Rebecca Brewer
@brewerbiology.bsky.social
High School Biology Teacher, Biology Now Textbook Author, Educational Resource Developer, Science Editor, and Teacher Ambassador
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-brewer-17502442/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-brewer-17502442/
An inspiring workshop in Long Beach on ocean plastics hosted by Algalita Marine Research and Education. Highlights were collecting beach nurdles, seeing urban sea 🐢, & a homegrown dinner @ Captain Charles Moore's house, who raised the alarm on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
#nurdlestoturtles
#nurdlestoturtles
August 8, 2025 at 5:05 PM
An inspiring workshop in Long Beach on ocean plastics hosted by Algalita Marine Research and Education. Highlights were collecting beach nurdles, seeing urban sea 🐢, & a homegrown dinner @ Captain Charles Moore's house, who raised the alarm on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
#nurdlestoturtles
#nurdlestoturtles
Spent a week in Oregon w/ Project ICE & COLDEX-Center for Oldest Ice Exploration. From holding 5,000 year old ice & seeing the gases trapped is inside, to sampling a 60,000 year old ice core (& keeping it afterward!), to seeing foraminifera fossils as climate indicators…it was an amazing week! ❤️🧊
June 29, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Spent a week in Oregon w/ Project ICE & COLDEX-Center for Oldest Ice Exploration. From holding 5,000 year old ice & seeing the gases trapped is inside, to sampling a 60,000 year old ice core (& keeping it afterward!), to seeing foraminifera fossils as climate indicators…it was an amazing week! ❤️🧊
One of the most thoughtful end of the year gifts from a student that used to live in Hawaii and he made it himself, so talented! Happy Summer everyone! 🥰 😎🌺
June 3, 2025 at 6:34 PM
One of the most thoughtful end of the year gifts from a student that used to live in Hawaii and he made it himself, so talented! Happy Summer everyone! 🥰 😎🌺
Students examined plastics in our environment by sampling the air for microfibers (there were lots!), viewing H2O samples from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, sifting through ocean beach sand (many nurdles & microplastics). Looking forward to learning more of the impacts this summer with Algalita!
May 29, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Students examined plastics in our environment by sampling the air for microfibers (there were lots!), viewing H2O samples from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, sifting through ocean beach sand (many nurdles & microplastics). Looking forward to learning more of the impacts this summer with Algalita!
Using remote sensing, students tracked bats in the woodlot behind our school and learned about WNS (white-nose syndrome), a fungus spreading among native 🦇 populations, interrupting their hibernation and killing bats in Michigan and other states. #place-basedteaching
May 22, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Using remote sensing, students tracked bats in the woodlot behind our school and learned about WNS (white-nose syndrome), a fungus spreading among native 🦇 populations, interrupting their hibernation and killing bats in Michigan and other states. #place-basedteaching
AP Bio learned about parental care to discover mom & dad pigeons make milk by performing a mock brain biopsy & ELISA test for the presence of prolactin. Then modeled prolactin gene activation & learned of other lactating non-mammals. The 3rd case study I authored for Science Communication Lab! 🙂
May 19, 2025 at 9:50 PM
AP Bio learned about parental care to discover mom & dad pigeons make milk by performing a mock brain biopsy & ELISA test for the presence of prolactin. Then modeled prolactin gene activation & learned of other lactating non-mammals. The 3rd case study I authored for Science Communication Lab! 🙂
Ss predicted the “flashier sex” in Mexican boulder spiny lizards to learn females court males! Then did a dating card mingle w/ other examples & read abstracts before
modeling how both nature (hormones) + nurture (nematode load) influence coloration. A case study I wrote for @scicomlab.bsky.social
modeling how both nature (hormones) + nurture (nematode load) influence coloration. A case study I wrote for @scicomlab.bsky.social
May 15, 2025 at 12:25 AM
Ss predicted the “flashier sex” in Mexican boulder spiny lizards to learn females court males! Then did a dating card mingle w/ other examples & read abstracts before
modeling how both nature (hormones) + nurture (nematode load) influence coloration. A case study I wrote for @scicomlab.bsky.social
modeling how both nature (hormones) + nurture (nematode load) influence coloration. A case study I wrote for @scicomlab.bsky.social
Look forward to this day every year where my students get to learn suturing from a real cardiac surgery PA. Thanks Dr. Jose Valdez, Dr. Thomas Meitzler, and Annie Meitzler, RN for teaching my AP Biology classes this skill!
