BIO102LE: Friday 2:00-4:50pm Beaumont 301G
Instructor: Dr. Neil Buckley (Office: Beaumont 444), Ext. 5165; bucklenj@plattsburgh.edu
Office hours: MWF 10:30-11:45a.m.; MWF 13.00-13.45.; and by appointment
Please use e-mail to contact me. I will respond as quickly as I can.
Course Goals
To develop the skills necessary for rigorous scientific investigations.
To enhance comprehension of the use and misuse of science in everyday life.
To develop the skills necessary for effective research collaborations.
To fortify some of the content covered in lecture through hands-on learning.
Lab Manual
A packet of SimBio Ecobeaker/EvoBeaker labs (available for purchase in the College Bookstore)
Attendance
Attendance in lab is required. You are responsible for being in lab on time and prepared. If you miss lab without permission you will lose the points available for that day. It will not be possible to makeup missed labs, and there will be no opportunities for any student to earn extra credit outside of lab.
Homework
Written homework assignment may be due at the beginning of some labs. Unless told otherwise, all homework must be typed, double-spaced, on 8 ½ by 11’’ white paper with one-inch margins.
Homework handed in after lab begins will be considered late and will receive reduced credit.
If you know in advance that you are going to miss a particular lab, you may hand that homework assignment in early by bringing it to my office and either handing it to me or sliding it under my door if I am not there. Another option is to give it to another student to hand in for you on the day it is due.
If you complete a homework assignment and fail to turn it in on time but still want me to look at I will be happy to do so, but please remember that you will receive reduced credit for that assignment.
There will be regular lab quizzes that will deal with material from the previous lab. Quizzes are held at the beginning of class. If you miss a quiz without being excused you cannot make it up.
Grading
As explained in lecture, points earned in lab will count as ¼ of your final grade for this course. To calculate your final grade, simply multiply your lecture percentage by 0.75 and your lab percentage by
0.25 and add these values together. F or example, if you earn a 69% in lecture but an 89% in lab, your final score would be (69) (.75) + (89) (.25) = 51.75 + 22.25 = 74%. Note that performing well in lab can raise your course grade considerably (from a D+ to a C in the above example), but performing poorly in lab can just as easily lower your course grade. Remember that you must pass lab to get credit for this course! Thus even if you get a 100% in lecture, a failing grade in lab will result in an E for the course as a whole.
Plagiarism
You must write your own homework assignments. If you copy an assignment from another student I will consider it plagiarism and you will receive a zero for the assignment. It is expected that all students enrolled in this class support the letter and the spirit of the Academic Honesty Policy as stated in the College Catalog.

Week of
Aug. 27-31
Sep. 3-7
Sep. 10-14
Sep. 17-21
Sep. 24-28
Oct. 1-5
Oct. 8-12
Oct. 15-19
Oct. 22-26
Oct. 29-Nov. 2
Nov. 5-9
Nov. 12-16
Nov. 19-23
Nov. 26-30
Dec. 3-7
Introduction to lab/Lab Safety/Introduction to Scientific Method/
Design of Experiments in Biology
Evobeaker: Darwinian Snails
Evobeaker: Evolutionary Evidence
Evobeaker: Sickle Cell Alleles
Graphs and Tables (week of lecture exam 1)
Evobeaker: Genetic Drift and Bottlenecked Ferrets
No Lab: Columbus Day Break
Animal Diversity
Statistical Analysis of Biological Data: Chi-square
Plant Diversity
Species Area Relationships Outdoor Lab (week of lecture exam 2)
Statistical Analysis of Biological Data: t-test and Chi-square
Evobeaker: Flowers and Trees
No Lab: Thanksgiving Break
Ecobeaker: Keystone Predator (week of lecture exam 3)
Review for Final Exam