For general information about poster sessions, see https://www.ableweb.org/conferences/poster-session/.
Detecting Microplastics in Our Environment: A Public Health Concern
Jill Callahan, Katherine Wydner, Karen Wydner and Laura Twersky (St. Peter’s University)
Microplastics (MPs) have emerged as a major public health threat. Due to the global increase in plastics, scientists have proposed a new era known as the Plasticene. Despite their minute size, MPs have been shown to harm plants and animals. MPs, less than 5 mm, and nanoplastics (NPs), less than 1 µm, have been implicated as causative agents in cardiovascular diseases, neurological diseases, and cancer. They also act developmentally; for example, NPs have been shown to cause dysfunctional neurulation in chick embryos. We have developed a laboratory activity in which students examine common environmental sources of water for the presence of microplastic particles. Sources tested include commercially available bottled water, tap water, water leached from coffee cup lids or tea bags, and local sources such as pond water, rain water, or snow melt. Samples are pipetted directly onto filters or concentrated through vacuum filtration, then examined under light microscopy. Three Rules for Visual Identification have been established and are followed systematically by students to identify particles as microplastics: 1) No visible cellular or organic structures are present, 2) Fibers have consistent thickness, and 3) Fibers have clear, homogeneous color. In ambiguous cases, fibers are subjected to further scrutiny by performing the Prod Test or Hot Needle Test. Students classify plastic particles into a table based on type, shape, and color. This exercise raises students’ awareness of the contamination of our environment by MPs and will include recommendations for reducing exposure to them.
Exploring Biodiversity Indexes: Laboratory Applications in Ecology, Epidemiology and Beyond
Erick Caamano and Brandy Garret Kluthe (Saint Peter’s University)
Indexes are essential for quantifying species diversity within ecosystems, providing valuable insights into ecological health, conservation efforts, and epidemiological patterns. This laboratory explores fundamental biodiversity indexes, including species richness, Simpson’s index, Shannon’s index, dominant species index, and biodiversity evenness, detailing how to use and interpret them. The laboratory exercises assign different student groups predetermined data, with the color of the bead representing the species and the number of beads representing abundance. This laboratory aims to expose students, through hands-on simulations, to a comprehensive resource for calculating and defining these indexes and for integrating these metrics into their ecological or epidemiological research, such as monitoring habitat changes, assessing ecosystem stability, and tracking the spread of vector-borne diseases. Understanding and utilizing biodiversity indexes enables researchers and practitioners to make informed decisions in environmental management, conservation biology, and public health. This laboratory activity builds critical thinking skills and can be adapted for introductory or advanced-level courses.
Peer Collaboration versus AI-Supported Socratic Tutoring: Effects on Epistemic Emotions, Engagement, and Learning in an Undergraduate Laboratory
Christopher Day (University of California San Diego)
This study examines how peer collaboration and AI-supported Socratic tutoring influence undergraduate students’ epistemic emotions, learning experiences, and academic outcomes in a biology laboratory course. Students completed weekly open-book quizzes under two instructional conditions: working in pairs or working individually with an AI tutor. Quiz items were designed around biological scenarios that introduced conceptual and procedural uncertainty and required critical thinking. The AI tutor was configured to provide Socratic-style guidance grounded in an uncertainty-centered instructional approach, strategically raising, maintaining, and reducing uncertainty rather than supplying direct answers. Following each quiz, students completed the Epistemically-Related Emotions Scale (EES) and a set of user-experience measures assessing perceived support, engagement, and usability. Student performance on quiz items and course learning objectives was also analyzed. Using a mixed-methods analytic approach, we compare emotional responses, user experiences, and learning outcomes across instructional conditions and examine relationships among these variables. We will discuss the differences in how students experience confusion, frustration, and confidence when learning with peers versus an AI tutor. And how structured uncertainty and guided questioning affect student engagement and understanding. This work addresses the role of artificial intelligence in STEM education by providing empirical evidence on how uncertainty-centered AI tutoring compares with peer collaboration in supporting productive struggle, emotional engagement, and learning in undergraduate biology.
