JoinAll Case Studies
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In keyword search, list the criteria you would like to find cases. Multiple criteria can be listed separated by commas (i.e. directed, high school)
Educational levels are defined as follows: Elementary, Middle, High School, College
Types of cases are defined as follows: Analysis/Issues, Clicker, Debate, Intimate Debate, Demonstration, Dilemma/Decision, Directed, Discussion, Interrupted, Jig-saw, Journal Article, Laboratory, Student Presentations, Mini-case, Problem-Based Learning, Public Hearing, Role-Play, Trial, Flipped, Game
By Maryuri Roca
In this interrupted case study, two friends find unanalyzed mass spectra of a green rock suspected to be a meteorite. Students are tasked with identifying the elements present in the meteorite by analyzing the mass spectra. The purpose of this case i...
By Elizabeth C. Leininger
This case study uses the discovery and molecular structure of penicillin to teach basic chemistry concepts as they apply to biological and biologically-active molecules. Topics covered include the elements found in living things, electronegativity an...
Why Homeostasis Is Important to Everyday Activities
By Brian J. Dingmann
In this case study, a college student named "Blake" winds up in the emergency room after he experiences a panic attack brought on by drinking a mixture of beverages containing caffeine and alcohol. His panic attack results in a severe episode of hype...
By Suzanne R. Carpenter, Richard H. Wallace
Currently there is considerable confusion surrounding the use of the term "organic" as applied to food and other consumer products, but within the agriculture industry the term has a well-defined meaning related to the practices that are allowed in t...
By Tracy J. Terry
The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, provides a compelling context for understanding the importance of each of the major classes of chemical reactions: precipitation reactions, acid-base reactions, and oxidation-reduction reactions. Each of these rea...
Bioluminescence and 16th-century Caravaggism
By Yunqiu (Daniel) Wang
This case study looks at the probable connection between bioluminescence and Caravaggio's painting style in the 16th century in order to explore the mechanism of bioluminescence and its role in animal evolution and modern medicine. Recent studies hav...
By Karen K. Bernd, Cindy D. Hauser, Kristie L. Foley
The first day of class is often a reading of the syllabus, even when active learning approaches are used throughout the rest of the term. This interrupted case uses the first day to model the expectations of a course that uses case method approaches....
Developing a Holistic Understanding of Hybridization and Resonance
By Manisha Nigam
This case study is the result of the author's efforts to help students master the complex concept of resonance by unifying multiple concepts across general chemistry and organic chemistry courses. Resonance is a key building block for students' under...
The Never-Ending Contamination
By Lior M. Burko
This case study discusses a possible national security crisis of a terrorist group stealing radioactive materials in an attempt to build and detonate a dirty bomb over a densely populated metropolitan area. Specifically, this case discusses radioacti...
BSL-4: Authorized Personnel Only
By Nicole M. Anthony
This case study is based on the 2014 Ebola epidemic that spread to multiple highly populated countries in West Africa, making it the largest and most devastating outbreak in the history of the virus. The storyline, inspired by a compilation of factua...
By Annie Prud’homme-Genereux, Nicole F. Magill, Tatiana N. Bliss
In biology classes, students are typically taught that spontaneous generation does not take place. And yet, at the origin of life, life had to arise without parents from abiotic processes. What were those processes that gave rise to the first life?&n...
By Daniel R. Albert
This case study involves analysis of data collected as part of the National Football League's investigation into the New England Patriots allegedly deflating footballs to gain a competitive advantage in a 2015 playoff game. The scandal and subsequent...
By Joshua D. Hartman, Jack F. Eichler
This problem-based case study presents recent advancements in the development and application of technologies geared towards harnessing sunlight for the production of hydrogen from water. A PowerPoint presentation introduces the topic with a New York...
By William Yee, Kevin M. Bonney
This case study presents the story of "Nick," a student who has been assigned the task of writing a research paper describing the fundamentals of chemical bonds and how they relate to human life. When Nick experiences difficulty remembering informati...
By Eric J. Herrera
In 2012, Mike Prickett, a world-renowned underwater cinematographer, was working on a commercial photo shoot in Tahiti when he witnessed a fellow diver sinking and drowning. While saving the drowning victim, Mike fell victim to decompression sickness...
By Brahmadeo Dewprashad
This case study begins with a real news article about a six-month-old baby who died from an overdose of medication administered by hospital staff. The infant was diagnosed with pneumonia and given an intravenous dose of the antibiotic azithromycin, t...
By Margaret M. Larrousse
This case study is used to teach undergraduate students about hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking), a controversial method for extracting methane from shale. The controversy arises from claims that chemicals used in the fracking process and the metha...
By Joshua D. Hartman, Jack F. Eichler
This problem-based case study guides students through a systematic exploration of the scientific issues surrounding the application and development of hydrogen fuel technology. A PowerPoint presentation introduces a New York Times article about the i...
By Joshua D. Hartman, Jack F. Eichler
This problem-based case study guides students through a systematic exploration of the scientific issues surrounding the production and development of bio-fuels. A PowerPoint presentation introduces a New York Times article outlining the impact curren...
Using Oceans to Fight Global Warming?
By Joshua D. Hartman, Jack F. Eichler
This problem-based case study explores the scientific issues surrounding the use of large scale iron fertilization as a means of decreasing atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide. A PowerPoint presentation introduces a New York Times article abou...
By Richard C. Stewart, Daniel C. Stein, Kevin S. McIver, John Buchner, Ann C. Smith
In this case developed for an introductory general microbiology course, students consider concepts of bacterial genetics as they act as consultants to a foundation interested in funding innovative products. Students take the role of advising "the bar...
By J. Phil Gibson
This clicker case addresses several important concepts related to evolution. First, it explores artificial selection and selective breeding. Charles Darwin used artificial selection as an example to support his Theory of Evolution by Natural Selectio...
By Carly N. Jordan, Elizabeth A. Flaherty, Jonathan F. Prather
In this case study, students play the role of a NASA scientist tasked with analyzing samples of atmosphere and soil collected on Mars as part of the Mars Curiosity Mission. The case study takes place in the future when samples of the Martian atmosphe...
By Dan Hua, Brian R. Murphy, Michelle D. Klopfer
The Three Gorges Dam in China is one of the world's largest hydroelectric dams, providing energy for millions of people. However, the dam's construction forever altered the Yangtze River ecosystem and the lives of local residents. In this case study,...
By Wayne O. Hatch
This case relates the story of two fictional college students, Kristen and Brent, who discover that they are infected with Staphylococcus aureus. Brent recovers after using an antibiotic, but Kristen does not. It is later confirmed through testing th...
By Annie Prud’homme-Genereux
The discovery of a bacterium capable of substituting arsenic for phosphorus in its DNA was announced with much fanfare in 2010. It was immediately and very publicly critiqued by researchers posting their analyses of the paper on their blogs. The auth...
By Joshua D. Hartman, Kelly Theel, Jack F. Eichler
In this problem-based case study, students systematically explore the scientific issues surrounding the application and development of coal-to-liquid fuel technology. An introductory reading from the New York Times highlights the significant impact t...
Pharmacogenetics: How Genetic Information Is Used to Treat Disease
By Maureen Knabb
In this clicker case, two teenagers are diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), a cancer of the bone marrow where there is an abnormal overproduction of lymphocyte precursors. The girls' reactions to treatment are very different, however, ...
Murder by HIV? Grades 5-8 Edition
By Michèle I. Shuster, Naowarat (Ann) Cheeptham, Laura B. Regassa
This case study gives students an opportunity to draw a conclusion about an actual crime that was prosecuted in Louisiana. A physician was accused of intentionally infecting his ex-girlfriend with HIV-tainted blood drawn from a patient in his practic...
Murder by HIV? Grades 9-12 Edition
By Laura B. Regassa, Naowarat (Ann) Cheeptham, Michèle I. Shuster
This case study gives students an opportunity to draw a conclusion about an actual crime that was prosecuted in Louisiana. A physician was accused of intentionally infecting his ex-girlfriend with HIV-tainted blood drawn from a patient in his practic...
Murder by HIV? Undergraduate Edition
By Naowarat (Ann) Cheeptham, Laura B. Regassa, Michèle I. Shuster
This case study gives students an opportunity to draw a conclusion about an actual crime that was prosecuted in Louisiana. A physician was accused of intentionally infecting his ex-girlfriend with HIV-tainted blood drawn from a patient in his practic...
By Jack F. Eichler
In this clicker case, students are guided through the history of atomic structure, and in the spirit of discovery learning, use data from historical experiments to discern the different models of the atom. In particular, students move from the time o...
The Molecular Origin of Life: Replication or Metabolism-First? Advanced Version
By Annie Prud’homme-Genereux, Rosalind H. Groenewoud
This case explores both the evidence and inconsistencies in the two major hypotheses for the origins of life on Earth: Replication-First or Metabolism-First. The case has two versions published on this website; one is written at the introductory leve...
Is High Fructose Corn Syrup Bad for the Apple Industry?
By Jeffri C. Bohlscheid
In this interrupted case, students analyze a peer-reviewed article and apply the scientific method to solve an agricultural mystery. A fictional apple farmer and his son are trying to determine if high fructose corn syrup has led to the loss of the b...
By Brahmadeo Dewprashad
This case study on the chemistry of cocaine is in the form of a classroom discussion between a professor and her students about cocaine, its addictive properties, a search for an addiction treatment, and the chemistry involved in the synthesis of coc...
By Ling Chen, Lalitha S. Jayant
It's Mother's Day and Dolly, a high school senior, is making a Mediterranean salad for her mom, who is a college chemistry major and who likes to take every opportunity to teach Dolly what she has learned in school. Today is no exception, as she guid...
By Ling Chen, Diane R. Wang, Jennifer Y. Anderson
This case reviews concepts of monosaccharide, disaccharide, and polysaccharide and contrasts the structures of different pairs of carbohydrates as well as the structure of sorbitol, a sugar substitute. It also depicts stereo chemistry concepts such a...
By Ling Chen, Richard Hendrix
Focusing on the important role of water in living cellular chemistry, this case emphasizes the general solubility rule, "like dissolves like," which explains how water can serve as a medium for transporting the cell's soluble nutrients and wastes. Th...
By Jeffri C. Bohlscheid, Frank J. Dinan
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) has claimed approximately one-third of the commercial honeybee population in recent years. A number of causes have been suggested for this phenomenon, including the consumption of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) by the ...
A Case of Respiratory Distress
By Brahmadeo Dewprashad, Geraldine S. Vaz, Sharon A. Vaz (rr)
This clinical case study was developed to engage students by making connections between core concepts in chemistry and physiological processes in the body. The case pertains to medication-induced methemoglobinemia, its etiology, diagnosis, and treatm...