FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Non-science majors forced to take college biology might argue that it has little relevance to their lives, but a University of Arkansas researcher has created real-life case studies that drive that relevance home.

Linda Tichenor, assistant professor of biological sciences, has created a book called Energizing Classrooms: Using Cases from the Living World (McGraw-Hill Primis Custom Publishing). The book is a supplement to The Living World, an introductory biology textbook by George Johnson of Washington University, St. Louis.

Tichenor’s text addresses real-life current areas of interest to scientists and to society: the high incidence of asthma, the fate of radioactive wastes from medical facilities, creating a better mosquito repellent, genetic research and the controversy over the use of embryonic stem cells.

"These are things they should be concerned about not only as students, but as people," Tichenor said.

In each study, Tichenor tells a story that involves biological processes in some way. In one case, parents with a terminally ill daughter must decide whether or not to enroll her in an experimental medical trial that might save her life. In another, a cyclist worries about whether or not to report that one of his competitors is taking a dangerous synthetic protein to improve his performance. In a third, the country of Iceland has sold genealogical and medical information to a U.S. company for the purpose of gene discovery. Other case studies cover topics like invasive species, junk food, endangered species, cloning and sex in space.

After outlining the story, Tichenor asks a series of open-ended questions, to which the students must find answers. Then she includes assignments that often involve defending one position or another in a controversial issue, or investigating a similar scientific issue and reporting their findings. The real-life case studies don’t present easy solutions, so the students must thoroughly investigate the topics to defend a particular position.

"Linda Tichenor’s case studies text provides an immediate solution for calls for more immediate and active learning on the part of students today," wrote Johnson in his introduction to the text.

In addition, the case studies give students insight not only into the facts of science, but also into how science works.

"You show them how science is affected by society. Sometimes economics guides science. Sometimes politics guides science. There are legal aspects and business aspects," she said. "Students need to understand that science doesn’t have all the truths figured out."

It’s important that non-biology majors get a sense of the scientific process and understand how it applies to their lives, Tichenor said.

"We all need to know the language and the relevance of biology to our lives. But art and business students don’t need to memorize the Krebs cycle," she said.

Tichenor has tested these case studies in her own classrooms and is currently working on an assessment of the effectiveness of this approach.

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