Biology & Biotechnology Department

BB2903 Anatomy and Physiology Lab Syllabus (C Term 2018)

Instructors:
Michael Buckholt, office GH 203A, phone-831-6429, email- mbuckhol@wpi.edu
Lou Roberts, office GH 203D , Phone 831- 4192, email laroberts@wpi.edu

TAs Tianbi Zhang, tzhang7@wpi.edu (Tuesday Aft.) Elizabeth Crowley eacrowley@wpi.edu

(Wednesday AM); Danielle Snider, dasnider@wpi.edu (Wednesday Aft.) Conor Herlihy
cpherlihy@wpi.edu (Thursday AM)

Background required: This course assumes some basic knowledge of biology and the
equivalent of basic high school biology. It is still possible with some reasonable effort on your
part to do quite well in it with little to no biology background. Understanding of basic biology
terms and concepts will be assumed, but a little extra effort by anyone unfamiliar with them will
allow them to compensate. There will be a dissection component of this course so keep that in
mind. There will be no alternative labs offered.

Course Overview: This course is an active hands on exploration of a number of topics in

anatomy and physiology through the use of simulations, measurement and hands on discovery.
It will be particularly relevant to any student considering a heath related career, doing work
where body structure is relevant or just has interest in how body systems connect. A significant
of this discovery will be accomplished by a hands-on dissection. Examples of the specific types
of techniques and experience this course will give you exposure to are:

 Comparative and general anatomy of several organisms

 Physiology and function of body systems, processes and organs.
 Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISAs)
 Microscopy

Recommended background: BB 1025.

A weekly lecture provides insights, background and discussions about the upcoming laboratory.
A 3-hour laboratory session provides numerous opportunities for skills development. The prelab
assignments will help you to learn the necessary background for each lab and lab reports will
measure how well you understand the experiments. There may be a final lab practical that will
assess your mastery of lab techniques.

Laboratory Safety Statement: The lab exercises in this course involve the use of living or
previously living organisms. Although we will treat everything as safely and as carefully as
possible you should always be aware that there is some risk involved in a laboratory course.
Persons who are immune-compromised (including those who are pregnant or may become
pregnant) and students living with or caring for an immune-compromised individual are advised
to consult with your physician to determine the appropriate level of participation in the lab.
Though you are not required to do so it would also be good consult your instructor if any of these
circumstances apply to you. We can supply the exact list of organisms on request.
Objective: The purpose of this course is to provide a variety of opportunities for students to
learn and develop laboratory and writing skills important in biology and biotechnology. These
skills will be useful in both MQP work and in the advanced modules. Completing this course
will increase your competence in scientific writing and managing, organizing, and analyzing
data. This skill set will be directly applicable to your success in lab modules and in the future.
During this course you will specifically: 1.) Observe and learn basic principles of anatomy and
physiology. 2.) Develop skills and competence in performing laboratory experiments and
working with equipment that will be the basis for performing other labs, you MQP, and in your
professional life as a scientist. 3.) Develop and broaden skills in scientific writing skills and
formats that can be used in other labs your MQP, and as a professional scientist. 4.) Acquire and
hone your skills in working in a group, delegating tasks and developing a consensus. 5.) Learn
to organize data and use it to examine a hypothesis. 6.) Gain factual knowledge about a number
of basic biology subjects as well as learn and observe first hand some biological principles and
theories. 7.) Learn to find and use resources to answer biological questions.

Time and Grade Expectations: When taking this course there are a few things to keep in mind
as far as grading and time commitments. First remember that WPI defines a B as meeting
expectations. Meaning if you meet all expectations for a student at this level in a lab you can get
a B. To earn an A you will have to exceed expectations. The amount of time spent on this class
will obviously vary from student to student and depend on your personal goals. Keep in mind
that WPI expects a student to spend approximately 8 hours a week on a 1/6 unit class. This
means you can expect to spend at least 5 hours every week on your prelab and lab report. Keep
in mind that labs are not like other classes and a greater time commitment may be required to
complete the work.

