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Contents
of Proceedings > Volume
25
Tested Studies for Laboratory Teaching
Volume 25
University of Nevada, Las Vegas, June 3-7, 2003
Editor: Michael O'Donnell
Host: Roberta Williams
* Denotes a replay of a workshop presented at a previous
ABLE conference, though many have been revised reflecting
new information and added wisdom through experience!
Laboratory Exercises in Molecular Biology and
Genetics
1. DNA Microarrays: Background, Interactive
Databases,
and Hands-on Data Analysis by A. Malcolm Campbell
and Laurie J. Heyer [abstract][full text]
2. Expression Vectors Used in Project-Oriented
Teaching
Laboratories* by Susan J. Karcher, David J. Asai,
and Chris J. Staiger [abstract][full text]
3. Bacterial Gene Transfer* by John
Mordacq
and Roberta Ellington [abstract][full text]
4. Introducing Students to Conservation Genetics
Using Sturgeon Caviar and Other Fish Eggs* by
Kathleen
A. Nolan, Nancy Rosenbaum, Claire Leonard, Anthony
Catalano,
Phaedra Doukakis, Vadim Birstein, and Rob
DeSalle [abstract][full text]
5. Using Dermatoglyphics from Down Syndrome and
Class
Populations to Study the Genetics of a Complex Trait*
by
Thomas Fogle [abstract][full text]
Laboratory Exercises in Botany, Ecology and
Environmental
Science
6. Marigold Cell Size and Polyploidy by
Kimberly L. Hunter and Richard B. Hunter [abstract][full text]
7. Using Ant and Butterfly Pollination to
Involve
Students in Scientific Exploration by Mary
Puterbaugh
Mulcahy and Mary Blaine Prince [abstract][full text]
8. Diversity of Photosynthetic Pigments*
by
Alexander F. Motten [abstract][full text]
9. Plants That Aren't Plants: Mosses and Lichens
by Clayton Newberry [abstract][full text]
10. Crops of the Future: A Problem-Based
Learning
Exercise for the Laboratory by Deborah Allen and
Robert C. Hodson [abstract][full text]
Laboratory Exercises in Physiology and
Behavior
11. The Scientific Method: An Introduction Using
Reaction Time* by Bob Kosinski and John
Cummings [abstract][full text]
12. Invertebrate 'LocOlympics': Investigation and
Inquiry into Invertebrate Locomotion and
Biomechanics
by Charlie Drewes and Maria Oehler [abstract][full text]
13. Expanding the Nature of Science in Teaching
Laboratories: From Ethology to Investigating Animal
Behavior
by Ralph W. Preszler [abstract][full text]
Dual Purpose (Pedagogy and Content)
Laboratory
Exercises
14. Scientific Inquiry; Examining the Process of
Science* by George C. Boone [abstract][full text]
15. Revisiting "A Practical Guide to the Use
of Cellular Slime Molds for Laboratory Exercises and
Experiments"*
by Donna M. Bozzone [abstract][full text]
- Appendix A: Abstracts of Mini
Workshops
[titles and full text
]
Appendix B: Abstracts of Additional Major
Workshops
Presented at the 25th ABLE Conference
Appendix C: Abstracts of Additional Mini
Workshops
Presented at the 25th ABLE Conference
Abstracts (Vol. 25)
Laboratory Exercises in Molecular Biology and
Genetics
1 -- DNA Microarrays: Background,
Interactive Databases, and Hands-on Data
Analysis
A. Malcolm Campbell and Laurie J. Heyer [full text]
Key words: animation, software, public domain, open
source,
bioinformatics, functional genomics.
DNA microarrays are influencing many areas of biology. DNA
microarrays allow investigators to measure simultaneously
the activity of every gene in a genome. This paper
provides
the reader with background information, a set of
interactive
questions, and most importantly, free software (MAGIC
Tool)
for use in the undergraduate curriculum. MAGIC Tool
(www.bio.davidson.edu/MAGIC)
resources allow the user to understand how DNA microarray
data are analyzed by providing raw data, instructions,
mathematical
supplements, and free software that works on all computer
platforms. MAGIC Tool facilitates the incorporation of
microarrays
into any upper level biology course.
2 -- Expression Vectors Used in
Project-Oriented
Teaching Laboratories*
Susan J. Karcher, David J. Asai, and Chris J.
Staiger [full text]
Key words: expression vector, E. coli, protein
isolation,
SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, project-oriented
laboratory.
