{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T17:48:51Z","timestamp":1785433731949,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"American Society for Microbiology","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,9]],"date-time":"2025-12-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1765238400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,9]],"date-time":"2025-12-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1765238400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/non-commercial-tdm-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.asm.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["J Microbiol Biol Educ."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,9]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title\/>\n                    <jats:p>In this study, we designed a novel undergraduate biology course centered entirely around reading memoirs of scientists, doctors, patients, and public health officials. Students in the course engaged in active learning and critical thinking-based activities and assessments, including writing analytical papers, delivering scientific presentations, writing personal reflections, performing data analysis, and engaging in group work and class discussions in every class period. The main learning goals of the course were for students to visualize the processes of science and medicine, to understand the interface of science and society, to gain awareness of a variety of career paths, to appreciate the humanity of scientists, and to build skills in critical thinking and scientific communication. We measured the high level of effectiveness of the course in meeting its learning goals through an analysis of the student assignments completed throughout the semester, post-course survey results, and post-course student outcomes. We found that the course model developed in this study\u2014namely, a science course with a central focus on reading memoirs\u2014is unique within the academic literature. Furthermore, this new model can be directly applied to courses in any scientific discipline through the instructor\u2019s ability to select a customized set of biographies of researchers working in any scientific field. We have therefore developed a course that can promote critical thinking skills and career awareness in any scientific field\u2014along with a nuanced understanding of the process of research and the interplay between science, ethics, and society\u2014in students very early on in their scientific training.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1128\/jmbe.00092-25","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,8]],"date-time":"2025-08-08T13:00:16Z","timestamp":1754658016000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1128\/asmj-crossmark-policy-page","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Teaching biology using memoirs of scientists, public health officials, doctors, and patients"],"prefix":"10.1128","volume":"26","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-4582-9597","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Abby","family":"Cheng","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/04ydmy275","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of Massachusetts Boston","place":["Boston, USA"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0995-9993","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Megan E.","family":"Rokop","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/04ydmy275","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of Massachusetts Boston","place":["Boston, USA"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"235","reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_3_2_2","first-page":"R24","article-title":"Making primary literature come alive in the classroom","volume":"15","author":"Hartman AK","year":"2017","unstructured":"Hartman AK, Borchardt JN, Harris Bozer AL. 2017. Making primary literature come alive in the classroom. J Undergrad Neurosci Educ 15:R24\u2013R28.","journal-title":"J Undergrad Neurosci Educ"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/tea.21623"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_4_2","first-page":"A159","article-title":"Controversies in neuroscience: a literature-based course for first year undergraduates that improves scientific confidence while teaching concepts","volume":"12","author":"Willard AM","year":"2014","unstructured":"Willard AM, Brasier DJ. 2014. Controversies in neuroscience: a literature-based course for first year undergraduates that improves scientific confidence while teaching concepts. 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