Text Books, Lab Notebooks, Resources and Materials:

Resources: The lab write ups and assignments are on Canvas. The syllabus, safety, basic lab
information, and report writing files are in the Course Information section. Lab protocols for
each specific lab can be found under the appropriate button. Prelab assignments and suggestion
of what to include in your lab report can be found as assignments under each lab button. Make
sure that you check these pages on a regular basis. For future reference, lecture notes will be
posted each week after the lecture in that labs specific section. A vodcast of lecture will also be
available each week in a designated section of the website. Note that these are not a substitutes
for attending class and are meant to be study aids. Remember that some things will come up in
class that will not be reflected on the web page, besides the fact that the unannounced quizzes
may be announced in class and bonus points will also occasionally be awarded for some in class
participation. Useful external links are also included to help in your understanding and give
further background on the lab. Please also look at the staff information page to learn the
identities and contact information of the teaching assistants (TAs)

You will be required to obtain copies of each labs procedures from the website and a
supplementary guide for labs 3-5 (see below). Access to a computer with Internet available is
required.
Lab Notebooks: You should also bring some kind of notebook, either loose leaf or bound, to
use as a lab notebook. There is no requirement to keep a formal lab notebook, but changes to
protocols may come up that you need to write down and some labs will require sketching and/or
data collection. It is not acceptable to use paper towels or your lab protocol. I will leave you to
develop that bad habit later in your career. Original data taken in lab will usually need to be
included in your lab report so it should be on something that is easy to attach to your report or in
a form that can be scanned and submitted with your report.

Texts
There is a text required for this course. A Dissection Guide & Atlas to the Fetal Pig 3rd
Edition by David G. Smith & Michael P. Schenk (ISBN 9780895828798). There is a third
edition of this book so get that one if possible. We will be going by that one. You will need
this book for doing labs 3-5. It will contain the majority of the necessary diagrams and
instructions for those labs. There are electronic versions of the text available one of which
you can get from the book store or there are a couple of examples below
http://www.chegg.com/textbooks/a-dissection-guide-atlas-to-the-fetal-pig-3rd-edition-9780895828798-
0895828790?trackid=7a5b5e54&strackid=9s_wAYA6&ii=1&preSelection=etextbook or
https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=JFvJAgAAQBAJ&rdid=book-
JFvJAgAAQBAJ&rdot=1&source=gbs_atb

The following texted are recommended but not required, 1.) Successful Lab Reports, A
Manual for Science Students by Christopher S. Lobban & Maria Schefter (ISBN 0-521-40741-
9). I have found it is a good reference for lab report writing. It will answer many of the
questions you may have on writing scientific lab reports and serves as a good reference on how
to construct and label graphs, tables, and figures. You should be able to get a copy of this from
the book store. 2.) Basic Laboratory Calculations for Biotechnology 1st Edition by Lisa A.
Seidman (ISBN-13: 978-0132238106, ISBN-10: 0132238101) This book will help you
throughout your laboratory career. It explains a wide range of the calculations that come up in
lab.

Meeting Times:
Lecture- Monday at 4-4:50 PM in SL 115
Labs- Tuesday at 1-3:50 PM, Wednesday at 9-11:50 AM, 1-3:50 PM, and Thursday at 9-11:50
AM, in GH 206.
Note there will be lab on February 15th (Thursday section) even though this is
advising day. Please plan accordingly and schedule your advising appointment for
a time other than lab time
Office hours: Our office hours are any time you can find us, if you want to be sure to find us
just make an appointment by phone or email. We are available most of the time we are not in
Lab and you can come to talk to us during lab times if you want. The TA hours and contact info
will be posted on the website under staff information, the easiest way to get them will be to email
them and set up an appointment.
Additional assignment writing help: Though the TAs will run a couple of report writing help
sessions and you can always come talk to any of us anytime you want help you may at times
want additional assistance with writing. If this is the case consider visiting the writing center. (
https://www.wpi.edu/student-experience/resources/writing-center )Located on the first floor of
Daniels Hall (room 116), the Writing Center is a valuable resource for helping you improve as a
writer. Writing Center tutors are your peers (other undergraduate and graduate students at WPI)
who are experienced writers themselves and who enjoy helping others work through thinking
and writing problems. Although a single tutoring session should never be seen as a quick fix for
any writing difficulty, these sessions can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, and
teach you strategies for organizing, revising, and editing your course papers, projects, and
presentations. Writing Center services are free and open to all WPI students in all classes, and
tutors will happily work with you at any stage of the writing process (early brainstorming,
revising a draft, polishing sentences in a final draft). Visit the Writing Center website
<wpi.edu/+writing<http://wpi.edu/+writing>> to make an appointment

