Lab Day/Times: Thursday 13:00-15:30, Room 116.

Instructor: Dr. Consuelo Alvarez e-mail address: calvarez@longwood.edu

Office Location: McCorkle 117-A Phone: 395-2847

Office hours: 11:00-13:00(M); 14:00-16:00(W); or by appointment

Textbook: Genetics. Analysis and Principles by Robert Brooker. Published by

Benjamin/Cummings. ISBN: 0-8053-9175-4

 

*To help students learn to apply the scientific method to analyze and solve problems.

*To make students aware of the importance of inheritance and expression of genetic material that help maintain

homeostasis in cells and nature.

*To provide students an understanding of the impact of internal and external environmental factors in the

relationship between genotype and phenotype of an individual.

*To familiarize students with the Central Dogma as it relates genes (nucleotide sequence) to proteins (amino

acid sequence) and their homology among different species.

*To expose students to key biological/biochemical laboratory techniques such as micropipetting, DNA

extraction, PCR, electrophoresis, and bioinformatics.

Students should read entire chapters PRIOR to the time that a chapter is to be started in class, and then read selected sections a second (or third) time as necessary as topics are discussed in class. Some problems should be attempted BEFORE topics are covered in class (see the class schedule). Attempting problems in advance will allow students the opportunity to ask specific questions in class when a topic is covered. Exams will attempt to test the same concepts covered by the problems in the textbook.

Students are required to abide by all Longwood University policies with regard to registration and withdrawal requirements and academic honesty. Failure to follow these policies may result in not receiving credit for the course or receiving a failing grade.

Students should enroll in BIOL 324 on Blackboard within the first two weeks of class. Lecture notes, answer keys, and other useful information will be distributed through Blackboard. Messages concerning the class will also be posted on Blackboard.

Attendance

No points are deducted for missing class, but attendance is strongly encouraged. Attendance will be recorded daily. The study of Genetics is a cumulative activity, and missing any topic will impact future performance. You will be required to apply some topics you have learned from previous Biology and Chemistry courses. The student is responsible for being aware of announcements/schedule changes that may be made during any class and for any material covered during an absence. No additional class time will be devoted to covering material for the benefit of someone who has missed a class. Students should check e-mail and Blackboard regularly for messages concerning class.

Missed work that is the direct result of an excused absence must be made-up before the 2^nd class period after returning to class (except for laboratory experiments-these will be counted as absent but excused). Missed work that is the direct result of an unexcused absence cannot be made up and will be graded as a zero. Missed quizzes CAN'T be retaken. Missed lab sessions CAN'T be redone. However, you will not be penalized for missing one (drop the lowest). The definitions of excused absences are given in the Longwood University handbook. All unexpected excused absences must be documented by the student and discussed with the professor on the first day that the student returns to class. Failure to provide documentation immediately upon returning to class from an excused absence will cause the absence to be counted as unexcused. If a student knows that he/she will be absent on the day of an exam or laboratory exercise due to a sanctioned school event, it is the responsibility of the student to provide the professor with written verification of the student’s participation in the event prior to the day of the class to be missed. Failure to provide advance notice will result in the absence being counted as an unexcused absence.

All students begin the class with ZERO points, and the grade received depends upon the number of points accumulated throughout the semester compared to the total number of points possible. Assigned homework problems will not be given grades, but there is a strong correlation between the numbers of problems a student successfully completes and the final grade in the class. Students can earn points towards their final grade in the following areas: Unit Exams, Quiz, Final Exam, and Laboratory. Exam questions may be taken from both the classroom activities and the laboratory activities. The point distributions and grading scale are shown below. Grades are not curved, but for borderline cases, special consideration may be given to those students who clearly and consistently demonstrate a serious work ethic in the class. There will be no extra credit work. The instructor will not accept any work put into her mailbox. Every effort will be made to return graded materials within one week of the due date. Students should maintain records of all grades received and are encouraged to calculate the cumulative point total as the semester progresses.

Unit Exams (3, drop lowest) 30% (300 pts) >90% A

Quiz (4, drop lowest), Short assignments (3) 25% (250 pts) 80-89% B

Final Exam (Cumulative) 25% (250 pts) 70-79% C

Laboratory (drop lowest) 20% (200 pts) 60-69% D

 

<60% F

 

 

 

 

 

Individual help may be obtained from the instructor during assigned office hours (11-1pm every Monday and 2-4 every Wednesday in McCorkle 117-A) on a first come/first serve basis. Students are welcome to come to the professor’s office outside of the suggested office hours (if I am not in class, I am almost always in the office and lab area from 8:30 to 5:00), but the professor reserves the right to limit the time spent with a student. Students may use e-mail or "Blackboard" to ask questions, but it may not be possible to answer all questions. Study groups are strongly encouraged. Small groups of students may come together to office hours.

Any student receiving lower than 67% on the first or second exam is required to meet with the professor within one week of receiving the exam grade. Failure to meet with the professor may result in a grade of incomplete (I) for the term.

For week 2, we will meet in Hiner G16 from 12:30 to 2:00 pm and in Stevens 116, from 2:15 to 3:30 pm.

For week 7, we will meet in Hiner G20 from 12:30 to 2:00 pm and in Stevens 116, from 2:15 to 3:30 pm.

Unless an announcement is made in class to the contrary, the laboratory will be is session each week except for week 14 (Thanksgiving Break) Handouts for the laboratory experiments will be give one week in advance of the actual start of the experiment.

