory activity for final-year undergraduate students at the University of Milan (Milan, Italy) to explore the effects of thermal abuse on microbial populations in turkey hamburgers and ready-to-eat salads. Students analyzed key microbial groups, including aerobic mesophilic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, fungi, <i>Pseudomonas</i> spp., <i>Escherichia coli</i>, <i>Enterococcus</i> spp., staphylococci, and presumptive <i>Bacillus cereus</i>, under controlled and temperature-abused storage conditions. They classified samples according to microbial load and compared their results to food microbiology guidelines to assess their quality. Survey feedback revealed student engagement, with over 85% recognizing the activity's relevance to their future careers and its impact on critical thinking. This inquiry-based laboratory promotes food quality learning by integrating microbiological techniques with real-world challenges, strengthening students' appreciation for the role of food scientists and technologists in preventing risks to public health.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0033525"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13130981/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147500244","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Quantitative digital course-based undergraduate research experience in plant biology.","authors":"Courtney J Murren, Danielle Jensen-Ryan, April Bisner, Cynthia C Chang, Hilary S Callahan, Caprice M Disbrow, Tara Enders, Michelle Geary, Lua Lopez, Larry L Lowe, Bill Martin, Mao-Lun Weng, Michael J Wolyniak, Sara A Wyse, Matthew T Rutter, Allan E Strand","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00141-25","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00141-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) provide authentic research while promoting student engagement, persistence in STEM, and skill development. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and growing demand for flexible, scalable educational tools in biology, we developed and implemented a digital CURE (DCURE) adapted from a live-plant manipulative experiment CURE. This DCURE engages students on research in <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i>, utilizing images of experimental plants and digital platforms. By eliminating the need for during-semester in-lab/course plant cultivation, this module expands equitable access to research experiences, especially for institutions or students without greenhouse or growth chamber infrastructure. Implemented across community colleges and 4-year institutions in both foundational and more advanced biology courses, the DCURE promotes transferable skills in digital literacy, data analysis, and scientific communication. Students participated in authentic scientific processes-collecting and curating data, generating and refining hypotheses, analyzing results, and contributing findings to a public research database. Formal evaluation from over 1,300 students across 5 semesters revealed significant gains in technical proficiency, confidence in data analysis, and conceptual understanding of plant biology. Faculty also reported benefits including enhanced collaboration of students within courses <i>and</i> across institutions, improving instructional design through iterative feedback, and a stronger focus on helping students connect digital methods to biological theory. The DCURE serves as a flexible, accessible, and rigorous model for integrating digital research experiences into undergraduate education. It equips students with the computational and analytical skills essential for a modern biology workforce. This model is adaptable for use in other experimental systems across the life sciences.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0014125"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13130980/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146229172","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Teaching third-year students MALDI-TOF using a combination of online interactive simulation and face-to-face practical inquiry.","authors":"Layla Mahdi, Gareth Denyer, Maurizio Costabile","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00052-26","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00052-26","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Identifying disease-causing microorganisms in patient samples is a cornerstone activity in clinical diagnostic microbiology laboratories. This process relies on traditional microbiological techniques alongside advanced technological methods, such as matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF). Despite its growing prevalence in diagnostic settings, access to MALDI-TOF equipment remains limited in smaller laboratories, in regional centers, or in third-world nations. Consequently, many students in microbiology and related academic programs often lack opportunities for hands-on experience with this technology during their education. We overcame these limitations by implementing a blended teaching approach into an Infectious Diseases course, combining face-to-face practical inquiry with an innovative MALDI-TOF online simulation. The simulation enabled students to process patient samples from various body sites (e.g., swabs, cerebrospinal fluid, etc.) by selecting appropriate culture media and performing key microbiological tests. Students then confirmed preliminary identification by loading an individual colony onto a virtual MALDI-TOF target plate for analysis. The simulation then generated data mirroring a typical MALDI-TOF report, which uses a color-coded system to indicate confidence scores. The impact of this intervention on student learning was assessed through a written laboratory report and a questionnaire featuring Likert-scale and open-ended questions. Students demonstrated significant improvements in self-reported understanding, with nearly all participants successfully passing the written assessment. The approach was found to be enjoyable, interactive, and enhanced authentic learning. This study underscores the value of simulations as a cost-effective and scalable alternative for teaching advanced diagnostic techniques when access to expensive equipment is limited.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0005226"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13130987/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147595405","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of a liquid syllabus on student engagement and sense of belonging.","authors":"Rachel H Winpisinger, Olivia M Riley, Joey Veno, Nicole Navas, Michaela A Gazdik Stofer","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00169-25","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00169-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A syllabus provides students with important course information but can also shape students' initial perceptions about a course and instructor. The use of a web-based liquid syllabus is believed to provide a positive, welcoming introduction to a course. However, the impact of liquid syllabi is understudied. We completed a mixed methods study to examine how different syllabus formats influence students' initial perceptions of an introductory biology course and instructor, specifically focusing on engagement, sense of belonging, and instructor attributes. Undergraduate students were randomly assigned to view one of three syllabus types: a traditional PDF-style, a PDF-style with welcoming language, or a website-based liquid syllabus before completing a survey about their perceptions. The liquid syllabus significantly increased students' predicted sense of belonging, engagement, and perceived instructor inclusiveness compared to both PDF formats. Furthermore, qualitative data revealed a strong student preference for the liquid syllabus, primarily due to its visual appeal, organization, and ease of navigation. Our findings indicate that a liquid syllabus is an effective tool to foster positive initial student perceptions of belonging and engagement, traits known to be important for student success in STEM disciplines.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0016925"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13131015/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146229121","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Birdbuddy in the classroom: leveraging AI-powered bird feeders for undergraduate biology education.","authors":"Manuela Tripepi, Jason Yang, Daud Tariq","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00223-25","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00223-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly transforms biological research and STEM education by enabling automated data collection and analysis. In order to teach students about biodiversity monitoring, data validation, and the importance of human oversight in machine learning, we created an activity utilizing Birdbuddy, a commercially available AI-enabled bird feeder. Students set up feeders in their local surroundings, gather automatically produced photos and species identifications, and verify the data collected to assess the accuracy of AI outputs. The activities promote conversation on AI bias and inaccuracy while highlighting transferable skills like ecological analysis, spreadsheet management, and experimental design. Birdbuddy encourages use in undergraduate classes, K-12 partnerships, and community science projects due to its low cost, portability, and ease of maintenance. In addition to promoting inclusive, experiential learning and developing an appreciation for biodiversity and the scientific method, this technology offers a scalable, affordable way to connect ecological research with AI literacy.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0022325"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13130983/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147356368","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}