JoinAll Case Studies
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Breathing Easy About New Air Pollution Standards
By Kathryn L. Rowberg
A town meeting is the backdrop for a role-playing case about ground-level ozone air pollution. The case consists of a flier and scripts drawn from public comment records on the government mandate to reduce ground-level ozone by limiting nitrogen oxid...
Is Iron Fertilization Good for the Sea?
By LeLeng To Issacs (rr)
This case study describes experiments to seed the ocean with iron to encourage algae growth. It explores how human activities contribute to greenhouse effects and global warming, proposals to potentially counteract these effects and make the ocean mo...
By Debra L. Stamper
In this case study on sickle cell anemia, students are introduced to some of the key researchers responsible for determining the molecular basis of the disease and learn about the functioning of erythrocytes as well as the notion that changes in the ...
By M. Elizabeth Strasser
The setting for this case study is a paleontological dig in East Africa, where “Sam,” an American undergraduate student, has unearthed part of what appears to be an ancestral human skull. Students read the case story and then, in the lab, they ex...
Can a Genetic Disease Be Cured?
By Michael S. Hudecki (rr)
In this discussion case, parents must decide whether or not to enroll their sons in an experimental treatment program designed to alleviate the symptoms of muscular dystrophy. The case explores the genetics and physiology of the disease as well as th...
Microbial Pie, or What Did You Feed the Neighbors?
By Theresa Hornstein
The Emergency Room seems busier than usual, and the cases coming in are all too similar. Everyone seems to be suffering from the same symptoms - abdominal pain, vomiting, and bloody diarrhea. Once the hospital staff identify the bacteria ...
By Nancy A. Schiller, Clyde Freeman Herreid
The discovery of a mammoth frozen in the Siberian tundra is the backdrop for this case study, which explores theories for the extinction of the great Ice Age mammals and Homo neanderthalensis....
Should Dinosaurs Be Cloned from Ancient DNA?
By Constance M. Soja, Deborah Huerta
Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park, as a novel and then a blockbuster movie, reawakened the public's fascination with dinosaurs. Although dinosaurs have always been popular, Spielberg's sophisticated cinema computer graphics thrilled human imagination ...
Endangered? The Scenic St. Croix River
By Pamela Davis (rr)
Managing the St. Croix River has sparked tremendous controversy due to conflicting uses of the river. At risk is the water quality and aesthetic value of this National Scenic Riverway. The drama unfolding around the St....
By Jennifer Nelson, Clyde Freeman Herreid
The setting for this case is the family dinner table, where a heated discussion about genetically altered foods is taking place. Marsha Cumberland’s brother-in-law has joined the family for dinner. Ed is an industry official whose job it is to deci...
By Susannah Gal, Jessie W. Klein
In this true story, students examine the case of a woman with a family predisposition to cancer who is considering genetic testing. Students learn about various aspects of DNA testing and determine how to counsel the woman. The case was designed for ...
By Lok C. Lew Yan Voon
This case analyzes the principles of thermodynamics and the operating cycle of an adiabatic demagnetizing refrigerator (ADR), a piece of equipment NASA uses to keep x-ray detectors cold enough to work. A synthesis of all the basic principles of...
Is That Pill You're Taking Safe?
By Janis Hammer
This dilemma cased is based on the actual development, FDA approval, and market withdrawal of dexfenfluramine, a drug used in the late 1990s in combination with phentermine for weight loss....
By Ann W. Fourtner, Charles R. Fourtner, Clyde Freeman Herreid
The ethics of human experimentation are explored in this case about the infamous syphilis studies performed at the Tuskegee Institute from the 1930s to the 1960s. Sponsored by the U.S. Public Health Service, 399 African American men with syphilis wer...
By Ed Acheson
"Tom Brown" is arrested at the airport on his way home for winter break and charged with possession of cocaine when a drug sniffing dog detects traces of the narcotic in his carry-on bag. Some of the money he is carrying has apparently been contamina...
By Jane Marantz Connor
Students evaluate a research proposal to determine if it is consistent with ethical principles and federal guidelines for conducting research with human subjects. The case can be taught either as a discussion case or using role-playing. This ca...
The Deforestation of the Amazon
By Philip Camill
In this case study, students examine tropical deforestation in the Amazon from the perspective of three dominant stakeholders in the region: a peasant farmer, logger, and environmentalist. As part of the exercise, students perform a cost-benefit anal...
By Jessie W. Klein
In this case, students are shown the relevance of chemistry in daily decision-making by taking a look at the popular dietary supplement, s-adenosylmethionine (SAMe), widely used in Europe for depression, arthritis, and liver disease and now available...
By Christa Colyer
This case describes the pioneering work of Ignaz Semmelweis and his efforts to remedy the problem of childbed fever in mid-19th century Europe. Its purpose is to teach students about the scientific method by "dissecting" the various steps invol...
