Biology 101 Lab Web Page Spring 2003

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Our goal is for your learning experiences in the Biology 101 lab to be both enjoyable and highly informative. You will be introduced to knowledge about biological patterns, processes, structures and functions. On several occasions you will be asked to consider the links between math, science and society. You will also learn about the process of science by making predictions concerning the outcome of scientific procedures, in some cases, performing those procedures, and by interpreting and sharing the results. We hope your Bio 101 lab experience is a good opportunity for you to become better aware of the skills (critical thinking, problem solving, and quantitative analysis) that will enable you to enjoy and succeed in the biology lab. We also hope that this lab serves to positively reinforce these skills so that they may be applied in other courses and other aspects of your life!

The topics of the weekly Biology 101 labs are not intended to overlap directly with lecture topics. (Although what you learn in lab certainly will complement the lecture material.) Therefore, your lab experience is organized in a way that best integrates the lab curriculum as an independent course. Careful consideration has been given to both the sequence of labs and the time investment required by each, for the best possible learning experience. The exercises are designed to help you build a variety of skills, including quantitative and critical thinking skills, in a context that demonstrates the relevance of modern biological science to your life. By providing specific goals and practice before the beginning of each lab in a pre-lab assignment, we hope that you will not only approach the lab exercise better informed and with a more active mind, but that you will also gain a greater appreciation for all aspects of the scientific method.

The lab manual is an evolving project, with input from students, faculty and graduate teaching assistants. Please be aware that it may become necessary to make slight modifications to the information and requirements in these laboratory exercises. The Teaching Assistant for the lab section in which you are enrolled will inform you of any changes for upcoming labs, will distribute handouts and copies of any new or revised exercises, and guide your learning through each weekly lab meeting. If you have any comments or suggestions concerning this manual, we would appreciate hearing from you.

The lab assignment for the first week asks you to investigate some of the physical considerations related to the environment inside and surrounding cells, the basic unit of life. You will be introduced to the standard practice of using a model to investigate biological phenomena. In this case, a deshelled chicken egg will serve as a model of a single living cell. The effects of changes in temperature, water availability, and the concentration of nutrients are concepts integral to the collection and interpretation of this week's lab results. The importance of molecular biology to our current understanding of the history and diversity of life that we see today can not be understated. This lab exercise serves to emphasize this point. In addition, you will begin to develop accurate measurement and observational skills, and use this exercise as an opportunity to present data in graphical form, and to write the "Results" section of a scientific paper.

The second and third weeks of lab introduce you to an array of small living things, many comprising single cells, yet all capable of carrying out the same basic tasks performed by large, multicellular creatures like you and me. To better understand these organisms, you will learn the essentials of using microscopes. In addition, you will hone your skills in observation and in communicating your observations of the microscopic world with written descriptions and illustrations. This 2-week exercise also serves to introduce you to the concepts of biological diversity and unity, throughout the living world.

During your fourth week of lab, you will investigate a scientific question with respect to human phenotypes - specifically, the structural and functional variation among students in Biology 101. This work will require you to carefully collect, organize, analyze and present data and conclusions in a meaningful way; producing a report in the scientific format. The appendices A1, A2, and A3 should help with the writing process.

The next lab is designed to focus your attention on the study of inherited characteristics, in ourselves as well as in other creatures. In the role of a research geneticist, you will practice the application of the concepts of genotype and phenotype, and use a web-based software program to simulate genetic crosses in the fruit fly (Drosophila sp.), a common animal model in the study of genetics. Once you have examined the results of a simulated cross, you can perform a statistical test of your data by chi-square analysis and apply these statistics to accept or reject your hypothesis for the predicted phenotypic ratio of offspring.

The next three weeks of lab introduce you to the larger patterns in nature that can be seen near campus. These labs include a field investigation of the Sehome Hill Arboretum and discussion of your findings in the classroom. Next, you will practice some of the methods used to collect and analyze information about forest ecosystems. (You will be working as an ecologist!) And in the third week, you will participate in discussions concerning controversial public policy issues and personal choices, for which biological understanding is particularly relevant.

Throughout the quarter, you will explore how modern biology directly affects the important social issues of our time. A debate of bio-ethical issues is planned for the final lab meeting.
 

Western Washington University
Biology Dept, MS-9160
516 High Street
Bellingham, WA  98225-9081
 

Please send comments to James Selleck: sellecj@cc.wwu.edu