The laboratory portion of the final grade will be based on the following criteria: participation 20%, written reports work-60%, and quizzes-20%. Grading in the laboratory will be based on preparedness, participation, written work, and laboratory questions.

Formal laboratory reports will be required (see the example below) Questions regarding the laboratory experiments will be part of all exams.

At the end of the semester there will be an individual laboratory presentation of a specific Gene present on the Chromosome assigned to you. The grade of this presentation will count for 2 laboratory grades and can’t be dropped. In addition, you will present a written paper for this work and the paper is one laboratory grade and neither can be dropped.

Attendance is mandatory. Students are required to attend a minimum of 75% of the laboratory sessions in order to receive any credit for the laboratory portion of the final grade in the class.

No one will be allowed to enter the lab session after the first 5 minutes of lab.

If you miss a lab session, your grade for that lab is "ZERO" Dismissal from the laboratory for any reason will result in the student obtaining a "zero" for that activity, and that session will be counted as an absence. The policy concerning excused and unexcused absences is the same as described above in the Lecture portion of the syllabus. Missed lab sessions CAN'T be redone.

No hand written reports will be accepted (excluding some calculations and/or diagrams). Reports will be due at the START of class, one week from the day the experiment(s) is(are) completed. No late reports will be accepted. (The only exception to this rule will be if a student is absent the day that the report is due, and then the report will be due at the start of class on the day the student returns to class or to laboratory or to lecture) Grades will be based on accuracy/precision of the work reported and on the clarity/completeness of the report. All reports must follow the general format shown below when applicable. Each section of the report (bold headings below) should be clearly identified and separated from the other sections. Partners should discuss the work together during the experiment, but each person must write their own report. The only part of a report, which should be the same between two partners, is the data that was collected together. Make sure that each person has an exact copy of all data collected before leaving at the end of an experiment. A partner being sick or absent will not be accepted as an excuse to turn work in late.

Name: Type your full name. Date: Give the date the experiment was performed.

Title: Give the name of the experiment.

Data Collected: All data with appropriate units (measured quantities, values used in calculations, and in some cases qualitative observations such as the presence of a DNA pellet or yeast colony) should be organized into data tables. The tables should have "titles" which generally describe the information contained. The tables should be completely and clearly labeled. Use Microsoft Excel to create the tables and if possible imbed them in the Microsoft Word report document. Tables may be put on a separate page if necessary. The same is true for graphs.

Calculations: An example of each type of calculation performed should be clearly written out showing all units.

Results/Summary: A table of "results" should be included whenever values from data tables are used to calculate new values. The table should follow the same general format used for data tables. The summary should be brief and discuss the quality (good or bad) of work/results and any problems associated with the experiment, suggestions and improvements.

Questionnaire: Complete and brief answer to any question posted on the handout.

References: Title, authors, year, publisher, pages.

Your Name: Your Signature. Partner’s Name: Partner's name typed out.

 

 

Safety in the laboratory is of utmost importance and there will be no tolerance of safety infractions. Failure to follow safety rules will result in dismissal from the laboratory and a zero for the laboratory experiment in question. Safety is not just a personal matter. What you do in the laboratory may effect the safety of others as well as yourself. Besides the five items discussed below, students are expected to follow the general guidelines found in the LABORATORY SAFETY RULES handout.

1) If Safety Glasses (or goggles) will be needed for certain laboratory period, they must be worn in the laboratory at ALL times. Put the safety glass on as you enter the laboratory and do not take them off until you exit the laboratory. Students will get one warning about wearing safety glasses-there are no second warnings. Safety glasses must be worn over prescription glasses and contacts may not be worn in the laboratory. While safety glasses are useful, they may not stop all exposure to your eyes. If you get any chemical in your eyes, immediately flush your eyes with water at the eyewash fountain for 10-15 minutes.

2) Personal belongings (backpacks, books, etc...) other than a laboratory notebook are not allowed on the laboratory benches or in the aisles. Deposit all belongings under the assigned working tables in the laboratory.

3) Food, drink, and smoking are never allowed in the laboratory. Do not put anything in the laboratory into your mouth, and a conscious effort should be made to avoid putting anything that has been in the laboratory into your mouth (pens and pencils are common examples). Always thoroughly wash your hands before leaving the laboratory. In case of accidental contact with chemicals in the laboratory, immediately wash thoroughly with water and give the name of the chemical to the instructor.

4) Wear sensible clothing to the laboratory-your clothes are the first line of defense if a chemical spills onto you. Since most spills start at waist level and go down, no-one wearing shorts, skirts or sandals may enter the laboratory. Gloves are optional at the student's discretion, but since no one type of glove can protect against all chemicals, it is probably safer to try to avoid contact and wash as soon as possible if contacts occurs. If a chemical is spilled onto your clothes, try to dilute the chemical with water immediately. If the quantity of the spill is significant, do not hesitate to use the safety shower. If you feel any burning on your skin, remove the clothing while using the shower-there is no place for modesty in the face of a possible chemical burn. Any contaminated clothing should be laundered separately before reuse or be disposed of if there is any doubt that the chemical can be removed (this is especially true of shoes because of the crevices).

5. The laboratory is a serious environment and there is no room for horseplay or joking around. Any such inappropriate behavior will result in the student(s) being dismissed from the laboratory.

** In week #2 during laboratory period, there will be a raffle of Chromosomes and dates for your laboratory presentation and paper assignment. In addition, the presentation guidelines will be explained.