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I. Course overview
Biology 111 introduces students to important concepts and techniqes used in modern molecular biology labs. The course follows Biology 109 in the introductory laboratory sequence as an alternative to Biology 110. After technical training through planned laboratory exercises during the first two-thirds of the course, students will design, conduct, and present the results of an independent research project.
II. General Policies and
Expectations
Attendance is mandatory for all fourteen scheduled laboratory sessions. Make-up labs will not be possible. If you know that you will miss a Thursday afternoon lab session (i.e. because of performances, sporting events), see me as soon as possible.In addition many of the experiments will require additional time than is allotted in the three hour laboratory session. Students are expected to do the work necessary to complete all the experiments. When an exercise initiated during a lab period needs to be completed outside of the scheduled class period (before or after), I will be available for assistance.
Safety is a prime concern in any molecular biology laboratory. Information on the hazards and precautions associated with different chemicals and devices will always be provided. However, you must ultimately be responsible for your own safety. Work carefully, and think before acting. Wear appropriate protective clothing, including eye protection, lab coats, and gloves. Open-toe shoes (flip-flops, birkenstocks, tevas, etc.) are a particulary unsafe in the laboratory. If you have a question about a safety issue, stop the experiment and ask the instructor.
Proper preparation will be essential for completing the exercises in a safe and timely fashion. Assigned reading material is to be completed before coming to class. You should be familiar with the protocols to be used before class time and carry out necessary calculations and planning before arriving for class. Handouts and protocols will be distributed in class over the course of the semester and made continually available on the P drive.
III. Assignments and evaluation
Each student's work will be evaluated based on written accounts of experimental work as well as laboratory participation and performance. The final grade will be based on the following components:
Lab notebook: 15%. You will be required to maintain a laboratory notebook that will serve as both a roadmap and a diary for all your laboratory activities. Maintaining a neat, detailed lab notebook is essential. Notebooks should include all procedures, calculations, sample locations, data, and clear references to the sources of such information as described in the guidelines. Keep your notebook up to date as you work; never re-copy your notes later. Before leaving lab, each group must meet with me to describe their progress and show me their notebooks. I will mark each notebook to indicate I have reviewed it. Notebooks will be handed in to be graded after a particular lab module is completed (see schedule). In order to facilitate the incorporation of handouts and other materials, I encourage you to use a 3-ring binder format for your lab notebook.Two lab reports (15% each). Lab reports (3-5 pages, excluding illustrations) are to be written in the form of a scientific paper (Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion). Refer to the Bio109 lab manual for a complete description. The due dates are indicated in the schedule below. Late papers will be penalized 1/3 letter grade per day.
Introduction: State the rationale and objectives of the study; one or two paragraphs are sufficient.Independent Research Project (45%). During the last third of the course, pairs of students will conduct an independent research project worth 45% of the semester grade. Evaluation is will be based on the project proposal (5%), a poster presentation to the class (15%), a written report (20%), and a lab notebook (5%). Additional guidelines for conducting the Independent Project are available on-line.Materials and Methods: Concisely describe the methods used in your experimental procedures.
Results: Present the experimental data in an organized and logical manner, including tables and figures with captions as appropriate. Label all figures in numerical order in the order to which they are referred to in the text (Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.); do likewise for tables (Table 1, Table 2, etc.). Be sure to refer to all figures and tables in the text.
Discussion: Demonstrate your understanding of the exercise by interpreting the results. Did your data match your expectations? Were they consistent with similar data in the literature? Why or why not? Questions posed in some of the handouts are intended to be a guide for discussion and they should be answered within the discussion at the end of the lab report. Merely answering the questions, however, is not sufficient. Likewise, merely brainstorming about the meaning of an experiment is not adequate--use the data to justify your statements.
Variations on this basic format may be requested for certain exercises. Expectations that vary from this format will be clearly spelled out in class.
Class participation/Lab Performance (10%). You will be evaluated on class participation and the quality of your work at the bench over the entire course.
Course Schedule. In this course we will experience all the uncertainties associated with doing real science. This schedule may need to be amended. Announcements of changes will be made in class. However, dealines for assignments will be consistently enforced. Check on-line schedule regularly for details.Academic Honesty. Kenyon's policy on academic honesty will be strictly observed. It is your responsibility to review and observe the official College policy on academic honesty. Explicit guidelines relating to lab reports will be discussed on a separate handout and in class.
Special Needs. College policy provides for reasonable accomodations for documented physical, psychological or learning disabilities that may impact your ability to participate fully in the course. Please speak with me and with Erin Salva, Coordinator of Disability Services (PBX 5453; salvae@kenyon.edu). All information and documentation of disability is confidential. Please see the Disability Services web site for more information. Logistical details of any approved accomodation must be arranged with the instructor in advance, preferably within the first two weeks of class.
Office Hours. My office hours are Mondays and Wednesdays 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Monday 3:00-4:00 PM, Thursday 9:00 - 11:00 AM, and by appointment.
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Last Modified January 16, 2005