INTRODUCTION TO OCEANOGRAPHY
& MARINE BIOLOGY LABORATORY
SPRING 2003
OVERVIEW
Welcome to the lab! This semester, you will sample all of the wonders of the sea and its inhabitants. We
will cover several topics and learn a lot of new techniques this semester. So, be prepared to come to lab
enthusiastic to participate and learn.
Oceanography is the study of the physical and chemical aspects of the marine environment – the abiotic
factors – whereas marine biology is the study of the living organisms – the biotic factors – that make their
home in salt or brackish water environments. We will begin this class by covering the basic scientific
principles applicable to learning about such abiotic and biotic factors in the marine environment, and then
we will tackle a bit of oceanography. However, the majority of the class will concentrate on marine
biology, focusing mostly on marine animals and their defining characteristics.
There will be a short lecture at the beginning of each lab session to discuss new material, and periodically,
we will review old material as well. After that, we will work through various hands-on exercises. Prior to
lecture, though, we will have a short quiz covering all material discussed the previous week and any
reading that was assigned. Quizzes will be worth 5 points each, but the lowest quiz grade will be dropped
at the end of the semester. For this reason, there will be no make up quizzes under any circumstance. In
addition, quizzes will be handed out at the beginning of the class period and will not be given to those
showing up late for lab, no exceptions. In addition to weekly quizzes, your grade will be based on a
summary you write after reading a scientific article. This assignment will be explained in depth midsemester. The majority of your grade, however, will be based on your ability to keep – in the form of a lab
notebook – a complete and accurate account of the material discussed in lab and that learned in your
reading. Lab notebooks will include drawings of specimens we look at in class, diagrams, and information
discussed and that independently derived and pertinent to the material. The format in which lab notebooks
should be compiled will be discussed in detail. It is possible that lab notebooks will be collected weekly
for points, and so you should make sure you are always up-to-date in documenting lab material. Finally,
your grade will also be based on two practical exams, one at midterm and one at the end of the semester.
Information from the first half of the semester is fair game for the midterm exam, and information from the
second half of the term is fair for the final exam.
We will always make time for questions in class, but please make every attempt to contact us with
problems and concerns throughout the semester. We are here to help!
Class Information:
Lab #1: Tuesdays from 9:30am until 12:15pm
Instructor: Ms. Rummer
Assistant: Ms. Alexander
Lab #2: Tuesdays from 12:30pm until 3:15pm
Instructor: Ms. Rummer
Assistant: Ms. Alexander
Meeting location: Building 58, room 61
Attendance: You should make every effort to attend class regularly and the section to which you
are registered.
Lab materials: Handouts will be provided to facilitate your study efforts. We DO NOT keep
handout copies; if you don't come to class on the day they are handed out, please
borrow them from a classmate. No textbook is required for the lab.
Contact Information:
Ms. Jodie Rummer
Lab Instructor (Tues. 9:30am and 12:30pm lab)
Office: Building 58/052 (behind graduate student mailboxes)
Phone: 473-7289
Email: jrummer@bellsouth.net
Ms. Kathryn Alexander
Lab Assistant (Tues. 9:30am lab and 12:30pm lab)
Office: Building 58/139 (in the back of the laboratory)
Phone: 474-2748 (main biology office)
Email: kalexa65@hotmail.com
Tentative Schedule of Lab Topics
January 7 – No lab classes
January 14 – Orientation, microscopes, scientific method, library resources
January 21 – Oceanography, acid rain experiment (**notebook check**) Quiz #1
January 28 – Taxonomy and identification of marine organisms (**notebook check**) Quiz #2
February 4 – No lab classes
February 11 – Bacteria, protists, and plants (**notebook check**) Quiz #3, Review for midterm
February 18 – Midterm exam (**notebook check**) Article summary assigned
February 25 – Lower marine invertebrates, article summary due (**notebook check**)
March 4 – Marine Molluscs and squid dissection (**notebook check**) Quiz #4
March 11 – No lab classes (Spring Break!!!)
March 18 – Marine Arthropods, Echinoderms, and sea star dissection (**notebook check**) Quiz #5
March 25 – Chordates, Agnathan and Elasmobranch dissection (**notebook check**) Quiz #6
April 1 – Teleost fishes and dissection (**notebook check**) Quiz #7
April 8 – Field trip (**notebook check**) Quiz #8; Review for final
April 15 – Final exam (**notebook check**)
Grading System:
Lab Notebooks (10 points per check):
Quizzes (8 at 5 pts each-drop lowest)
Article Summary:
Midterm Exam:
Final Exam:
Total:
Points
110
35
30
50
50
275
*You can keep an ongoing record of your grade for the class by keeping a running tally of points you have
earned. To calculate your grade, divide your number by the number of points possible at that point of the
semester. Multiply that number by 100 for a percentage grade.
Grading Scale:
90 - 100:
80 - 89:
70 - 79:
60 - 69:
< 60:
A
B
C
D
F
Course Withdrawal:
The last day to withdraw with an automatic "W" is March 21, 2003.