JoinAll Case Studies
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Suggested Keywords, to help with your search (besides selecting subjects): clicker cases, directed cases, interrupted cases, discussion cases, intimate debate cases. As a reminder, all cases may be adjusted to meet the needs of your student level. See our case use guidelines.
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Sorting Trash with Static Electricity
By Bruce C. Palmquist
Recycling plastic is an effective way to reduce waste in landfills. However, in order to effectively reuse recycled plastic, different types of plastics must be separated from one another. This is a time intensive task. Engineers in Japan have tested...
Differential Diagnosis and Treatment of an Autoimmune Response
By Alisa J. Petree, Sondra A. Dubowsky, Mary A. Sides
There are a number of medical disorders that mimic each other and accordingly prove problematic for diagnosis, including autoimmune disorders (rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus), bacterial infections (syphilis), and arthropod born...
From Gummy Bears to Celery Stalks
By Kevin M. Bonney
This is an interrupted case study that intersperses information about diffusion and osmosis with content review and knowledge application questions, as well as a simple experiment that can be conducted without the use of a laboratory. This case study...
By Catherine Dana Santanello, Scott J. Bergman
This story is based on the true account of a student who suffered years of misdiagnoses of her illness while she was in a professional school. As the case evolves, students follow the course of Sarah's illness. Part I of the case details the signs of...
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 Jennifer M. Dechaine, James E. Johnson
This interrupted case study investigates the geographic origin of white-nose syndrome (WNS) in little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus). WNS is a devastating fungal disease caused by the fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans (formerly known as Geomyces de...
By Cassy L. Cozine, Emily C. Gripka
This interrupted case study was designed for an upper level course in immunology where the topic of autoimmunity is discussed in detail. The storyline follows a woman with Celiac Disease and the effects that this autoimmune disease has on her l...
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 Eric Ribbens
This autobiographical case study presents the story of Eric as he learns that he has a genetic eye disease, which progresses to the point that he becomes legally blind. The story is true and, in this respect, similar to another case by the same autho...
The Big Bad Wolf or Symbol of the American Wilderness?
By Morgan Gray, Mario K. Klip, Alex R. Krohn, Ryan A. Marsh, Leslie A. McGinnis
Students enrolled in natural resource programs typically have classroom experience in science-based curricula with little exposure as to how to apply that science to real-life issues. This case study was designed to introduce students to understandin...
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 Giovanni Casotti
This case study presents a fictional story in a realistic setting to teach aspects of human cardiovascular and respiratory physiology as they pertain to decompression sickness and its treatment options. Specifically, students learn about the partial ...
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...
By Susan D. Hester
This case study presents three true stories of people who suffered fatal hyponatremia (low sodium concentration in their body fluids) after consuming excessive amounts of water. Students examine the tonicity of the extracellular environment created b...
By Eric Ribbens, Andrew C. Lydeard
Did Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States, have children with his slave Sally Hemings? This PowerPoint clicker case explores this controversial question as students consider the evidence for Jefferson as the father of Eston Hemings, ...
By Tonya Laakko Train
This case is based on the true story of a woman with choriocarcinoma, a rare type of rapidly dividing and metastatic cancer derived from cells of the placenta. The case begins with Yvette being admitted to a hospital due to neurological irregularitie...
Diabetes and Insulin Signaling
By Kristy J. Wilson
Cellular signaling, otherwise known as signal transduction, is the mechanism by which cellular context and environmental situation are used to regulate or adjust cellular behavior. Multicellular organisms use cellular signaling to coordinate response...
By Dorothy P. Debbie
The incidence of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), including severe infection, has increased in both institutional settings and the general community. This case study presents the story of an elderly woman who spent time in a hospital and then i...
By John T. Ripple, Stephen E. Marcaccio, Daniel R. Sherman, Philip J. Stephens
This interrupted case study in gastric physiology follows the story of Frank, a businessman under a lot of stress who has a car accident while driving home from work one night. Frank has low blood insulin levels and high blood sugar levels that his d...
By Andrew E. Lyman-Buttler
Emerging diseases and potential pandemics make the news nearly every year. Students (and everyone else) may wonder where new infectious diseases come from, how scientists assess the risk of a pandemic, and how we might go about preventing one. This c...
