A number of studies highlight the benefits of including
physics knowledge in biology courses and using biological
contexts as a vehicle for teaching physics concepts.
These studies highlight the intersection of physics and
biology at an under-graduate level and draw attention to
the need to challenge gender stereotypes and encourage
students from a young age to consider broadly future
career options in science (Caudill et al. 2010; Christensen
2001; Watkins et al. 2012). Further to this, encouraging
young students to engage in science-related activities
is necessary as the gap in student interest in physics
and biology increases during upper middle school and
secondary education (Baram-Tsabari and Yarden 2008,
2011; Sikora and Pokropek 2012). In addition, several
studies have noted that males and females alike begin
to lose interest in the STEM disciplines during the middle
years of schooling (Baram-Tsabari and Yarden 2011;
Kiwana, Kumar, and Randerson 2011; Weisgram and
Bigler 2007). Putting a focus on increasing student interest
in STEM and supporting them to identify with STEM
careers and occupations may influence positively their
willingness to ‘seek and persist in STEM-related experiences,
not only through traditional or interdisciplinary
career paths but also by using their STEM knowledge and skills in other professions and pursuits’ (