Transcript
SyllabusBIO1130Fall2017
(Tue Aug 22, 2017 12:00 PM)
Functional Biology Lab Syllabus (BIO 1130)
Fall 2017
Coordinator: Dr. Erica Nierth
Email: es47@txstate.edu
Office hours: By appointment only
Laboratory Rooms: 422A, 424, 433
Lab TRACS Web Page: https://tracs.txstate.edu/portal/login
E-mail correspondence: You will be required to check your Texas State e-mail regularly for updates and important messages regarding this course.
Course Materials: Laboratory Exercises for Functional Biology 2017 edition. ISBN978-1-60904-671-2
Course Description: Fundamental techniques and instruments used in biological research will be taught while emphasizing safety, measurements, and scientific methods. Students will design and implement controlled experiments, identify independent and dependent variables, analyze data, draw conclusions, and communicate results with appropriate tables and graphs in oral presentations and written scientific papers.
Course Objectives: To investigate biological processes in a laboratory setting including enzyme function, aerobic cellular respiration, fermentation, photosynthesis, cell division, and cell transport and to communicate findings from such experiments in both written and presentation formats. To gain experience using standard laboratory equipment including microscopes, micropipettes, spectrophotometers, and gel electrophoresis equipment and in designing and analyzing scientific experiments.
Learning Outcomes:
After completing Functional Biology lab (BIO 1130) students will:
Demonstrate competence in basic laboratory techniques including making percent solutions, use of microscopes, micropipetting, gel electrophoresis and use of a spectrophotometer.
Be able to graph and analyze experimental data.
Be able to design and conduct scientific experiments with proper controls.
Demonstrate ability to communicate findings of experiments in both oral presentation and written format.
Demonstrate competence in scientific writing through the writing of research reports in standard scientific paper format.
Course Policies:
Lab attendance: Attendance is MANDATORY. No make-up labs will be conducted. Please use lab time wisely as you will be expected to remain in your lab for the entire scheduled time.
Safety: Our primary concern is student safety. For this reason, a strict dress policy is enforced. In order to be admitted into lab, you must be wearing long pants and closed toed shoes. Follow all IA instructions carefully (gloves, fume hood, disposal, etc.). If chemicals are being used in lab, ALL students must wear eye protection during the entire duration of the lab. Improper behavior will not be tolerated and students will be required to leave the lab and earn a zero for that day. Report any incidences (spills, etc.) to your IA immediately.
Grading: The final grade will be calculated as follows:
Points Percent
11 quizzes (15 each) = 165 43
9 HW assignments (5 each) = 45 12
Lab attendance (5/lab) = 55 14
Paper drafts (5 each) = 15 4
Literature Review = 25 7
Scientific Paper = 50 13
Presentation = 25 7
380
Group Work: You will be required to work within small groups to complete laboratory exercises. The ability to work within groups is a valuable skill required in most workplaces and has numerous advantages including greater understanding through discussion, different perspectives, etc. You are expected to contribute equally to all assigned tasks.
Although you are conducting experiments and collecting data as a group, all written work should not be significantly similar to other members of your lab group (will constitute plagiarism).
Quizzes: Quizzes will be given online via TRACS. They will include material from previous labs as well as the lab that will be conducted that week. There are no quiz extensions or make-up quizzes. Your lowest quiz grade will be dropped at the completion of the course.
Homework: A written assignment accompanies each lab and is due at the beginning of the following lab class. Late homework will only be accepted in the case of a university excused absence. Your lowest homework grade will be dropped at the completion of the course.
Special Needs: Students with special needs as documented by the Office of Disability Services (ODS) should identify themselves and bring the required forms to Dr. Nierth at the start of the semester. If you are not sure if you have special needs, please schedule an appointment with Dr. Nierth.
Honesty: Students are expected to behave with integrity and are referred to the Texas State Honor Code for details: http://www.dos.txstate.edu/TxState-Handbook/Rules-and-Policies/Honor-Code.html. An honor code violation is a serious matter that could jeopardize your university career. Students found cheating on quizzes or guilty of plagiarism will receive a score of zero for that assignment and may be referred to the disciplinary committees of the university.
Extra-credit: Attend a Biology department seminar (Fridays, Supple 116) and turn in a written summary that includes:
Statement of speaker’s hypothesis
Methods that the speaker used to test the hypothesis and the conclusion of the research
Discussion of good or bad aspects of the visual presentation
for one point on your final lab average. A total of 3 extra credit points can be earned. The goal of this extra-credit assignment is to familiarize you with recent scientific research and techniques, as well as to expose you to variety of presentation styles that can be applied toward the required lab presentations. If you have a direct class conflict with the Biology departmental seminars, you may attend other science departmental seminars (Chemistry, Biochemistry, etc.). Please see departmental websites for day/times/location.
Laboratory Schedule
RSPQ=Report Sheet & Practice Questions
Week of
Laboratory Exercise
Quizzes
Due
Sept 11-16
Basic Laboratory Skills
Lab 1 (pg. 7)
Pre-1130
Quiz (TRACS)
Signed Safety contract
Sept 18-23
A. Intro to Scientific Method, Graphing and Statistics
B. Introduction to Spectrophotometry
Lab 2 (pg. 29)
Quiz 1
Lab 1 RSPQ
Sept 25-Oct 30
Analysis of Biological Macromolecules
Lab 3 (pg. 49)
Quiz 2
Lab 2 RSPQ
Oct 2-7
How to Write a Scientific Paper
Lab 4 (pg. 61)
Quiz 3
Lab 3 RSPQ
Oct 9-14
Enzyme Activity of Lactase
Lab 5 (pg. 71)
Quiz 4
References Section for Literature Review
Oct 16-21
Environmental Parameters of Enzyme Activity
Lab 6 (pg. 83)
Quiz 5
Lab 5 RSPQ
Literature Review
Oct 23-28
Cellular Respiration and Fermentation
Lab 8 (pg. 99)
Quiz 6
Lab 6 RSPQ with Attached Materials & Methods Section
Oct 30-Nov 4
Group Presentations
Cell Division
Lab 12 (pg. 133)
Quiz 7
Group Presentation
Lab 8 RSPQ
Nov 6-11
Microscopes & Cell Transport
Lab 11 (pg. 121)
Quiz 8
Lab 12 RSPQ
Draft of Introduction
Nov 13-18
Phagocytosis in Tetrahymena
Lab 13 (pg. 139)
Quiz 9
Lab 11 RSPQ
Draft of Discussion
Nov 20-25
Thanksgiving Break
Nov 27-Dec 2
Introduction to Forensic DNA Fingerprinting
Lab 14 (pg. 145)
Quiz 10
Lab 13 RSPQ
Dec 4-7
Post-1130 Quiz (TRACS)
Lab 14 RSPQ
Final Paper Due 12/7 at 11:59pm
**This schedule is tentative and may be changed at the discretion of the lab coordinator**
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