Price range: $20.00 through $29.95
Classroom sets of hard-copy books and ebooks are available at a discount. Contact Steve for details.
Idaho Book of the Year
National Silver IPPY Award
Idaho Author Award
“Simultaneously a biology, environmental science and microbiology textbook, Idaho tourist guide, and coffee table book, Idaho Microbes reveals the complexities of the microbial world to the layman and microbiology student alike with visually stunning imagery.” – Andrea Rediske, Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education
In the book, Idaho Microbes: How tiny single-celled organisms can harm, or save, our world, Idaho author Steve Stuebner takes us on 10 “eco-adventures” to learn about micro-organisms that impact Idaho’s environment – and sometimes our personal lives – in good and bad ways.
“I took on the microbes book project because I saw it as an opportunity to learn. I felt this project stretched my brain more than anything has in 20 years,” Steve says.
“[Microbes] were here first, and they will certainly be here last. Evolutionarily, all life came from microbes and in death, to microbes we all return,” notes the book’s science advisor, Greg Hampikian, a professor of biology at Boise State.
Idaho Microbes is available for sale at SteveStuebner.com. Retail price is $29.95. Ebooks are available for $20 each. Classroom boxed sets of 12 hard-copy books are available for sale.
Thanks to Kris Ablin-Stone, a recently retired science teacher whose teaching career centered on developing and teaching science curriculum for biology courses, FREE Activity Guides and supplemental learning activities are available for science teachers for all 10 chapters. Kris’ strength has been developing hands-on, inquiry-based lessons for students to learn both content as well as how science produces new information. She taught for more than 30 years in the Boise School District, teaching science and biologist to students from grades 4-12.
Steve’s longtime friend and colleague Todd Shallat, edited the book and acquired the hundreds of unique, colorful images featured inside. “Todd did a superb job and designer Adele Thomsen really worked her magic in the book layout; it just turned out gorgeous!” Steve says. “Students and anyone who reads the book can learn a ton just from looking at the spell-binding color images and reading the captions.”
Boise State commissioned Steve to write Idaho Microbes to cast a new light on these tiny single-celled organisms and underscore some ground-breaking scientific discoveries by Boise State Professor of Biology Merlin White (an expert in gut fungi), and professor Bill Bourland, a former vascular surgeon, who is a modern-day microbe hunter and an expert in citizen science.
In addition to the work of Bourland and White, the book explores:
The Activity Guides are designed primarily for science, environmental science, chemistry, biology, and life science classes, providing a wide range of learning activities for elementary, junior high/middle school, and high school AP students.
Click on the Activity Guides for any chapter to download the Word doc. The Supplemental Activities will download as a zip file.
Author Steve Stuebner takes the reader on 10 eco-adventures to experience first-hand the microbes featured in each chapter of the book. In Steve’s view, there’s so much more that can be learned in real-world situations in the great outdoors of Idaho. It brings the subject matter to life!
Fortunately, now teachers can do the same thing with Kris Stone’s FREE Activity Guides paired with each chapter! From a science-learning perspective, the book is designed to inspire tailor-made educational field trips and science labs for students to learn about microbes in real-world situations close to home.
“Microbes are essential for human health, digestion, immunity, and healthy ecosystems,” Stone says. “While many believe most microbes cause disease, fewer than 1% do. Studying them will create further advances in medicine, agriculture, and environmental sustainability.
“Teaching their importance is crucial for developing public health awareness, scientific literacy, and an understanding of ecosystems, shifting perceptions from microbes solely as germs to recognizing their essential roles in health, food and environmental sustainability.”
About Kris Ablin-Stone: She is a retired science teacher with 35-plus years of experience teaching students from grades 4-12 and a 2-year community college, including 31 years teaching in the Boise School District. Her teaching career centered on developing and teaching science curriculum for mostly biology courses. Her strength has been developing hands-on, inquiry-based lessons for students to learn both content as well as how science produces new information.
Kris also has contributed to the College of Western Idaho and the Partners in Science Program, sponsored by The M.J. Murdock Foundation. She has a bachelor’s of science degree from the University of Idaho with a major in wildlife management and minor is statistics; a master’s degree from Boise State University in interdisciplinary science (biology and geology); and Ph.D. from the University of Idaho in curriculum and instruction.
Steve feels very fortunate to share Kris Stone’s Activity Guides and Supplemental Learning Resources with the Idaho educational community.