Accomodations and considerations

"If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you have
medical information to share with me, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible.
My office location and hours are posted above. If you have not already done so, students with
disabilities, who believe that they may need accommodations in this class, are encouraged to
contact the Disability Services Office (DSO), as soon as possible to ensure that such
accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. The DSO is located in Daniels Hall, (508)
831-5235."

Assignments and Schedule:

Date Lab Due before you Due Due by the Project In Lecture
come to lab before end of the assignment
you leave day you Due by the
the lab have lab end of
indicated
day
Jan 10- No labs this week only lecture for next week’s lab
14
Jan 15- Lab 1 Prelab 1 No lecture,
21 Microscopy watch
recorded
one from
last week to
review
Jan 22- Lab 2 Prelab 2 Results
28 Osmosis Section for
Lab 1
(45 pts)
Jan. 29- Lab 3 Pig Prelab 3 and Pig Results and First Group
Feb 4 Dissection Safety Corner Dissection Discussion Meeting
part I Workshee for (10 pts)
ts (20 pts) Lab 2 (45 Due 2/3
pts),
Response
to Lab 1
rubric (10
pts)
 Feb 5-11 Lab 4 Pig Prelab 4 Pig Introduction Second QUIZ 1 (45
Dissection Dissection and Group pts)
part II and Workshee References Meeting
Enzyme ts (20 pts) for (10 pts)
Activity Lab 4 (45 Due 2/10
pts)
Feb 12- Lab 5 Pig Prelab 5 Pig Full Lab Draft of
18 Dissection Dissection Report for Final Project
Part III and Workshee Lab 4 intro and
Respiration ts (20 pts) Enzyme Experimenta
, There is Experiment l Design
lab on (45 pts) Due 2/17
Thursday (20 pts)
the 15th
Feb 19- Lab 6 Prelab 6 ELISA Lab 5 Data
25 ELISA and worksheet Analysis
Project (20 pts) Video lab
Prep report (45
pts
Feb. 26- Final QUIZ 2 (45
Mar 5 Project pts) on Feb
26th
Rewrite of
one of
assignments
1 or 2 due
Monday at
midnight

Mar 9 Full Report for Final Project Due at 8 AM March 5th (45 pts)

Grading:

Canvas Prelabs (6@7 pts)...........................42 pts

TA evaluation (6@3 pts)…………………….18 pts
Safety Agreement…………………………….10 pts
Writing Assignments (5@45)........................225 pts
Response to Lab 1 rubric (1@10).................10 pts
Video lab report (1@45).................................45 pts
In Lab Assignments (3@20)...........................60 pts
Project Assignments (2@10, 1@30)..............50 pts
Group project Final report...............................45 pts
Quizzes (2@45)..............................................90 pts

Total Possible Points 560

535-595 pts…………A
476-534 pts…………B
416-475 pts…………C
Below 392………….NR

There will be no curve in this class

Note: The TA evaluation points will be awarded on the basis of arriving to lab on time,
being prepared for lab, cleaning up after yourself in lab, working well with others, and
general good lab behavior and practice. These evaluation points will be awarded weekly

If you miss a quiz or lab for any reason and do not make it up within the week it was given,
without prior arrangement with the instructor, you will get 0 points for that assignment.

Assignment Descriptions:
Prelabs: Every lab will have a prelab assignment that must be completed before coming to lab
and should be done individually. The prelab for each lab will be in the form of an electronic
Blackboard quiz that must be completed before your lab time begins. This set of questions is
meant to get you thinking about the lab and make sure that you have made some effort to prepare
for it before you come. It will be mostly multiple choice but there may be some short answer
questions that will not be graded immediately but will have to be checked by the TA. Sometimes
you will be asked to upload a file to show you have thought about how you will collect your
data. In these cases you will be warned ahead of time so that you can have the file ready.