Biotechnology in the Fashion Industry
Julie De Zutter and Jodi Schaefer (Babson College)
The global fashion industry is one of the largest and most resource-intensive sectors in the world, generating significant environmental impact by using synthetic dyes, petroleum-based plastics, traditional leather all coupled with significant amounts of synthetic textile waste. This industrial biotechnology laboratory leverages the sustainability challenges of the fashion industry to engage business students in hands-on scientific experimentation and technology entrepreneurship. This lab integrates three experiments related to industrial biotechnology-specifically within the fashion industry: bacterial transformation and chromophore expression as a model for sustainable bio-dye production, synthesis and mechanical testing of several bioplastic formulations, and cultivation and evaluation of mycelium-based leather as an alternative biomaterial. In the chromophore experiment, students engineer bacteria to express visible pigments and analyze transformation efficiency and selection outcomes as a proof-of-concept for microbial bio-manufacturing of textile dyes. In the bioplastics experiment, students produce and quantitatively test tensile strength (MPa) and evaluate flexibility and other mechanical properties to compare material performance. In the mycelium experiment, students examine mechanical properties, texture, and durability of fungal-derived leather alternatives. During each experiment, students integrate biotechnology concepts surrounding the production and the design of sustainable materials with product design and scalability challenges, market analysis and commercialization strategies. This interdisciplinary project emphasizes the relationship between scientific testing, validation and decision making when bringing a scientific innovation to market. Students move from proof-of-concept experiments, to designing pilot-scale and commercialization strategies and bridging scientific research and technology entrepreneurship. By framing biotechnology within the context of the fashion industry, this lab gives students hands on experience with sustainable material prototyping that can be translated into lasting and innovative solutions to real-world problems.
Fungal Molecular Identification – AI-Mediated Protocol Design in a Macromolecules Laboratory
Mariana Isabel Ferrari Callejas (Universidad ORT Uruguay)
In our undergraduate Biotechnology Macromolecules Laboratory at Universidad ORT Uruguay, a core wet-lab challenge is molecular identification of a fungal isolate. Students must obtain DNA of sufficient quality and verify extraction success prior to downstream identification. Traditionally, this module relied on a predefined protocol, which supported technical execution but limited student ownership of methodological decisions. We redesigned the module so that students generated and refined their own DNA-extraction protocols, using artificial intelligence (AI) tools as mediators for learning and organization rather than answer generators. Student teams conducted AI-supported literature searching (Perplexity, Elicit, Zotero AI) and evidence synthesis (NotebookLM), drafted an initial protocol, and iteratively revised it through whole-class discussion and instructor feedback. Protocols were explicitly constrained by real laboratory resources (reagents/equipment) and by a 3.5-hour practical period. After confronting these constraints, ~99% of groups modified their initial protocol, highlighting engagement with alternative approaches and feasibility reasoning. The intervention was implemented with cohorts of >70 students and evaluated through perception surveys (students n=35; instructors n=8) and comparison of final report grades (2024 without AI vs. 2025 with AI). In 2025, evaluation rigor increased through an added oral assessment of students’ understanding of methodological choices. Student ratings were strongly positive (86.5% positive/very positive), and 84% reported high likelihood of using these tools in other courses. While mean/median grades remained similar, 2025 showed fewer low scores and a stronger concentration of grades in the 80–95% range, consistent with a strengthened methodological baseline without grade inflation.
Specification Grading Experience in Introductory Biology Laboratory
Claire Fournier and Abigail Maley (Trinity College)
To encourage better reflection on feedback and provide better opportunities for learning and growth, specification grading, using a pass/revise/fail approach, was used in an introductory biology lab setting. Students were provided with report guidelines and other supplemental materials/resources for a two-page brief report to communicate expectations. A rubric with 20 objectives was used to evaluate the report. During grading, each objective was marked as “complete” or “incomplete”. If all objectives were “complete,” the student would receive all possible points. If any objectives were “incomplete,” the student would be provided with written feedback for those objectives and given a “0” on the brief report. Students were then provided the opportunity to revise the brief reports and informed that if the objectives were edited to be considered “complete,” they would receive the full 20 points. While most students received a “0” after the initial round of grading, instructors found that nearly all students resubmitted the reports with edits. Instructors felt it was beneficial to encourage students to reflect on and internalize the provided feedback in order to correct their mistakes in subsequent attempts. Despite the extra grading (initial submission and resubmission(s)) involved in this approach, instructors also found that grading each lab report was easier because of the limited options — “complete” or “incomplete” for each objective. This approach streamlined the evaluation of each lab report while still providing flexibility via written feedback for each “incomplete” objective and supported student learning via iterative writing.
