Model organisms are an excellent way to introduce students to research. The purpose of this work was to use a Drosophila cancer model in a freshman biology majors laboratory course as the experimental foundation for learning scientific thinking and research methodology. The eyeful cancer model exhibits an eye tumor phenotype caused by hyperactivation of the Notch and Akt signaling pathways. In a classroom laboratory, I used the eyeful cancer model to help students to study the relationship between genetics and the environment on the eyeful tumor phenotype. We discovered that altering the nutrient density of the fly food affected the proportion of flies exhibiting the tumor phenotype, where caloric density positively correlated with tumor formation. I modified this experiment for use in a freshman majors biology lab using a simple low versus high calorie food comparison. Within a 2-hour laboratory period, freshman students were asked to distinguish between "normal" and "cancerous" phenotypes of flies raised on either low or high calorie media. Although they had never participated in such research beforehand, most students found a statistically significant difference between the experimental conditions. The students were then allowed to design and carry out their own experiements over subsequent weeks of the semester to determine whether other dietary changes could affect tumor formation in this experimental model. Using this approach, several benefits were gained by both faculty and students. Student motivation to participate in the class was high because of a general interest in diet and cancer, and they were able to test their own hypotheses regarding this relationship. In a short period of time a large number of students were trained in a classroom setting on some of the most critical aspects of biological science education - how to think about, design, and conduct research experiments. Finally, as several of these students continued to participate in independent laboratory research after the semester had finished, this approach can help students to discover early in their education whether research is something they may want to pursue.