This chapter describes a multi-week project taught in an
upper
level cell and molecular biology laboratory. Isolation of
sufficient quantities of rare proteins from biological
tissues
can be difficult. These native proteins are often required
for raising antibodies, and for studying enzymatic or
regulatory
function. Expression vectors are used to obtain large
quantities
of proteins. The cDNA encoding a protein is cloned into an
expression vector. The fusion protein is over-expressed in
E. coli, and large quantities of the recombinant
protein are obtained by affinity chromatography.
SDS-polyacrylamide
gel electrophoresis is used to determine the size of the
proteins
isolated.
3 -- Bacterial Gene
Transfer*
John Mordacq and Roberta Ellington [full text]
Key words: conjugation, auxotroph, Escherichia
coli,
chromosome, mapping, recombination.
This laboratory investigates one form of genetic
recombination
in bacteria. This process, called conjugation, occurs when
one bacteria transfers DNA to another bacteria. Two
different
strains of Escherichia coli are used: an Hfr
strain
with the F factor integrated into the bacterial chromosome
acting as the donor, and an F-strain lacking the fertility
factor acting as a recipient. The F-strain is auxotrophic
for certain genetic markers and the ordered transfer of
markers
from the Hfr strain to the F-strain is used to map gene
locations
on the bacterial chromosome.
4 -- Introducing Students to
Conservation
Genetics Using Sturgeon Caviar and Other Fish
Eggs*
Kathleen A. Nolan, Nancy Rosenbaum, Claire Leonard,
Anthony
Catalano, Phaedra Doukakis, Vadim Birstein, and Rob
DeSalle [full text]
Key words: sturgeon, caviar, conservation genetics,
forensics,
polymerase chain reaction, species-specific primers.
In this laboratory exercise students will learn how to:
(a)
Isolate DNA from individual sturgeon and other fish eggs
(available
at any local deli that sells caviar) using the DNAzol
method,
(b) Set up control and species-specific PCR reactions
using
primers that have been developed for DNA from sturgeon
species
and (c) Use electrophoresis and methylene blue and/or
ethidium
bromide staining to visualize the PCR products. This
laboratory
exercise would allow students to contribute to a growing
DNA
database on endangered species.
5 -- Using Dermatoglyphics from
Down
Syndrome and Class Populations to Study the Genetics of a
Complex Trait*
Thomas Fogle [full text]
Key Words: dermatoglyphics, Down Syndrome, human genetics,
quantitative variation, fingerprints.
Dermatoglyphics is the study of epidermal ridges on the
hands
and feet. Ridge patterns and counts develop prenatally,
are
inherited, and show quantitative variation. This exercise
introduces the preparation and interpretation of finger
and
palm prints for quantitative analysis. The techniques are
simple, inexpensive, and can be adapted as an exercise on
genetics for beginning or advanced students. Palm prints
from
individuals with Down Syndrome serve as a population
sample
to statistically test for differences with the class
population
and also create an opportunity to discuss the cause and
effects
of Down Syndrome.
Laboratory Exercises in Botany, Ecology and
Environmental
Science
6 -- Marigold Cell Size and
Polyploidy
Kimberly L. Hunter and Richard B. Hunter [full text]
Key words: ploidy, fingernail polish, guard cell,
marigold,
stomate.
A majority of higher plants are polyploid, having more
than
two sets of chromosomes. Advantages of having extra
chromosomes
are not clear, and may vary among species and ecological
niches,
but one consistent effect is increased cell size. We
present
a lab using measurement of cell size to distinguish ploidy
level among three marigold cultivars - a diploid, a
triploid,
and a tetraploid. The lab involves growing plants from
seed,
making surface impressions of leaf cells using fingernail
polish, and measuring the size of guard cells using a
microscope.
It introduces students to plant leaf function, genetics,
and
microscope use.
7 -- Using Ant and Butterfly
Pollination
to Involve Students in Scientific Exploration
Mary Puterbaugh Mulcahy and Mary Blaine
Prince [full text]
Key words: Plants, pollination, ants, butterflies,
mutualisms,
pollen.
Students explore pollination using two exercises: an ant-
and a butterfly-activity. In the ant-exercise, students
generate
hypotheses for why reports of ant pollination are rare,
test
one or more hypothesis, and present their findings. In
addition
to this open-ended inquiry investigation, instructions are
also provided for a structured activity in which students
germinate pollen and test whether ant-secretions inhibit
pollen
growth as has been proposed in the scientific literature.
