Case Study 1 — Should we say no to GMOs? The debate about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in our food is heated and politicized. This debate is complicated by the amount of misleading information online and in the news, and deciding which resources are trustworthy is often confusing. This case study uses GMOs as a
Case Study 1 – The man with no memory Henry Molaison, known by thousands as “H.M.”, is probably the best known single patient in the history of neuroscience. His severe memory impairment, which resulted from experimental brain surgery to control seizures, was the subject of study for five decades until his death in December 2008.
Case Study 1: What is this mysterious disease? This case study examines the earliest reports of what we now know were AIDS cases. The medical community was perplexed and the public was scared because the cause of this disease and mode of transmission were not understood. Students will use the data provided to think about
How do our choices change our brains? This key culminating unit brings together all the understanding the students have acquired with an in-depth investigation of how their choices affect their brains, as well as how their brains affect their choices. The students begin by drawing upon their understanding of how neurons collaborate to form a
How do our neurons work together to control behaviors? This unit expands what students now understand about how neurons talk to each other, to take a look at more complex behaviors. Carrying on with the theme of using examples that students will find personally relevant, the unit begins by exploring the sleep-wake cycle. Students keep
How do our neurons communicate with each other? This unit investigates how neurons are able to communicate with each other to send electrical signals from one part of the brain to another. As an example everyone can relate to, the students begin this unit by exploring how many different factors can influence our perception of
What are the building blocks of our brains? This unit explores the neuron as the primary building block of our brains. During this unit students learn how the neuron is put together and how it does what it does, and what can happen when different parts of the neuron fail to function as a result
How does this knowledge apply to me? This key culminating unit brings together all the understanding the students have acquired investigating the composition of food, digestion and metabolism, metabolic diseases, and how to evaluate nutritional research. But this leaves the question: How can I apply this information to my life? How can you use what
How do I identify ‘good’ and ‘bad’ food? In this unit we focus on the experimental processes used to identify ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods, and how these experiments are translated to the public. We will critically evaluate some examples of nutrition research to understand how the design limitations of nutritional research contribute to confusion behind
What is metabolic disease? In this unit we will focus on the question: What is metabolic disease? We will first define and investigate the metabolic and physiological causes of obesity. Once we understand what obesity is, we can relate it to diseases like diabetes and atherosclerosis, which are both affected by obesity. In all the