Be advised that the questions will come up one at a time and you won't be able to go back to a
previous question. The prelab questions will be taken from lecture, the lab background and
procedure or the procedure videos for the week.

The TAs will check to see if they have a prelab from everyone before beginning the lab and deal
with discrepancies. TAs have the option to refuse you entry into the lab until you have
completed the prelab assignment. However, since we all know that “feces occurs” you can, at
the discretion of your TA, be given until the end of the lab day to submit your prelab. Otherwise
they are subject to a 5 point per day deduction for everyday they are late.

Lab reports: After every lab you will be required to write an individual formal lab report
presenting your results (individual means completely in your own words). General information
for writing this document is given in the Explanation of lab report format document found in the
course information section of the website. You will also find example documents of lab report
writing in this section to help you write your report. Every week there will be two specific
documents to aid your report writing. There will be a post lab document that has hints,
suggestions, and reminders that can be found in the lab report assignment and there will be a
rubric under the rubric section that will tell you what the TAs will be looking for and how many
points it will be worth. There will be at least one lab report writing help session given by the
Instructors or TAs near the beginning of the term to answer any questions you have and
discussion potential problems. You will also be given the chance to rewrite the report for lab 1
and turn it in for a replacement of the previous grade.

Reports are due one week after you do the lab or in other words the next day you have lab.
Reports are to be turned in as electronic documents and you have until11:59:59 PM the day it is
due (midnight) to turn in the assignments. If you must turn in a hard copy it will be due to the
TA no later than 5 PM of the day it is due.
There is no excuse for handing in a lab late. However, since we all know that occasionally
“digested material impacts the rotary-ocillator” you can, at the discretion of your TA or
instructor, be given until the end of the next day to turn your lab in. You must get this in writing
from your TA and turn it in with the assignment or the lab will be considered late. Five points
will be deducted from your score for every day beyond the written grace period your assignment
is late. This includes weekends.

You are responsible for making sure that the lab report document you turn is the right report for
that lab and is in a format that can be opened by the TAs (XXX.doc or XXX.docx). If the TAs
go to grade your report and it is the wrong file or can’t be opened it will be considered late and
the appropriate points will be deducted from the date it was due until you provide them with the
right file or format. Submitting your file to the wrong assignment will also not be considered an
excuse.

Response to Rubric comments:

Because we feel that using the rubric and responding to the comments that your TA has made are
import to both your success in the class and a great learning tool we have included an assignment
where you will respond to the TAs comments on your lab 1 rubric. In this assignment you will
tell us how you plan to address these comments as you continue with lab assignments. This will
help you in writing and help us to understand if we are giving you adequate feedback on your
assignments.

In class assignments:

For several of the labs you will be asked to complete either in class data submissions or end of
lab quizzes. These are to make sure you have made a valid attempt to complete the lab and to
understand it. In particular for the dissections these assignments will help know what to study
for the lab practical given during the final week of lab.

Multi-media lab report:

You will also be turning in the results of lab 5 as video presentation. This is to give you practice
at presenting and explaining your work orally. You will be given explicit instructions on how
this will work and what to do as we near the time for the report.