An integrated approach for investigating the relationship between transpiration rates with respect to stomatal distribution and environmental factors in eudicot and monocot leaves.
William Glider, B. Gage Kircher, Amanda Maliva, Morgan Siemek and Grace McManaman (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
Stomates (stomata) are present in the leaves of the vast majority of terrestrial vascular plants (ferns, gymnosperms, and angiosperms) where they regulate respiratory and photosynthetic gas exchange between the mesophyll cells and the external environment. In addition, water vapor diffuses through the stomata into the atmosphere by the process of transpiration. This process is responsible for the upward movement of water from the roots to the leaves and for cooling the leaves via evaporation. This lab investigates the complex relationship between transpiration efficiency and (1) stomatal distribution, stomatal density, stomatal morphology and (2) environmental factors. In Part I of this lab, liquid bandage, in place of traditional clear nail polish, is used to make castes of leaf surfaces. These castes make it possible to determine stomatal density as well as to their distribution on the leaf surfaces of a variety of plant species adapted to various habitats and environmental conditions. Total leaf surface area is determined using Vernier Graphical Analysis software®. Part II of the lab uses the Vernier®Gas Pressure Sensor to determine transpiration rates of a variety of plant species with differences in stomal densities and distribution as well as under a variety of environmental conditions. The original Vernier protocol has been significantly modified; resulting in more reliable and consistent data. In addition, an inexpensive experimental chamber has been constructed to minimize the effects of changes in the external environment. Temperature and humidity sensors inserted into the chamber make it possible to track simultaneous changes in these two variables on transpiration rates. These activities can be combined to create multi-week lab explorations or as a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE).
A Scaffolded Writing Assignment Centered on Conveying Research to the Public
Jennifer Hayden and Audrey Ettinger (Cedar Crest College)
Communicating scientific concepts to the public is a key skill, especially as misinformation around public health, climate change, and other important issues is increasing. We designed an assignment where students write for a general public audience about a research question, often one they are actively investigating within a campus research program. A series of scaffolded, graded assignments help students build toward a polished final product. First, students post public-friendly titles and brief descriptions of their intended topics to an online discussion board. Classmates provide feedback, including insightful and often witty title revisions. Instructors provide private feedback to each student, who is required to acknowledge that input before receiving credit for completing the discussion board. Students then submit a full-length first draft, with an emphasis on posing a research question, explaining its significance, and minimizing jargon. Peer reviews are facilitated through our learning management system, and students use this feedback to revise their work. Then, students request two additional reviews from a professional writing tutor and a student-identified non-scientist reviewer. A student choice opportunity is whether these final reviews happen consecutively, followed by an additional revision step, or concurrently. For their final graded submission, students must include all three collected reviews and their step-wise revisions. Points are allocated to giving meaningful input to a peer and to incorporating input they received, and students are expected to explain any choice to exclude input that they found unhelpful. We will demonstrate how this assignment can be adapted for use in a variety of lab courses and will include examples of student work through the editing process.
Yeast fermentation: choose your own adventure
Catarina Mata, Borough of Manhattan Community College/City University of New York
In this three-hour stand-alone lab students will use yeast to test cellular respiration, namely alcoholic fermentation. They will be able to follow fermentation by measuring the volume of carbon dioxide produced in glass fermentation tubes. Students brainstorm about factors possibly affecting yeast fermentation previously taught in lecture. They can question the effect of substrates, temperature and added chemicals for their efficiency in producing CO2. Various fruit juices, sugars such as sucrose, glucose, fructose and lactose are available, as are all major artificial sweeteners. Each group may choose their own question, such as “Is yeast lactose intolerant?”, “What juice is best to make booze?”, “Can yeast ferment artificial sweeteners?”. Common controls are identified and distributed through the groups to be shared thus maximizing the variables to be tested. Students create their hypothesis and design their own simple experiments, organize the data and briefly present the results to the class at the end of lab. Lab reports are written on their own research choice. In this short but real scientific inquiry lab, having choice and being tasked with experimental design engages and motivates students.
