AbstractSTEM education reform stresses the importance of a comprehensive understanding of science fundamentals and the development of science and engineering practices. As such, many engineering students must complete a core set of courses, including biology; however, this course is often designed for life sciences majors. One solution to this mismatch is to create an introductory biology course targeted to non‐biology STEM majors that introduces students to biology through a computational lens. Avida‐ED is a digital evolution software platform in which populations of digital organisms undergo actual—not simulated—evolutionary change, making evolution come alive through its observation in action. Integrating Avida‐ED provides a unique and novel approach to engaging engineering students in biological concepts within a computational environment, allowing them to exercise science and engineering practices in an authentic research experience. The design of this one‐semester course, “Integrative Biology: From DNA to Populations,” including its incorporation of a digital evolution lab, creates a way for computational science and engineering students to engage with biology within a context that is familiar and interesting.