The Group Project: Part of learning to do science is learning how to form a question and
generate a testable hypothesis. Also, being able to design an experiment and produce the
necessary reagents to complete it are equally important. All of these skills develop with time.
This term you will begin your training in these aspects of experimental and project work by
designing your own experiment. You will be given some basic background with suggestions of
possible questions you can solve. Using this background you will work in groups of 3-5
throughout the term to develop a hypothesis to test as well as an experimental procedure. This
will be accomplished in 2 or more group meetings. Once you have a hypothesis and a protocol
you will write this out as though it were the Introduction and the materials & methods section of
your lab report. You will turn this document in that we can critique it for you. When you have a
final protocol you will make up the necessary reagents to perform your experiment and run this
as a group during your final lab period. Points for the Project will be as follows: 10 points for
attending and participating in two planning meetings, 20 points for the introduction and materials
and methods document, 45 points for the completed lab report.
Lab make ups: We don’t have the space or materials to leave labs set up indefinitely so if you
miss a lab you have three options: A.) making it up within the week it is run by scheduling a
different time with the TA or instructor, or B.) with the permission of the instructor attending
one of the other scheduled sessions. C.) By prior arrangement with the instructor (that is as
soon as you know you will miss or have missed the lab) making it up at a later date (due to time
and space considerations this may not be an option, so don’t count on it). B is the preferred
option but other times can be arranged depending on lab and instructor availability. If you
know ahead of time you will need to miss a lab please try and attend one of the other
sections.

Assignment Grade Appeal Process: We are always happy to discuss grade concerns with you
whether they are on Quizzes, prelabs or assignment submissions. For questions on the Quizzes
you can come to Ally or me directly because we grade them. The process for lab assignments is
to fill out the “report wrapper” (you will find on the website in the course materials section) and
turn it in to both your instructor and your TA by email. Then set up a time with your TA to
discuss your questions and concerns. Once you have met with your TA Ally and I are both
happy to meet with you about the issue if your TA was unable to address your concerns, you
aren’t satisfied with the explanation, or they were unable to give you sufficient help and
guidance. No assignments will be reviewed by your TA or your instructor until you have
submitted the report wrapper about the assignment you wish to discuss.

Our Laboratory Teaching Philosophy- I believe that you learn as much from your mistakes,
probably more, in lab than the things that work perfectly and also that you will learn better by
doing than anything else. Because of this do not expect to necessarily have “cook book” lab
protocols. At times there may be room for interpretation so you will think about and understand
what and why you are doing. Remember that in lab data is data, you must interpret what you
have and learn to make inferences and assumptions based on what you get. There is not always a
“right” answer. The TA’s and I may sometimes allow you to make mistakes so that you will
learn and remember. Because this is a lab course there will often be specimens and other things
to observe and draw. Drawing does help in the observational process and is a good learning tool.
I do expect you to make a reasonable effort to make recognizable drawings, but I cannot draw
well myself so I do not expect you to be an artist. Because of this and the increasing presence of
technology I will provide a camera and allow you to bring your own so that you can supplement
the drawings you made for lab. This doesn’t supersede drawing and you will still be required to
turn in original sketches. It is meant as an adjunct to sketching for those who are poor artists.
Acceptable collaboration and plagiarism: Since this a laboratory course and you will be
working with at least 1 partner, or all individuals will be working on the same problem I know
there will be some collaboration on assignments. This is natural and is typical of the way
biological science is usually done any way. Collaboration and working together does not mean
however that you can use the cut and paste method of lab report creation. It is understandable
for partners to have similar data, tables and graphs, however when answering the pre and post lab
questions as well as writing the lab reports your own words and thought processes should be
evident. Though the data portions of your results may be very similar the rest of your results
sections should be in your own thoughts and words. Additionally, your introduction and
discussion sections should be in your own words. DO NOT turn in prelabs or lab reports that
are identical or substantially similar to your partner’s or any other student’s. Doing this will
likely result in zeros on that assignment for all of you and a warning about plagiarism and
academic and scientific dishonesty. Also, “cutting and pasting” or “borrowing” from the lab
protocols without referencing it is plagiarism as well and will be considered a first offense with a
warning. A second offense will be reported as specified in WPI’s academic honesty policy.
Please note that a first offense can occur in either the 2000 or 3000 level labs—the lab instructors
will be keeping a record of all offenses, and will check the record for prior warnings. Remember
that scientific collaboration and honesty are what keeps the network of Science together. Now is
a good time to practice it. If you are unclear about WPI’s policy or definitions of academic
dishonesty see http://www.wpi.edu/Pubs/Policies/Honesty/policy.html. If at any time you have a
question about what is acceptable as far as use of others data or work please see me or your TA.
I would much rather show you what is considered right before hand than to have to figure out
who is responsible after the fact. Also note that we expect all information to be properly
referenced. Wikipedia is NOT considered an acceptable final source for information—you may
use it as a starting place in your search, but must have another source such as the original
literature, the lab manual or a text book as your source. There are two files in the report writing
section of the website under the course information section about what constitutes academic
dishonesty and how to properly cite a source, if you have questions.

