UNIT 2: EXCITABLE TISSUES
Muscle
Nerve
Heart
Excitable tissues lab report (20%)
• Due: November 7th at 1:30pm (beginning of
tutorial)
• Submitted: As a hardcopy or by email
attachment to Dr. Robertson
– robertrm@queensu.ca
• Late penalties: 5% per day
Zero tolerance policy towards
plagiarism and academic dishonesty
Excitable tissues lab report (20%)
• Not a formal lab report
• 3 sections: (no more than 900 words/section. 2700 word
maximum for entire lab report)
– Skeletal muscle
– Frog nerve
– Frog Heart
• Expected to answer all questions
embedded in lab handout
• Provide 2-3 figures per section in addition to
answering questions
Use your own data to generate the
figures
Figures
• You are expected to make 2-3 figures per
exercise (muscle, nerve, heart):
– Appropriately labelled
– Provide a detailed figure caption
– Short interpretation (can be provided in the
question/answer portion of the report as long as you refer to
the figure when answering the appropriate question.)
Likely, your figures will illustrate answers to
some of the questions in the lab handout: Refer
to your figures when discussing the answers to
those questions!
Tips
• Remember that you do not need to use all your
data
– Choose 2-4 interesting/clear findings per exercise to
create figures
• Include figures showing raw traces in addition to
quantified data if possible
• You are not limited to a certain type of
graph/figure
• Include relevant information in figure
captions/interpretations
How to make a good figure
• Communicate your findings effectively
1. Find something out
2. Provide evidence to the reader
•
•
•
Use legend to explain/ summarize figure
Legend should guide reader through figure
Appropriate labelling on figure is very
important!
Brainstorming ideas for figures
Figures could include but are not limited by:
• Muscle
– Contraction strength vs. Stimulus strength
– Raw traces
– Effect of temperature on twitch properties
• Heart:
– Raw traces
– Effect of temperature on heart rate
– Effect of drugs/salts on heart rate
• Nerve:
– Stimulus strength vs. Size of response
– Stimulus duration vs. Response
– Strength duration curve
Excitable tissues lab report (20%)
In a nutshell:
• Clearly answer all questions in lab handout
– A template has been provided if you wish to use it. Feel
free to adjust the “answer” spaces as needed.
• Provide 2-3 figures per section
– Use your own data
– Illustrate interesting findings
– Descriptive figure captions
– Refer to figure during interpretation
I will hold office hours on Monday November 5th from 1030-12pm
Bioscience Complex room 3117.