Department of Biological Sciences

  Labs begin the week of August 25!

All Teaching Assistants have mailboxes in DO 101

Lab Sections:

Schedule:

Grading:

   There will be two formal papers, an oral report and one major test.  There will also be homework assignments and/or quizzes on each week’s lab activity.  Your instructor will tell you the value of each paper, test, and assignment.  Grades will be based on a 10-percentage point scale:

 90 – 100 % = A
 80 –  89%   = B
         70 – 79%    = C, etc.

Attendance:

   Attendance at labs is required.   Points will be deducted for unexcused absences as well as tardiness.  Do not assume you may attend a different section if you miss your lab! This may be possible at times, but not always.  See your instructor as soon as possible if you miss a lab.

Texts:

    BIOL 335 Genetics Lab Workbook, Dodd
   Lab Manual for Biology Labs On-Line, Desharnais & Bell    
   A Short Guide to Writing about Biology, Pechenik 

   Available at both the on-campus and off-campus bookstores. 

   FlyLab website:  http://biologylab.awlonline.com/index.html
   A very handy website for making bibliographies:  http://www.easybib.com/

Papers:

    One of the most important, and hardest, things to learn as a scientist is how to communicate effectively the scope, results, and importance of the work you have done.  This is a difficult task for a number of reasons.  For one thing, most scientists do not enjoy the writing process as much as performing the research and it is much harder to do what you do not enjoy!  Also, scientific writing is different from many other types of writing.  You must ignore some of the rules you learned in ENG 101 and also follow a very specific format.  However, once you get the hang of the format, this actually makes the writing process much easier.  Probably the most difficult thing about becoming a good writer is that no one can actually teach you how to write.  We can teach you rules of grammar, formats, etc., but there is no formula for how to express your thoughts.  There is no one correct way to write.  Two people may approach the same subject very differently and yet both produce good papers.  However, we are all aware that there is a definite difference between good writing and bad.  The best way to become a better writer is simply to write many, many papers.  The critical reading of papers written by others will also improve your own writing.

    In this lab, we will use the two strategies of writing and peer editing in an effort to improve writing skills.  Each person will write two papers (lab reports) and edit a partner’s papers.   The official “writer” prepares the first  drafts while the “editor” will be responsible for editing and commenting on the paper to produce the ultimate draft.  The writer receives full credit for the paper, while the editor receives half credit.  It is to the benefit of both partners to produce the best paper possible, so take your job as editor very seriously.

   We will discuss approaches to writing these papers in lab.  There are editor worksheets and an outline of how to write in scientific format provided.

     The instructor is happy to make accommodations to those students with disabilities. Students should first contact the Office of Disability Services in Westside Hall (3476).  After obtaining your referral from the Office of Disability Services, please contact the instructor.        

Data Sheet for Sex-Linkage Cross

Web Sites for Karyotyping:

http://www.biology.arizona.edu/human_bio/activities/karyotyping/karyotyping.html

http://www.pathology.washington.edu/galleries/cytogallery/