Digital photography was incorporated into University Laboratory High School biology classes for the first time during the 2002-03 academic year. Much of the impetus that led to incorporation of the digital photography component of the classes came from the Southern Illinois University-based TIE-INS Institute.

The first TIE--INS Institute (Technology, Inquiry, Environment ­ Investigation & Nature in Science) took place on October 4-5, 2002 at EIU in Charleston, IL. Teachers involved in the program received digital cameras as well as photo editing and web document development training. This came into use immediately because there were two students in the Fall, 2002 Field Biology class who opted to develop a web site dealing with the arthropods of east-central Illinois. Students in the Spring, 2003 Organismal Biology class worked in groups to develop web pages with information regarding a particular plant they selected in April and then photographed several times during April and May, 2003. Links to each of these projects are provided below: