Recent events, such as the anthrax scares and the SARS outbreak, have forced teachers to focus on issues such as disease control and bioterrorism in their own backyards. Students are aware of the current biological issues in the news and are curious about infectious diseases and the issues relating to biological warfare. In order to address the "National Science Education Standards" in life science, as well as personal health issues, the author designed a student-driven inquiry unit on bioterrorism that focused on biological weapons--the highlight being an authentic simulation of a quarantined biohazard zone. When students, parents, and teachers entered the school on the morning of the simulation they were faced with an undeniable picture of a real-world tragedy--a full-size biohazard containment, complete with poly coverings on the door to the room and walls, as well as a real shower station and biohazard posters warning of the hazard. This unit was taught using problem-based learning (PBL), which is a form of student-centered inquiry. In a PBL unit students are introduced to the problem before any instruction on content has taken place. The problem is stated as an ill-structured task and, in order to solve it, students must get into the content, learn more about it, and come up with their own solution. The teacher acts as the facilitator or coach and guides the inquiry process along. (Contains 3 figures.)