May 13, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Look forward to this day every year where my students get to learn suturing from a real cardiac surgery PA. Thanks Dr. Jose Valdez, Dr. Thomas Meitzler, and Annie Meitzler, RN for teaching my AP Biology classes this skill!
AP Bio students determined why okapi at the local zoo are not breeding by analyzing their urine cortisol levels, examining their zoo enclosure, modeling the HPA-axis, & redesigned their zoo enclosure to reduce their stress & encourage breeding. Based on @BeccaCalisi research & a @scicommlab film.
May 9, 2025 at 4:27 PM
AP Bio students determined why okapi at the local zoo are not breeding by analyzing their urine cortisol levels, examining their zoo enclosure, modeling the HPA-axis, & redesigned their zoo enclosure to reduce their stress & encourage breeding. Based on @BeccaCalisi research & a @scicommlab film.
Fun day having students listen and view 🐸 call spectrograms then calculate the call durations and frequencies to determine who will attract the most frog ladies! Students learned about tradeoffs, either long calls or frequent calls, you can’t have both! Great lessons by @galacticpolymath.com
May 9, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Fun day having students listen and view 🐸 call spectrograms then calculate the call durations and frequencies to determine who will attract the most frog ladies! Students learned about tradeoffs, either long calls or frequent calls, you can’t have both! Great lessons by @galacticpolymath.com
Students listened to 🐸 calls and analyzed their spectrograms to learn about tradeoffs in nature: frogs can have long calls or frequent calls, not both! Then tried to figure out which call attracts more ladies.
Great lesson set called Balancing Act by Galactic Polymath! www.galacticpolymath.com
Great lesson set called Balancing Act by Galactic Polymath! www.galacticpolymath.com
May 9, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Students listened to 🐸 calls and analyzed their spectrograms to learn about tradeoffs in nature: frogs can have long calls or frequent calls, not both! Then tried to figure out which call attracts more ladies.
Great lesson set called Balancing Act by Galactic Polymath! www.galacticpolymath.com
Great lesson set called Balancing Act by Galactic Polymath! www.galacticpolymath.com
Enjoyable day at the For-Mar Nature Center in the greater Flint area designing watershed models, river testing, & my favorite part…seeing a taxidermy passenger pigeon and orioles (my first time ever)! Lots of great bird watching there & invigorating to connect with nature. Thank you MI STEM Network!
May 3, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Enjoyable day at the For-Mar Nature Center in the greater Flint area designing watershed models, river testing, & my favorite part…seeing a taxidermy passenger pigeon and orioles (my first time ever)! Lots of great bird watching there & invigorating to connect with nature. Thank you MI STEM Network!
Thank you to the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) Foundation for sponsoring an opportunity for students to learn the benefits of animal research & for Dr. Lucy Kennedy from @uofmichigan.bsky.social coming out to Troy High to present Angela with her award!
April 16, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Thank you to the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) Foundation for sponsoring an opportunity for students to learn the benefits of animal research & for Dr. Lucy Kennedy from @uofmichigan.bsky.social coming out to Troy High to present Angela with her award!
With the recent claim that science brought back the dire wolf 🐺 and is attempting to bring back other extinct animals like mammoths 🦣, these images summarize my thoughts on this. We might want to first take care of the extant species before attempting to resurrect the extinct species.
April 8, 2025 at 5:24 PM
With the recent claim that science brought back the dire wolf 🐺 and is attempting to bring back other extinct animals like mammoths 🦣, these images summarize my thoughts on this. We might want to first take care of the extant species before attempting to resurrect the extinct species.
Thank you to the Bembenek Lab at the C. S. Mott Center for Human Growth & Development at @waynestateclas.bsky.social who trained me over Spring Break on how to have AP Bio students do RNAi with C. elegans. From seeding the plates to chunking the worms, we learned so much about gene silencing. 🪱💜
April 6, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Thank you to the Bembenek Lab at the C. S. Mott Center for Human Growth & Development at @waynestateclas.bsky.social who trained me over Spring Break on how to have AP Bio students do RNAi with C. elegans. From seeding the plates to chunking the worms, we learned so much about gene silencing. 🪱💜
Do you incorporate research & invention into your teachings & guide students in science competitions? As the 2024-2025 High School Invention Education Ambassador, along w/ Rachna Nath, our yearlong ambassadorship is ending soon. @society4science.bsky.social is seeking new ambassadors. bit.ly/4l4R6im
March 29, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Do you incorporate research & invention into your teachings & guide students in science competitions? As the 2024-2025 High School Invention Education Ambassador, along w/ Rachna Nath, our yearlong ambassadorship is ending soon. @society4science.bsky.social is seeking new ambassadors. bit.ly/4l4R6im
Enjoyed learning along with my students about pregnancy, cancer, epigenetics, and developmental research at @waynestateresearch.bsky.social and excited to get training on working with C. elegans and getting my AP Biology classes knocking out genes with RNAi.
March 14, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Enjoyed learning along with my students about pregnancy, cancer, epigenetics, and developmental research at @waynestateresearch.bsky.social and excited to get training on working with C. elegans and getting my AP Biology classes knocking out genes with RNAi.
Ss examined transgenic organisms to understand how GMOs ameliorate anthropogenic changes to our planet. They did a speed dating activity, card sort, Socratic discussion, & watched a @tangledbankhhmi.bsky.social film Wild Hope: Mission Impossible before modeling the benefits of transgenic organisms.
March 14, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Ss examined transgenic organisms to understand how GMOs ameliorate anthropogenic changes to our planet. They did a speed dating activity, card sort, Socratic discussion, & watched a @tangledbankhhmi.bsky.social film Wild Hope: Mission Impossible before modeling the benefits of transgenic organisms.
Strong turn out at the Lansing @standupforscience.bsky.social rally! Motivational speakers and uplifting to be around likeminded science-supporters. Great to unify our voices and ready for actionable next steps. Stand Up For Science!
March 7, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Strong turn out at the Lansing @standupforscience.bsky.social rally! Motivational speakers and uplifting to be around likeminded science-supporters. Great to unify our voices and ready for actionable next steps. Stand Up For Science!
Anyone marching on March 7th for Stand Up for Science? I will be at the Capitol in Lansing, Michigan hope to see others or find a rally near you! #standupforscience
March 1, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Anyone marching on March 7th for Stand Up for Science? I will be at the Capitol in Lansing, Michigan hope to see others or find a rally near you! #standupforscience
AP Biology extended their understanding of horizontal gene transfer beyond prokaryotes by digging into a primary research article to explain how a sea slug can become photosynthetic.
February 28, 2025 at 10:57 AM
AP Biology extended their understanding of horizontal gene transfer beyond prokaryotes by digging into a primary research article to explain how a sea slug can become photosynthetic.
Students demonstrated gene regulation in bacteria by building operons and modeling their function. @sciencetakeout.bsky.social
February 21, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Students demonstrated gene regulation in bacteria by building operons and modeling their function. @sciencetakeout.bsky.social
Then also learned some organisms have more than 20 amino acids. For example, some🪼 have an additional amino acid called hydroxyproline in the proteins that contribute to their colors.
February 21, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Then also learned some organisms have more than 20 amino acids. For example, some🪼 have an additional amino acid called hydroxyproline in the proteins that contribute to their colors.
AP students learned there are exceptions to the “universal code” where the codon chart doesn’t work for all life. For example, a ciliated protist where UAA doesn’t code for a stop codon but instead codes for glutamine.
February 21, 2025 at 6:37 PM
AP students learned there are exceptions to the “universal code” where the codon chart doesn’t work for all life. For example, a ciliated protist where UAA doesn’t code for a stop codon but instead codes for glutamine.
Always enjoyable working with Drosophila as students learn how to ID traits, cross flies, calculate ratios, & do a Chi square analysis. 💗🪰
February 12, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Always enjoyable working with Drosophila as students learn how to ID traits, cross flies, calculate ratios, & do a Chi square analysis. 💗🪰