Advancing Scientific Literacy through Writing-Intensive, Inquiry-Based Neurobiology Courses
Nicole Robertson, John Tullai and Claire Herrington (Boston University)
Writing-intensive, inquiry-based course-labs may play a central role in advancing scientific literacy in undergraduate biology education. NE 102: Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology and NE 203: Principles of Neuroscience at Boston University integrate structured writing with experimental inquiry, enabling students to develop skills in critical reading, scientific reasoning, and effective communication. In NE 102,the laboratory component utilizes experimental modeling to investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease. Within this course, students learn and execute foundational microbiological techniques while writing a scientific manuscript summarizing their experiments. In NE 203, students transition to designing and carrying out independent research projects using transgenic Drosophila melanogaster (GAL4/UAS). These projects are structured around scaffolded writing assignments that culminate into the development of a mock research grant proposal based on students’ own hypotheses. To gauge the success of the courses in improving scientific literacy, upperclassmen neuroscience majors and recent graduates completed surveys. Students that have taken these lab courses have expressed understanding of scientific concepts and readiness to engage in scientific spheres, both of which they largely attribute to the active inquiry built into these classes. In addition, evaluation of final assignments in both courses reveal an overall student adherence to rubric guidelines and satisfaction of learning benchmarks, indicating fulfillment of writing-intensive course objectives. Both NE 102 and 203 advance scientific literacy in undergraduate students through active inquiry, application of knowledge to writing assignments, and evaluation of writing skills. These courses simulate the scientific process and foster understanding of both practical and theoretical skills of biological research. This assessment of writing intensive hubs in inquiry-based laboratory courses can inform curriculum development at Boston University and beyond. Incorporating writing-intensive learning objectives in research courses supports active learning, critical thinking skills, and career readiness in undergraduate students.
Cultivating STEM Identity Through Undergraduate Laboratory Experiences: A Study of Cohorted STEM-Underrepresented Students’ Self-Efficacy and Motivation
Kari Jensen and Kari Thierer (Northeastern University)
Poor experience in an introductory STEM laboratory course leads to failure to persist in STEM majors, particularly among first-generation, underrepresented minorities, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. The purpose of this Action Research study was to investigate and improve Gateway Program students’ STEM identity, self-efficacy, and motivation to persist in STEM majors. Participants and data collected in Cycle 1 explored the beliefs and perceptions of Gateway Program students in a traditional introductory biology laboratory course and the extent to which the course shaped their beliefs about STEM persistence in future STEM courses and careers. Action steps, including the introduction of a CURE (Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience), were developed, implemented, and evaluated in Cycle 2 to assess their influence on STEM identity development and persistence intentions among Gateway Program students. Findings included that STEM identity within Gateway Program students is enhanced by participation in a CURE laboratory and can serve to create a sense of belonging in STEM coursework and careers, improve resiliency, improve students’ perception of their role in science, and create increased personal interest and relevance. The study concluded that participation in CURE-based laboratories positively affected Gateway Program students’ perceptions of authentic research, self-efficacy, STEM identity development, and motivation. Implications for the organization included improved undergraduate biology laboratory curricula.
Posters as Pedagogy: Rethinking Laboratory Assessment
K. Joy Karnas (Cedar Crest College)
Traditional laboratory assessment frequently relies on reports centered on single or multi-week activities. While effective for documenting procedures, these formats rarely promote synthesis across experiments, emphasize the relevance of findings, or develop oral communication skills. To better align assessment with authentic scientific practice, routine lab reports were replaced with a semester-long poster project serving as a culminating activity in undergraduate upper-division laboratory courses.Because many students have limited experience creating scientific posters, the assignment is scaffolded through structured developmental activities distributed across the semester. Students submit poster components—such as layout drafts, figures with legends, and discussions of expected outcomes—and receive targeted feedback that supports revision and refinement. As posters develop, students integrate experimental purpose, methodology, data analysis, and interpretation, encouraging them to connect laboratory techniques with broader scientific reasoning rather than treating experiments as isolated tasks. The semester concludes with a structured tag-team poster presentation in which students present selected aspects of their work in a logical sequence mirroring professional poster sessions. Each segment reinforces scientific communication for the presenting student while simultaneously serving as a comprehensive content review for the class, deepening collective understanding of experimental design, protocols, and analytical approaches. Beyond functioning as assessment, the poster framework reflects authentic disciplinary practice. When projects yield novel findings, students have extended their work to regional conference presentations, further strengthening their communication skills and engagement with the scientific community. This model reframes assessment as a developmental learning experience that promotes conceptual integration, confidence, and participation in scientific discourse.