In the butterfly-exercise, students test whether
butterflies
can learn to associate certain color cues with a sugar
reward.
8 -- Diversity of Photosynthetic
Pigments*
Alexander F. Motten [full text]
Key words: algae, chromatography, cyanobacteria,
photosynthetic
pigments.
The names of algal divisions emphasize the prominence of
color
in their biology. Using readily available source
materials,
students extract polar and non-polar photosynthetic
pigments
from red, brown, and green algae and from cyanobacteria
and
angiosperms. The non-polar pigments are then quickly and
cleanly
separated by thin layer chromatography on narrow strips of
plastic-backed silica gel with minimal amounts of solvent.
The resulting patterns can be used to infer the origins of
chloroplasts in eukaryotes and the phylogenetic
relationships
among the source taxa or to illustrate a wider assortment
of accessory pigments than those found in angiosperms
alone.
9 -- Plants That Aren't Plants:
Mosses
and Lichens
Clayton Newberry [full text]
Key words: moss leaf sections, lichen chemical tests.
Mosses and lichens are not given much attention in
introductory
biology laboratory courses, in part because instructors
lack
skills necessary to cover the topic-namely, moss leaf
cross
sectioning and lichen chemical spot tests. Acquiring
confidence
in just these two techniques, as well as familiarity with
basic terminology, lays a foundation for further
investigation.
10 -- Crops of the Future: A
Problem-Based
Learning Exercise for the Laboratory
Deborah Allen and Robert C. Hodson [full text]
Key words: problem-based learning, PBL, global warming,
photosynthesis,
data acquisition system, introductory biology, botany,
environmental
science.
In problem-based learning (PBL), complex, real-world
problems
motivate students to discover interconnections between
important
concepts and in doing so acquire essential skills. These
skills
include teamwork, problem solving, information retrieval
and
analysis, and communication. The activity presented here
suggests
a way to add a "hands on" component to PBL by
integrating
a problem with a guided inquiry exercise. Problem
resolution
depends on observations made in the laboratory, using
probes
and computer data acquisition systems. Content topics that
students will explore in the course of the exercise
include
C3 and C4 photosynthesis, global carbon cycles, and global
warming.
Laboratory Exercises in Physiology and
Behavior
11 -- The Scientific Method: An
Introduction Using Reaction Time*
Bob Kosinski and John Cummings [full text]
Key words: reaction time, scientific method, experiment,
hypothesis,
chi-square, BioBytes.
Reaction time has many advantages for the introduction of
the scientific method--the subject is familiar, many
experiments
are possible, and students enjoy competition. In our
Introductory
Biology courses, our students formulate and test a
hypothesis
about reaction time. We use Kosinski's Reaction Time
software,
that records reaction times and then analyzes them
statistically
using the chi-square median test. Students then write a
paper
that either rejects or fails to reject their null
hypothesis.
An online literature review on reaction time helps the
students
incorporate primary literature into their paper.
12 -- Invertebrate
'LocOlympics':
Investigation and Inquiry into Invertebrate Locomotion and
Biomechanics
Charlie Drewes and Maria Oehler [full text]
Keywords: movement, animal behavior, swimming, undulation,
Reynolds number.
Studies of invertebrate locomotion and biomechanics
provide
unusual opportunities to interrelate biology, physics, and
math in engaging ways. The authors have produced an
original
videotape and CD, entitled, "Invertebrate
LocOlympics,"
which document locomotion in numerous invertebrates
including:
nematode, oligochaetes, leech, Daphnia, ostracod, copepod,
centipede, millipede, and springtail. This documentation,
together with the following write-up, allow quantitative
investigation
and analysis of several types of locomotion, namely:
undulatory
swimming, swimming with appendages, walking, running,
jumping,
ciliary gliding, and others. Direct measurements from
freeze-frame
video or PowerPoint file images (on CD) allow
inter-species
comparisons of movement trajectory, forward velocity, wave
velocity, wave frequency, and Reynolds Numbers.
13 -- Expanding the Nature of
Science
in Teaching Laboratories: From Ethology to Investigating
Animal
Behavior
Ralph W. Preszler [full text]
Key words: inquiry; animal behavior, laboratory design,
crickets,
arthropods, insects, dominance, mate choice.
The instructor's section of this chapter considers some of
the general challenges associated with converting a
descriptive
laboratory exercise to an inquiry exercise. It also
contains
the detailed methods of our current version of this animal
behavior investigation. The second major section of this
chapter
contains the current student's version of this exercise.
