Evolution of the Earth (EART‐110A) Fall 2009 Laboratory Section Syllabus Labs meet in EMS D226 Office Hours Held in EMS D236 Wednesdays 6‐9 pm Thursdays 6‐9 pm Fridays 9 am ‐12 pm Mondays 4‐6 pm Wednesdays 12‐2 pm (or by appointment) Lab Schedule Each week we will introduce a new topic, and either Sora or Priya will teach all lab sections for that week, as outlined in the schedule below. Questions about the labs should be directed to the TA who taught that lab. The TA responsible for teaching one week will hold the following week’s office hours. Hopefully this will ensure that you get all the help you need, from the person who can help you best. If these times don’t work, email the TAs for an appointment. Week1 Sept 24 ‐‐ Week2 Sept 30, Oct 1, 2 Week3 Oct 7, 8, 9 Week4 Oct 14, 15, 16 *Week5 Oct 21, 22, 23 *Computer Lab* Week6 Oct 28, 29, 30 Week7 Nov 4, 5, 6 Week8 NO FORMAL LAB Nov 11, 12, 13 (Wk Independently) Week9 Nov 18, 19, 20 Week10 NO FORMAL LAB Nov 25, 25, 27 (Wk Independently) ‐‐ Week11 Dec 2, 3, 4 Lab 8b Lecture Begins Lab 1 Bolide Impacts Lab 2 Radioactive Decay & Absolute Dating + Geologic Timescale Quiz (at start of lab) ‐‐ Sora Priya Lab 3 Solar Radiation & Balance Sora Biogeochemical Box Modeling Lab 4 section meets at the Ming Ong computer lab at Merrill College Priya Lab 5 Isostasy Sora Lab 6 Plate Tectonics Priya Lab 8a Snowball Earth (Part I) Independent Reading & Preparation Lab 7 Fossils & Extinction Snowball Earth (Part II) Independent Wk on Presentations Snowball Earth (Part II) ‐‐ Priya ‐‐ Priya Each lab includes two preparation questions you must answer and turn in at the beginning of lab to demonstrate you have reviewed the material before coming to section. Please check the website each week – lab handouts and supplemental readings will be posted on the website by Monday evening.
EART‐110A Lab Policies TA Office Location and Contact Info Sora Kim Priya Ganguli Office: EMS A357 skim@pmc.ucsc.edu Office: EMS D227 pganguli@ucsc.edu TA mailboxes are in the Earth & Planetary Sciences Dept Main Office (EMS A232) Welcome to 110A! This handout is to cover lab policies on grading and attendance. We have some pretty strict guidelines, but if you come to lab and work efficiently, you should be able to complete all your assignments on time. Also, please take advantage of our office hours ‐‐ we will be happy to help you work through the problem sets and labs. Attendance is mandatory. It will not be possible to pass the lab portion if you miss a lab. You must arrive on time and attend your assigned lab section each week. If you have to miss a lab as a result of extraordinary circumstances, contact the TAs at least 24 hours in advance. If you have to miss a lab and don't know ahead of time, you must contact the TAs within 24 hours of your missed lab. Missed labs must be made up by attending an alternate section or attending office hours and must be turned in on time the following week. Grades: 80% of your lab grade is based on weekly assignments, 10% on your lab preparation questions, and 10% on a geologic time scale quiz. Preparation questions are due at the beginning of that week’s lab; lab assignments are due at the beginning of the next lab meeting (1 week later). Late labs will be heavily penalized: 20% per day. Do not hand in a late lab if it is more than 4 days late. Hand in late labs to the TA's mailbox (EMS, A232). Materials: Please bring a calculator, scratch paper, and any assigned reading to all lab sections. Other Notes: We encourage you to work together in and outside of lab! However, each student is responsible for turning in their own assignment. Show your work for complete credit on calculation problems and answer essay questions in your own words. And please ask questions – that’s one of the best ways to learn and expand your understanding of the material! Extra Credit: There are 50 extra credits points available for the lab section. How do you get these points? A couple of ways: 1) Attend the Earth & Planetary Sciences weekly “Whole Earth Seminar.” 4:00 PM, Tuesdays, Nat Sci Annex, RM 101 (same room as lecture). For more information on the seminar, see the website: http://pbsadmin.ucsc.edu/fmp/semedit/flyer‐seminar.php?department=Earth+Sciences OR 2) Read and summarize a scientific journal article pertaining to the week’s lab topic. Check with a TA about appropriate journals. THEN Provide a half‐page summary of the talk/paper, detailing the main topic, primary methods and results/conclusions. For talks, include date, title and speaker’s name. For papers, include a copy of the paper. 10 points possible per talk or article summary, with a maximum of 5 submittals allowed