The project described in this article is less about the content area, computational cell biology, and more
about the educational practice of the students and faculty involved. Over the course of the past four years, Dr.
Raquell Holmes has worked to create curricular resources that support the integration of modeling methods in
biology education. For three of those years, students have been involved in the research required to develop chapters
for a textbook in progress. This research experience for students is similar to other research experiences which
include students identifying primary literature, participating in lab meetings, generating reports, and giving
presentations. A unique feature of this research experience was its explicit focus on creating a group-learning
environment. Students were hired based on their interests in the project and their willingness to work in groups. We
describe the process that lead to the creation of a group-learning environment that supports the development of both
students and faculty as researchers and academics. We understand this to have been a cultural, performatory process
and introduce both the metaphor and practice of performance, particularly improvisation, in undergraduate education
and research.