Organic Chemistry and Your Cellphone
By Courtney E. Meyet, Richard J. Hooley
This case study guides students through a systematic exploration of the synthesis and properties of poly(phenylene vinylene) (PPV), the first conjugated polymer applied as an organic light-emitting diode (OLED). Students determine how to synthesize a...
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, ...
By Geffrey F. Stopper, Andrew G. Lazowski
This interrupted case study teaches probability theory and transmission genetics through their application to the conservation of the endangered Florida panther. An endangered population is unlikely to survive simply due to its small population size....
By Parks Collins
Although gray wolves once freely roamed North America, the gradual loss of their habitat from westward expansion and extermination programs led to their demise in the early 20th century. Many argue that predators such as wolves benefit a functioning ...
By Jennifer E. Schaefer
Cholera is a commonly explored disorder when teaching transmembrane transport....
Under the Knife and Completely Aware
By Patrick R. Field, Gabrielle Gangemi, Taylor Kinsley
This case study is based on a newspaper article about the suicide of Sherman Sizemore shortly after he underwent an exploratory laparotomy (abdominal surgery). After his surgery, Sherman experienced symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress dis...
By Stephanie L. Luster-Teasley, Rebecca L. Ives
Life has changed for the rural residents of Farmville County since the arrival of four concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs); the air has an odor, wildlife has decreased, and illnesses are on the rise. One of the town's residents has become ...
By Philip J. Stephens
Scallops are bivalve mollusks that live on the seabed. This way of life makes them susceptible to predation and so they have evolved the ability to escape by swimming. This interrupted case study is based on a few observations and simple experiments ...
The Curious Case of the Carbon Copy Kitty
By Nancy M. Boury
After the media coverage of Dolly the sheep and pet cloning, most students in a general biology or general genetics course will have heard of animal cloning, but it is also common for them to hold a number of misconceptions about the science of mamma...
From Cow Juice to a Billion Dollar Drug, With Some Breakthroughs in Between
By Justin F. Shaffer
Before the discovery of insulin in 1921, being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes was a death sentence. Despite the successful management of diabetes with purified animal insulin, potentially severe side effects were abundant, and alternative ways to pro...
The Buzz about Colony Collapse Disorder
By Robyn R. Oster, Bonnie S. Wood
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), the widespread loss of honeybees, has devastating repercussions for the environment, industry, and the economy. This case study explores the possible causes, effects, and treatments for CCD by focusing on a family of h...
By Debra A. Meuler
This whimsical case introduces students to the topic of dorsal/ventral (DV) axis formation in amphibians. After the recent birth of a good-sized clutch of eggs, Heather Pipiens is pleased to see that most of her little larvae are doing fine, but alar...
By Kuei-Chiu Chen
This "clicker case" is based on several articles published in 2010 that determined the genealogy of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun based on microsatellite DNA analysis. The case begins with a description of the seven royal mummies found in ...
By Maureen Knabb
This "clicker" case presents the true story of a 20-year-old athlete who developed a life threatening reaction to anesthesia during a simple elective surgical procedure. His response was unexpected, but not unusual for individuals who possess an inhe...
Sick on a South American Sugarcane Plantation
By Kevin M. Bonney
This case study familiarizes readers with a disease that affects millions of people in Central and South America while illustrating a relatively uncommon route of transmission. The narrative is based on reports of oral transmission of Trypanoso...
A Family in Need: In-Class Case Study on Cancer Genetics
By Janet A. De Souza-Hart
This case is designed as an in-class, problem-based learning activity for students to learn about several innovative medical applications of molecular biology. Students assume the role of a second-year medical student assigned to work with a pediatri...
A Family in Need: Internet-Enhanced Case Study on Cancer Genetics
By Janet A. De Souza-Hart
This problem-based learning case was designed for students to learn about several innovative medical applications of molecular biology. Students assume the role of a second-year medical student assigned to work with a pediatric oncologist who has jus...
By Anastasia P. Maines
This interrupted case study provides students with an opportunity to compare and contrast methods for controlling spotted knapweed, an invasive species in the United States that has raised considerable concern in western pastures and rangeland. Stude...
Caribou Conservation Conundrum
By Kyla Flanagan, Jalene M. LaMontagne
As a Government of Canada biologist, "Rachael Mercer" faces the task of advising the Environment Minister on whether a proposed wolf cull should be carried out to conserve threatened caribou populations in the Northern Alberta oilsands region. The Al...