GRADING:
Grading will
be based upon reports on the 4 projects, 6 homeworks and
one midterm and one final quiz. The quizzes will focus upon the methods that
are used in the lab, the rational behind the methods used. The quizzes and
homework during the semester and the final exam will altogether count for half
of the grade. The
reports will count for the other half of
the final grade.
Attendance is crucial for any laboratory course but is
even more so with the format of this lab. If you can not attend lab, contact
Dr. Straney before if possible, or soon after, to
arrange a time to make-up the lab. I will be happy to work with you to
accommodate absences, but missing more than three labs over the semester makes
it difficult to complete the course.
720-800 A
640-719 B
560-639 C
480-559 D
<479 F
LAB REPORTS:
A
lab report is due for each of the four projects. Keep a
notebook detailing your results, questions posed in class or in the lab
write-up, and ideas concerning the interpretation of the results. The completed
reports will be due on the dates indicated on the syllabus.To
encourage timely entering of the report, we will discuss the items to include
in the report in that lab, and we will go over the partial reports in class.The report will consist of three parts- Description
of the project, Results/ Discussion and Conclusion.
Describe
in your own words the overall approach of the project. What are we trying to
define or find? What information are we using or assuming we know to accomplish
this? You do not have to re-describe the techniques involved, but give a
rational to what we are doing in lab.You may want to
try to write this in the first week of the project.
This
section will be a step-by-step description of what results you obtain in the
experiments each day in lab. You will insert pictures of gels, draw pictures of
mutants, etc. so as to record the results. After each lab session, try to sit
down and update the results and interpret what the results mean.Although
you may need to change your interpretation later in the results section,
keeping this section as more of a log or journal helps you organize it and
avoid forgetting the importance of early results when from the perspective of
the end of the project.In this section, try to
address the questions posed in class or in the individual labs.
In this section, try to connect your interpretation of the results with the goals of the project.What was accomplished?What was not accomplished?Was there an unexpected twist in the results?Would a change in the experimental procedure allow you to overcome obstacles?What would be the next logical step as an extension of the project?