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The phytomicrobiome refers to all the symbiotic microorganisms and microbial genes that interact independently or synergistically with plant tissue and genome. Considerable research is devoted to plant abiotic and biotic stress factors. However, very little is known about the phytomicrobiome as it relates to plant stress and tolerance systems. Microbial tolerance mechanisms are synchronized events involving distinct microbial populations that often result in the suppression of microbial species or propagation of key species that possess genomes responsible for protective anti-stress proteins and pro-tolerance mechanisms that mediate plant health. Filling this research gap is essential to elucidating new knowledge about plant growth and development. Insights into phytomicrobiome and plant health may provide an impetus for new technologies and economic opportunities. 

POGIL, or process-oriented guided inquiry learning, is a pedagogical technique created over thirty years ago to enhance student engagement. POGIL is a student-centered approach that improves students’ learning and professional skills. POGIL activities incorporate the classic learning model with recurrent actions of exploration, concept invention, and application to encourage student inquiry. The microbiome represents the total collection of microbes associated with living organisms in distinct locations. The balance of microorganisms at the population level impacts an organism’s health and disease disposition. Enrichment or reduction of specific bacteria, viruses, and fungi in the human population accurately predicts normal or abnormal physiological functions. There is a lack of literature regarding POGIL and microbiome sciences. Thus, this article will elucidate the advantages of developing and integrating microbiome-focused POGIL assignments in institutions of higher learning. The development of additional POGIL activities will improve the understanding of microbiome concepts and experiments designed to explore the composition and functions of the microbiome in various plant and animal ecosystems. Additional educational research on the effects of POGIL activities on student outcomes will boost acceptance of this collaborative learning technique. 

Intrusive advising is a type of student advising characterized as a highly interactive and proactive student-centered process. Intrusive advising, like traditional advising frameworks such as developmental and prescriptive advising, is essential for identifying and designing remediation approaches to ensure student success and retention. Intrusive advising involves deliberately administrating Tinto’s academic and social integration objectives. Data indicates that intrusive advising is an effective strategy for improving student undergraduate success and academic retention rates. Intrusive advising may also advance research training and career development goals. Most of the data on this topic focuses on the first two years of college. More data is needed to explore the impact of intrusive advising on the last two years of college to understand better how intrusive advising mediates persistence, graduation, and entry into graduate school, professional school, or the job market. Further, more targeted information is needed to explore how intrusive advising improves student progression and degree completion for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors. The current article has significant implications for student advising policy and practice. Intrusive advising methods may be essential for minority-serving institutions with retention rates well below the national average. 

Democratizing STEM aims to make science education, research, and career pathways more inclusive and accessible. This article examines how democratization strategies like MOOCs, portable research tools, and interdisciplinary collaborations can increase STEM engagement and diversity. By expanding educational resources and career opportunities, democratization can address workforce disparities and advance scientific literacy. The paper calls for substantial support from various sectors to create democratization metrics and strategies, enabling broad and meaningful participation in STEM fields. 

Developing useful STEM pedagogical strategies is a constant goal for STEM instructors at institutions of higher learning. Analysis of empirical evidence illustrating retention rates and graduation rates among college students in STEM highlights the need for approaches to improve content engagement and learning. This article presents and describes using a mnemonic device to teach students about key features of living (e. g., bacteria) and non - living (e. g., viruses) organisms. The acronym TEDDI D. SMUB can be useful for analyzing parasitic, pathogenic, and free - living organisms. TEDDI D. SMUB is an abbreviation for taxonomy, epidemiology, diseases, drugs, immunology, diagnostics, symptoms, morphology, unique features, and biology. In addition to using this approach to learn about one organism, this approach is great for comparative organismal analysis. The article also introduces individual instructional assessments (IIA) that proffer a method to reduce plagiarism and better evaluate student understanding of discipline - based laboratory skills and cognitive skills. Additional mixed methods research studies are needed to validate the efficacy of the TEDDI D. SMUB mnemonic device to improve student educational outcomes and STEM department objectives.