Resources and community for teaching physics for life sciences
Ben Geller
Pedagogical Methods Used
Peer Instruction / Think-Pair-Share, Collaborative problem-solving, Conceptually-oriented activities, Context-rich problems, Guided inquiry, Mathematically-focused activities, Experimentally-focused activities, Tutorials
Life Sciences Focus
I've worked on curricula related to random motion and entropy, fluid dynamics in living systems, the second law of thermodynamics and free energy, magnetic sensing and NMR/MRI, and modeling cellular and neural systems.
Education Research and Pedagogy Expertise
I'm particularly interested in questions of affect and engagement: how do the tasks we choose and the manner in which we implement them affect life science students' interest and engagement in intro physics?
Years teaching physics for life sciences
5
Describe the courses that you teach for life sciences students
I teach a two-semester introductory physics course targeting life science and biochemistry students: Introductory Physics with Biochemical and Biomedical Applications
What is your approach to teaching physics for life science students?
My goal is to leverage students' backgrounds in biology and chemistry by exploring contexts for which those backgrounds are relevant, and to be explicit about the ways in which fundamental physics informs those disciplines.
CONTRIBUTIONS
The NEXUS Physics Wikibook Printable Version (ver 0.8)
Remote Learning, Instructor supplement, Student reading, Pre-class assignmentA free set of readings for a one year IPLS course. Available as a PDF file or as free webpages. (version 0.8)
Cross-cutting Biological Concepts
Motion in One Dimension, Motion in Two Dimensions, Newton's First Law, Newton's Second Law, Newton's Third Law, Applications of Newton's Laws, Work and Energy, Linear Momentum, Electrostatics, Electric Fields and Potential, Capacitance, Resistance, DC Circuits, Surface Tension, Statics of Fluids, Geometrical Optics, Interference, Oscillations, Wave Motion, Second and Third Law, Probability, Ensembles, Diffusion
Edward Redish
Introduction to the Electrocardiogram
Student reading, Instructor supplement, Clicker question, Lecture materials, Lab, HomeworkStudents measure an ECG and work out the corresponding moving electric dipole moment of the heart
Electrical Diagnostics, Healthy Cardiovascular Function, Cardiovascular Disorders
Multipoles, Electric Field, Electrostatic Potential and Potential Energy
Catherine Crouch
Ben Geller
+ 1 more
Fluid dynamics with applications to cardiology
Homework, Instructor supplement, In-class activity, Clicker question, Lecture materials, Pre-class assignmentFluid dynamics in the context of normal and diseased physiology in the human cardiovascular system
Cardiovascular Disorders, Healthy Cardiovascular Function
Flow Rate, Bernoulli's Principle, Hagen-Poiseuille Equation, Viscosity
Catherine Crouch
Ben Geller
+ 1 more
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Resources and community for teaching physics for life sciences
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