BIOL100 Lab - Introduction to Biology & Scientific Method PDF

Welcome to Biol100 Lab!  Your TA: Dana Shany ► Email: [email protected] ► Please send emails starting with the subject “BIOL100L: XXX” ► Office Hours: Thursday 9-11 am ► room : TBD ► About me… ► Current Microbiology Master’s Student at SDSU working in the R...

Welcome to Biol100 Lab!  Your TA: Dana Shany ► Email: [email protected] ► Please send emails starting with the subject “BIOL100L: XXX” ► Office Hours: Thursday 9-11 am ► room : TBD ► About me… ► Current Microbiology Master’s Student at SDSU working in the Rohwer lab (Coral Biologist, working on Coral Microbes and Viruses ) ► Graduated with a B.S. in Marine Science and Biology from Cal State Monterey Bay Formalities ► Safety!! ► Close-toed shoes REQUIRED ► NO Eating or drinking ► No food or water bottles can be out. Please put them inside your bags ► Please wash your hands and step outside of the lab to eat or drink if you need to ► If goggles/gloves are desired, ask for them, but they are not necessary for the labs we are doing Formalities ► Absences ► 2 excused absences are allowed (see syllabus for examples) ► Any 2 in a row unexcused is an F ► 4 absences total (excused or unexcused) is also an automatic F ► Tardiness….. If I am late, you MUST wait 20 mins from the start of class ► I have lab before this class so I might be a little late sometimes! ► If you are coming straight from another class/work I understand just please communicate ahead of time with me! :) Formalities ► Plagiarism/cheating ► Don’t do it, don’t try it, Canvas notifies us ► You all work together on labs so I expect some similar answers, but you will receive ZERO points if you copy each other word for word ► Please limit phone use to urgent things only! If you’re stuck on something, first ask your peers and then ask me. Syllabus: PLEASE READ CAREFULLY ► Pre-labs are due when you walk in the door ► Labs are due before you leave ► I will be using your labs to take attendance ► Not really any extra credit (maybe a bonus exam q here and there) ► Email me if you need to make-up a lab! Presentations ► Look at the schedule and think about what you want to do a presentation on. ► More info and sign-ups for this coming next week! Nature Center Assignment ► Must go on your own time (can be in lab groups) ► Have a Center staff member stamp the front page of your answer packet ► Only stamped assignments will get graded! ► Can be turned in at any time throughout the semester, but the hard due date is the week before finals. EXPECTATIONS ► Please arrive on time to the best of your ability (if this will be an issue-come talk to me) ► Please come prepared to be a full participant it is over a 2.5 h lab! ► For finished labs… ► ALL lab pages must be stapled together ► Do not hand in “messy labs” (your neatest handwriting, ripped along the dotted line) Daily Routines ► Announcements ► Presentations ► Scenarios ► Quick “lectures” ► Experiments Introductory Scenario ► Read through and answer questions in groups ► 10 mins Lab 1: Introduction to Biology & the Scientific Method Objectives: 1. Introduce the Scientific Method 2. Define Hypothesis 3. Define dependent & independent variables 4. Define Positive and Negative Controls 5. Identify the 3 domains for life and 6 biological kingdoms The Scientific Method ► What is biology? ► The study of life-anything we see How do we begin to understand the world around us? We OBSERVE then Hypothesize then TEST and INTERPRET Observe Hypothesize Test Interpret Hypothesis Hypothesis – educated guess, possible ANSWER to a question about a biological process that must be tested NEVER PROVED! Only supported by data A good hypothesis should be: Tentative (you can change it and the earth won’t implode) Testable (it can be tested for) Falsifiable (it can be proven wrong) Example: Sunburn Observe Why does my skin become red when I am outside a long time? Something from the sun makes my skin burn. Hypothesize I will find 2 similar sunny days and spend one inside and one outside. Independent variable: the characteristic being Test tested; what we change, e.g. inside or outside Dependent variable: the outcome measured, e.g. skin darkens or stays the same My skin didn’t change when inside but became Interpret redder when outside. Something about the sun darkens my skin. DEFINITIONS ► Independent variable = the variable that YOU as the experimenter are changing (the manipulated variable, it is independent of the experiment) ► Dependent variable = the variable that you hypothesize will change in response to one or more independent variables (the measured variable, it depends on what the experiment is) ► Control Variables = other variables kept the same across all treatments. (These allow you to conclude that your independent variable is causing the differences, not other factors.)  Positive vs Negative Controls ► Positive control = treatment that is expected to result in a change in the dependent variable ► Purpose: to illustrate that the experiment can produce a positive result (a change CAN occur) ► Negative control = treatment that is expected to result in NO change in the dependent variable ► Purpose: to illustrate that the experiment can produce baseline results (no change can ALSO occur) CATEGORIES OF LIFE Animal and Plant Cells Investigation 1: Direct evidence ► Observe 5 cells under the microscope ► Epithelial cells (from your cheek) ► Drop of blue on slide, use flat end of toothpick on inside cheek to collect cells, put on coverslip, focus in on the cells ► CLEAN OFF SLIDES! ► Other slides already set up 1. Record characteristics in Table 1-1 on discussion pages 2. Compare & contrast specimens 3. Use Appendix A to identify specimen to a Kingdom (Record in Fig. 1-4) Investigation 2: Indirect evidence ► Record # of container in Fig. 1-5 ► Determine shape inside of each box by spinning around the boxes and listening ► ‘Hypothesize’ what shape you think it is Investigation 3: Variables affecting pulse recovery ► What affects your pulse recovery? ► E.g. does caffeine influence heart rate? What about height? ► Generate a hypothesis within your table ► 1 person is the control, 1 is the experimental ► Take preliminary pulse ► Both subjects step up & down for 3 min. ► Record pulse immediately ► Continue to record until returns to ‘normal’ Let’s Get Started!