Artificial Intelligence: Friend or Foe? Experience in the Introductory Biology Laboratory
Abigail Maley and Claire Fournier (Trinity College)
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, such as ChatGPT, has skyrocketed among undergraduate students as an easy way to utilize generative AI. Although these are powerful tools, educators have struggled to keep pace with the overuse and misuse of AI chatbots in the classroom and laboratory. We designed an asynchronous, online activity for an introductory biology laboratory to encourage students to recognize the limitations of these tools and to learn how to use them in ways that support, rather than supplant, their own thinking and development as scientists. Because this activity was due before the first lab report assignment of the semester, it was also meant to demonstrate a potential use of AI for such an assignment and to explore where the use of AI would violate academic dishonesty policies. This activity familiarized students with the acceptable use of this technology both on campus and in this specific course, discussed the various shortcomings and weaknesses of AI, provided tips on writing effective prompts, and used multiple-choice scenario-focused questions to reinforce learning. Students were then provided information and direction about using specific, academic-focused AI chatbots, such as ScholarGPT, to search the primary literature. Finally, students were offered the chance to provide feedback and ask questions at the end of the activity. This activity offers a low-effort way to introduce students to the potential of AI as a powerful research tool while cautioning them against AI abuse or overuse.
A blood analysis lab in an asynchronous non-science majors Forensic Biology course
Kathy Nolan (St. Francis University) and Jill Callahan (St. Peter’s University)
In our Forensic Biology course students learn about hematopoiesis, the differences between various types of animal red blood cells, blood typing, blood doping, and blood pattern analysis. We have found that combining learning about the biology of blood with applications of this knowledge through crime scene analysis makes the material more relevant to the students. Blood typing of evidence can provide initial identifying information about a suspect or victim of a crime. Students learn about blood typing through this virtual lab https://accessdl.state.al.us/AventaCourses/access_courses/virtuallabs_ua_v21/01_unit/01-01/01-01_learn.htm?fbclid=IwAR2I8uG3o5KQeucWJCgulq1LIV83576uwK7euOpIPOElvLHvXrqHgNvE-3k and turn in related questions. At home, students perform a simulated blood pattern analysis lab. Blood pattern analysis is important because it can illuminate details of a crime such as the position the body was in before death, height and angle of impact. Students are required to drop simulated blood from a measured height onto a surface and record the diameter of the drop and note any satellites. They measure the angle of blood “falling” onto paper or cardboard on a clip board and determine the direction of movement. and make imprints of objects (transfer patterns) that have been in contact with “blood” such as fingerprints, a shoeprint or a golf ball. In this exercise, the students get to see first-hand how math and physics can be applied to a biological substance and can therefore be used to solve problems.
An Exploration of Farmingdale State College Campus Animal Biodiversity Using the Clay Caterpillar Decoy Method
Peter Park (Farmingdale State College)
Biodiversity is the study of living things and their interactions. Ecologists have employed the clay caterpillar decoy method to quantify biodiversity, which has recently been adapted to science education. Caterpillar decoys are used to detect the presence of their predators, leaving behind bite marks. This method has been used in Summer 2024 and Summer 2025 to investigate predator biodiversity across sites on the Farmingdale State College campus. In 2024, an undisturbed forest hiking path was compared to an urban parking site. The hiking path had a greater diversity of predators, but decoys were bitten at a faster rate in the parking lot. In 2025, two urban sites were compared – a pedestrian walking path (high foot traffic) adjacent to Lupton Hall and a parking lot (high car traffic). While biodiversity values were the same between the two sites, the pedestrian path had larger invertebrate predators and decoys were bitten at a faster rate. The two projects combined suggest that urban sites may have similar biodiversity which may consist of different predator composition while forests could be safer for caterpillars so long as adequate forage is available.
