When curiosity is sparked...

Today in neuroscience class, I introduced the students to an EV3 robotic input-output system, aiming to draw parallels between robotics and the human nervous system.

I set up the robot with three sensors—touch, ultrasonic, and light—and programmed it with four input-output triggers. If students pushed the button, the motor would move. If they placed an object within three inches of the ultrasonic sensor, the robot would "growl." The light sensor triggered a heart display when a white surface was placed over it, and "angry eyes" when a black surface was detected.

While the button and ultrasonic sensor triggers were relatively easy for students to find, the light sensor triggers posed more of a challenge, encouraging deeper exploration.

Afterward, I prompted a discussion about how this robot system is similar to the human nervous system. We compared each robot part to neuron types—sensory, interneurons, and motor neurons—and talked about the implications of mimicking life through neural networks versus the simplicity of robotic code.

This exploration set the stage for future lessons on sensory-stimulus pathways, reflexes, and reactions, helping students understand the complexity of human input-output systems compared to robotic ones.
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Check out some photos of the robot in action below!

In my biochemistry class, I recently introduced a very simple yet effective game: “Memory.” This classic game, where players match pairs of cards, turned out to be a fantastic way for students to learn functional groups. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of this earlier! The concept is straightforward and easily adaptable to any subject matter that requires memorization of pairs—whether it’s names and their corresponding symbols, shapes, equations, or even algorithms. In this case, I used it to help students memorize the names of functional groups, such as “alcohol,” and match them with their corresponding structures. I simply bought a bunch of index cards from the dollar store, wrote the names on half of them and the structures on the other half, and the students were off to the races after a quick explanation.

What surprised me the most was how effective this simple game turned out to be. Functional groups are foundational in biochemistry—they pop up repeatedly as we move from studying small molecules to exploring larger biological macromolecules. They are crucial for understanding secondary structure forces in amino acids, the folding patterns in proteins driven by hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions, and much more. By playing “Memory,” students weren’t just memorizing the names and structures; they were also engaging in active learning, which helped reinforce their understanding in a fun and interactive way.

​Initially, I worried that the game might be too basic or that students wouldn’t take it seriously, but it turned out to be a hit! Not only was it an easy lesson plan to implement, but it also became a valuable tool for revising and reinforcing knowledge as we progressed through more complex topics. The game offered a dynamic way to break the monotony of traditional lectures and keep students engaged. It proved to be a versatile strategy that I could see applying to many other topics in biochemistry and beyond. Click here for more classroom related examples of Memory.