By Nancy A. Schiller, Clyde Freeman Herreid
Using problem-based learning and role-playing, students analyze the geological origins of the Galapagos Islands, their colonization, species formation, and threats to their biodiversity in this story of a graduate student caught between local fisherm...
By Ann W. Fourtner, Charles R. Fourtner, Clyde Freeman Herreid
In this role-playing case study on Parkinson’s disease, students learn about brain injury and brain repair mechanisms, the physical and psychological effects of a degenerative disease on a patient and her family, the ethics of fetal tissue research...
The Slippery Slope of Litigating Geologic Hazards
By David L. Ozsvath
This case, based on a lawsuit brought against the County of Los Angeles by homeowners suing over damage to their homes in the wake of the Portuguese Bend Landslide, teaches students principles of landslide movement while illustrating the difficulties...
By Shoshana Tobias, Clyde Freeman Herreid
In this role-playing case study, students attempt to determine the identity of a variety of human fossils based on characteristics described during a “quiz show.” The case was designed to be used in a general biology class for freshman stud...
AIDS and the Duesberg Phenomenon
By Clyde Freeman Herreid
Renowned virologist and member of the prestigious National Academy of Science, Peter Duesberg has argued that AIDS is not caused by HIV, but is the result of recreational and anti-HIV drugs. In this PBL case, students read Duesberg’s 1999 art...
The Wolf, the Moose, and the Fir Tree
By Gary M. Fortier
In this analysis case, students study predator-prey dynamics in the Isle Royale National Park ecosystem drawing on data and findings from the article “Wolves, Moose, and Tree Rings on Isle Royale” by B.E. McLaren and R.O. Peterson published in 19...
By Lynn Austin
This case, designed for medical students, dental students, and dental hygiene students, covers the steps involved in preventing and responding to accidental needle sticks in the clinical setting. The case is particularly helpful for use with st...
By Clyde Freeman Herreid
This problem-based learning case uses Archaeopteryx, the most famous fossil in the world, to show the vital role that fossils play in understanding evolutionary history and to explore the different theories for the origin of flight and the debate ove...
By Michael A. Jeannot
This case is based on an actual article entitled "Baby Alert" that appeared in Consumer Reports (May 1999). The article raises some concerns about the safety of polycarbonate baby bottles, and recommends that parents dispose of them as a precaution. ...
By Joseph Bieron, Frank J. Dinan
This case study was inspired by a successful lawsuit brought by students against a professor at Pace University who had assigned them the task of calculating the cost of a single aluminum atom in a roll of aluminum foil. The case deals with the conce...
By Kristin B. Vessey
The Salton Sea is an “accidental” lake that receives used irrigation water from the Colorado River. Humans have profoundly altered the area’s ecosystems. The Salton Sea is important for wildlife and recreation, but is now saltier than the ocean...
By Mary Walczak, Juliette Lantz
This case was developed for use in the first weeks of a course in order to show students how participating in active learning exercises in their classes can benefit them. It uses the fictionalized story of a manager of a scientific consulting firm wh...
By Graham F. Peaslee, Juliette Lantz, Mary Walczak
In this dilemma case study, the executives of a popular restaurant chain must decide whether to use irradiated meat, in this case, beef, to protect its customers from the bacteria, E. coli. Students learn about food irradiation and discuss issues rel...
By Richard T. Brundage
This case study presents students with the challenge of working together in teams to win a photography contest. Some team members believe in aperture priority: pictures should be taken with as large an f-number as possible. The other members advocate...
By Grace A. Wang
In this decision case, students consider the pros and cons of reintroducing grizzly bears into the northwestern United States as they learn about natural resource policy and the wildlife management decision-making process. Students consider four diff...
By Yelena Aronova-Tiuntseva, Clyde Freeman Herreid
This case deals with the genetics of the hemophilic condition that afflicted the royal families of Europe. Students trace the pedigrees of the descendants of Queen Victoria and the passage of the recessive X-linked trait from ancestor to ancest...
By Clyde Freeman Herreid
This directed case study on a genetic disorder was developed for an exam on genetics for a general biology course. The case is based on an article by scientist and author Jared Diamond titled “Founding Fathers and Mothers” that appeared in ...
So, What is it that Engineers Do, Anyway?
By Ann Bisantz, Amjad Aref, Alexander Cartwright
In this case study, new engineering students are introduced to the discipline of engineering by illustrating the roles of various types of engineers in a large engineering project, the intelligent transportation system, that has the potential to impa...
By Bruce C. Allen, Clyde Freeman Herreid
This case explores the question of whether there was ever life on Mars and in doing so explores how we define life. The backdrop for the case is the 1996 revelation by NASA of evidence of life on Mars. Through a fictionalized account of the events, t...