Cell phones: As a general rule I will discourage use of cell phones in the lab. This
promotes poor lab practice in that it is distracting when concentration may be needed and
students often forget and handle the phone with gloves on. This circumvents the purpose
of wearing glove in the first place by contaminating your phone with whatever you were
trying to protect yourself from. If you must make a phone call during class time then do so
in the hall after removing gloves and washing your hands. However, given the progress of
technology and the ability of smart phones to take pictures and record data they will be
allowed in lab for scientific purposes. No calling your mom or texting across the lab. The
rule for cell phone us in the lab will be that it must remain in a plastic bag during its entire
stay in the lab. Small plastic bags will be available on the shelf to the left as you enter the
lab.

Completing lab: Due to the limit space and lab facilities we cannot allow anyone to
continue working on an experiment longer than 60 minutes after the scheduled end of lab.
If you should reach this time point you will be asked to leave by the TAs. You can at that
point schedule another time to complete your lab if personnel and space are available, but
do not assume this will be the case.
Laboratory safety: There are several documents in the course information section of the
course site that review safety and dealing with lab waste. Please read all of these. Also review
the biology safety website. Below is a short list of some important reminders about personal
safety in the lab and general reminders on lab safety.

The following rules must be observed at all times to prevent accidental injury to and
infection of yourself and others and to minimize contamination of the lab environment:
1. Never place books, backpacks, purses, etc., on bench tops. Always place these in the
cubicles and shelves in the entry way to the lab. Keep manuals and pens on pull-out desks.
2. Electronic devices should not be brought into the lab. This includes, but is not limited to
iPods, MP3 players, radios, cell phones, and calculators. See cell phones above for the only
exception.
3. Clean your work area with dilute bleach solution and/or ethanol at the beginning AND end
of each lab.
4. Wash your hands with soap and dry with paper towels when entering and leaving the lab.
5. Wear safety glasses and a lab coat at all times while working in the lab to prevent
contamination or accidental staining of your clothing. Coats as well as loaner safety glasses
will be provided.
6. Long Pants and closed-toe shoes (no sandals) are to be worn in the lab.
7. Long hair must be tied back to prevent exposure to flame and contamination of cultures.
Hair ties are available with the loaner glasses as you enter the lab.
8. Gloves should be worn when staining microbes and handling hazardous chemicals.
9. Do not place anything in your mouth or eyes while in the lab. This includes pencils, food,
and fingers. Keep your hands away from your mouth and eyes.
10. Eating and drinking are prohibited in the lab at all times. This includes gum, cough drops,
and candy.
11. Do not apply cosmetics in the lab. This includes Chapstick, Blistex, etc..
12. Do not remove media, equipment, or bacterial cultures from the laboratory. This is
absolutely prohibited and unnecessary.
13. Do not place contaminated instruments such as inoculating loops, needles, and pipettes on
bench tops. Loops and needles should be sterilized by incineration, and pipettes should be
disposed of in designated receptacles of bleach solution.
14. Carry cultures in a test tube rack when moving around the lab or when keeping cultures on
bench tops for use. This prevents accidents and contamination of your person or belongings.
15. Immediately cover spilled cultures or broken culture tubes with paper towels and then
saturates them with disinfectant solution. Notify your instructor that there has been a spill.
After 15 minutes, dispose of the towels and broken items as indicated by your instructor.
16. Report accidental cuts or burns to the instructor immediately.
17. At the end of each lab session, place all cultures and materials in the proper disposal area.
18. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), the first aid kit, the eyewash station, the safety
shower, and the fire extinguisher are located in the entryway to the lab Read the lab
procedure carefully, and be aware of any hazards and precautions that must be taken.

19. Always clean up any spills that occur immediately (no matter how small), and prior to
leaving the lab wipe down the bench-top where you were working.