*This poster is a follow-up to one of the majors’ workshops
Optimization of Bacterial Identification Protocols for Large, Introductory Biology Labs
Soojung Seo, University of Alabama
Bacterial identification has evolved with time: here, we use two techniques to bridge the classical with modern methods. In our large enrollment, introductory biology lab course, students identify unknown bacterial strains using microscopy (Gram staining) and molecular biology (16s rRNA sequencing) while learning how to apply the information. Gram staining is a classical technique for differentiating Gram status, where Gram positive stain purple due to their thick peptidoglycan layer, and Gram-negative bacteria stain pink. For more specific identification of bacteria, students learned and performed a portion of the steps of 16s rRNA gene sequencing. The students were allowed to choose one of three unknown bacterial strains, then extracted the genomic DNA from lysates using alkaline polyethylene glycol (PEG) buffer and set up the PCR reaction to isolate the 16s gene. Using BLAST, sequences from the PCR reaction were analyzed to identify their unknown. Incorporating hands-on techniques such as microbiology, molecular biology, and bioinformatics in a large, introductory biology course serving 1,500 students across an academic year poses many challenges, including diversity of student skill levels and interests and scale of material preparation. Through several iterations and protocol optimization, we developed protocols which can be easily adapted into large, introductory labs. Through this work, we have created a course that exposes students to basic lab techniques (pipetting, microscopy), while allowing them to participate in simplified versions of advanced procedures (molecular biology, bioinformatics) to identify the unknown bacteria of their choices. In our introductory biology labs, students engage with multiple methods of identifying bacterial strains, enabling students to build connections between molecular, biochemical, and bioinformatic techniques while becoming proficient at foundational lab skills.
Fostering Science identity in the Microbiology lab through self-reflections
Sreeparna Vappala (University of British Columbia)
Students who develop a strong science identity are significantly more likely to persist in scientific fields and pursue related careers. In this study, we explore a structured reflective approach designed to foster science identity within a third-year undergraduate microbiology laboratory course. Guided reflection surveys are administered at three key points during the term, at the beginning, midpoint, and end, to capture the evolution of students’ self-perceptions and growth over time. These surveys prompt students to reflect on multiple dimensions of science identity, including their self-assessment of scientific competence, the extent to which they see themselves as scientists, and how they believe peers and society perceive them in scientific roles. Students also identify the strengths and challenges they bring to their laboratory work and articulate strategies for addressing those challenges. Because interest in the subject matter is a key driver of science identity development, the surveys also gauge students’ level of interest and engagement with the course content. These structured reflections are intentionally embedded within course instruction. Themes emerging from student responses are revisited during lectures to explicitly connect laboratory practice with the broader process of becoming a scientist. By integrating reflection into the curriculum, we aim to make identity development both visible and actionable. This poster will discuss our methodology and our experience incorporating the reflective survey into a microbiology laboratory course.
Structured Use of Generative AI to Support Scientific Thinking in Introductory Biology Laboratories
Ethell Vereen and Dwaan Davenport (Morehouse College)
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools are increasingly available to students, yet their role in supporting scientific reasoning in laboratory courses remains underexplored. This study investigates the structured integration of generative AI tools into introductory biology laboratory activities to support key components of scientific thinking, including hypothesis development, data interpretation, and consideration of alternative explanations. Participants include undergraduate students enrolled in introductory biology laboratories at Morehouse College. During selected laboratory activities, students engage with structured AI prompts designed to encourage reflection on experimental design and interpretation of experimental results. Data collection includes anonymous pre- and post-activity surveys and de-identified written reflections generated during routine coursework. This poster presents the instructional framework used to guide responsible AI use, preliminary insights into student perceptions of AI-supported scientific reasoning, and practical strategies for integrating AI tools into laboratory instruction while maintaining student ownership of scientific thinking.