In
this section students are led through initial observations
of crickets and through the process of hypothesis
formation
about relationships between dominance hierarchies and
mating
behaviors. They then design and conduct an experiment
using
crickets to evaluate their hypothesis.
Dual Purpose (Pedagogy and Content) Laboratory
Exercises
14 -- Scientific Inquiry;
Examining
the Process of Science*
George C. Boone [full text]
Key words: scientific method, deduction, induction,
computer
simulation.
This laboratory exercise is designed to get a class of
students
organized into teams and examine the scientific process.
The
concepts of inductive and deductive reasoning will be
discussed
and then used in the problem solving process. The students
will also examine their own problem solving process in
comparison
to the scientific method.
15 -- Revisiting "A
Practical
Guide to the Use of Cellular Slime Molds for Laboratory
Exercises
and Experiments"
Donna M. Bozzone [full text]
Keywords: amoeba, fruiting body, macrocyst, cellular slime
mold, Dictyostelium, Polyspondylium, slug, microbial
eukaryote,
cell, development, behavior, ecology.
Microbial eukaryotes in general, and cellular slime molds
in particular, are well-suited for laboratory instruction
in a variety of areas, including cellular biology,
developmental
biology, biochemistry, and population biology, and for a
range
of educational levels, such as introductory courses,
upper-division
courses, and independent student research projects. This
chapter
details methods for the culturing and care of cellular
slime
molds, as well as instructions for several experiments and
explorations including an examination of the life cycle,
how
cells choose a developmental pathway, food preferences and
interspecific interactions, chemotaxis, phototaxis,
pattern
formation, and cell recognition.
Mini Workshops and
Posters
- Writing Assignments in Large Classes With
Minimal
Support by Norris Armstrong [full text]
- A Novel Service Learning Project for Non-major
Biology Classes by Ruth E. Beattie [full text]
- Scientific Journal Writing for Dummies: An
Approach
to Teaching Scientific Writing to First Year Biology
Majors
in An Introductory Lab by Kelly E. Bohrer [full text]
- Biology 102, "The Natural World": An
Experiential Science Class for Non-science
Majors
by R.L. Bossard [full text]
- eLabs Conversion: Convert Your Old Paper Lab
Manual
into a CD-ROM by Peggy Brickman [full text]
- Fat Content in Ground Meat: A Statistical
Analysis
by Mary Culp [full text]
- New Light on Phototaxis and
Phototropism
by Charlie Drewes [full text]
- Keys, Kudzu and Other Vines: Photocopiers and
the Production of a Dichotomous Key by Marsha
E.
Fanning [full text]
- Using Physical Models to Complement
Computer-Based
Bioinformatics Labs: Assessing Student Performance and
Reactions
by Michelle A. Harris [full text]
- An Investigative Case Study Designed to
Promote
Critical Thinking Skills by Christie J. Howard
and Meeghan E. Gray [full text]
- Molds As Model Organisms For Undergraduate
Structured
Inquiry Labs by A. Daniel Johnson [full text]
- Investigative Laboratory on "Filling
In"
by the Brain of the Blind Spot of the Visual
Field
by Debora L. Mann, Dick R. Highfill, and Ryan B. Day
[full text]
- Practical Botany - The Maltese
Cross
by Karen A. McMahon [full text]
- Assessing Complex Behaviours: Improving
Student
Writing Skills Using a "A Short Guide to Writing
about
Biology" and Marking Rubrics by
Todd
Nickle [full text]
- Photosynthesis/Respiration in Leaf
Disks
by Ruthanne B. Pitkin [full text]
- Inquring Minds Want to Know: Introducing
Freshmen
to Experimental Design by Cynthia A.
Surmacz [full text]
- An Introductory Biology Lab that uses Enzyme
Histochemistry
to Teach Students about Skeletal Muscle Fiber
Types
by Lauren J. Sweeney, Peter D. Brodfuehrer and Beth L.
Raughley [full text]
- Statistical Basics for Biology; P-values,
Alphas,
and Measurement Scales by Catherine
Teare
Ketter [full text]
- A Simple Demonstration of Random
Motion
by Charlene M. Waggoner
- Effects of Insulation and Antifreeze/Glycerol
on Thermoregulation of Simulated Animals Living in Cold
Conditions by Flora Watson [full text]
- Hiram Genomics Initiative: Novel Genomics
Research
Where You Least Expect It by Cathy Wheeler,
Prudy
Hall, and Brad Goodner [full text]
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