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Getting Started...
WORDS TO THE WISE: Register EARLY! This course is offered once
per year, and lab space is limited.
General Information
- This laboratory course advances record keeping,
and technical communication skills that were assessed in
BIOC 311: Advanced
Experimental Biosciences.
Student teams prepare and orally defend
scientific posters to communicate their findings.
- PRE-requisite = BIOC 311: Advanced Experimental Biosciences
- BIOC 413 is taught in the second half
of SPRING semester:
- ENROLLMENT IS LIMITED TO 12 STUDENTS (a
minimum of 6 students must register for this course
to be offered)
- Lab meets on Tues./Thurs.
for 4-5 weeks
- Lab begins the
week after midterm recess
- Lab is scheduled from 1-5 p.m.
There are a few times you will need to come in on additional
days to complete an experiment
- HOW TO REGISTER:
- If you have met the prerequisites, you may register on Esther.
NOTE: please do not attempt to register if you have not
taken BIOC 311
- You will receive a message from Owl-Space before classes
start with information about the first day of lab.
- REQUIRED TEXTS:
- BIOC 413 Web site: The course
web site is REQUIRED reading material; failure to follow
instructions/guidelines given on the site because "...I
didn't read that..." is NOT an
acceptable excuse.
- Lab notebook: Hayden-McNeil, Chemistry Top
100-set, ISBN 978-1-930882-00-9 OR Chemistry Top 50-set,
ISBN 978-1-930882-50-5 (also available through
Amazon.com)
NOTE: you will need just ONE notebook per TEAM; you may
use your notebook from Bios 211 or 311 if you have pages
remaining.
- McMillan, Victoria E. (2006) Writing Papers
in the Biological Sciences, 4th Ed., Bedford/St.
Martin's, Boston, MA (also available through
Borders.com)
- SCHEDULE CHANGES AND MAKE-UP LABS:
**IF YOU ARE NOT 100% CERTAIN THAT YOU WILL COMPLETE THIS LAB, PLEASE DROP NOW.**
- Do not sign up for this or any Biosciences
lab course if there is a strong chance that you will
be away for interviews or other travel on a lab day. This
course only lasts 8 days--so if you miss one day
of lab then you have missed a significant portion
of the course. Furthermore, your absence would be
a huge inconvenience to your partners. Check the
lab schedules for possible conflicts before making
the commitment.
- The laboratory studies require a considerable investment
of the instructor's time and the schedule is tight. Therefore
there can be no makeup labs. The lab is typically filled
to capacity. Please don't plan to miss any labs.
- DISABILITY: If you have a disability that you think may affect your degree of success in this or in any other course,
please read the notice.
Instructor Information
- WHO: My name is Beth
Beason Abmayr (Dr. Beason) and I have a Ph.D. in Physiology & Biophysics
from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. I teach BIOC
111, 112, 311, 313, and 413 (laboratory courses) and BIOC 335 Cellular and Molecular Animal Physiology.
***Dr. Elizabeth Eich
(lizmc@rice.edu) is a co-instructor.
- WHERE: My office is ABL 326.
- HOW TO CONTACT ME: I have limited
office hours while labs are running. If you need to reach me
outside of the lab, my preferred method of communication is
e-mail (bbeason@rice.edu);
I will do my best to respond in a timely manner (weekends, holidays,
and early/late hours are excluded). You may also set-up an individual
appointment with me. Please do not leave me a voice
mail message unless it's a true emergency.
- HOW I CONTACT YOU: I will frequently send
communications to the class through Owl-Space e-mails and announcements;
check any mailing from Owl-Space or the instructor's Rice address
or with the subject line starting with "bioc413:"
You will be held responsible for all such communications.
***CRITICAL INFORMATION***
My primary means
of communication with you is via Owl-Space and e-mail:
- Please use your Rice e-mail account for communications
concerning this course
- If you use SPAM
filters on your mail readers, make sure you list bbeason@rice.edu
as "accept"
- Check
frequently to ensure that you do not exceed your e-mail quota
- Send all new messages and replies to bbeason@rice.edu
- If you use an alias, sign the message with your full name
- RECOMMENDATION LETTER POLICY:
***A good letter can carry a lot of weight once you make it through the initial screening process, so think carefully about choosing your recommenders.***
- Writing a letter of recommendation is an important, albeit voluntary, responsibility. I put quite a bit of thought into each letter, describing special qualities and recalling
specific interactions to emphasize the capabilities of the individual.
To write a credible recommendation letter I must know an individual well enough to defend that person's qualifications.
Successful completion of Bios 311 does not, by itself, provide a basis for a strong recommendation.
If I decline to write a letter for you it is most likely because I have insufficient information for a credible recommendation.
I would be writing a "form" letter based solely on your final grade in my course.
For competitive summer programs as well as graduate or professional schools, you need strong supporting letters,
not strictly academic letters based on completion of a single course.
- I will need a resume, unofficial transcript organized by semester (include your name on printed copies), program address(es), and minimal program information
so that the letter can be appropriately targeted. The information can be provided as e-mail attachments.
- The beginning of each new semester is an extremely busy time, and my attention must be focused on teaching.
If a due date for a letter of recommendation falls during the first seven weeks of classes (fall or spring semester) I must receive all pertinent information for new letters
before the first day of classes. Please plan ahead. With reasonable notice, I will provide letters for those students with letters already on file,
provided no major modifications are necessary (i.e., the letters were written within the last 6 months or so).
- Many summer programs have due dates as early as January 15, with most coming due from February 1 to March 1. Start planning early, and if you want a letter from me
and do not have all of the program addresses, at least give me the information needed to write the initial letter before classes start.
- Do not wait until the fall semester to request a new letter for medical school; the latest I will write new letters for
medical school is JUNE. With reasonable notice, I will provide letters for those students with letters already on file,
provided no major modifications are necessary (i.e., the letters were written within the last 6 months or so).
Course Organization
- Students work in teams of 2-3 in the laboratory, depending
on the total number of students in the course.
- Individuals are expected to be prepared for the discussion and to have read over the experiment for the day. Notebooks
are a TEAM responsibility; all the data is important
to other members of the team so write legibly and try to be
neat.
- Each team has two assigned sets of pipets. These pipets
must be kept in good working condition and stored properly
at the end of each lab.
- Each team has an assigned bench-top cooler for storage of samples.
- Each team will be held responsible for the cleanliness of
work areas at the end of each lab. For example, power supplies
should be turned off, electrophoresis equipment should be rinsed
with RO water and placed on paper towels on the benchtop to
dry, and bench-top coolers should be returned to the freezer.
Laboratory Safety
Copyright, Acknowledgements,
and Intended Use
Created by B. Beason (bbeason@rice.edu), Rice University, 16 June 2006
Updated 7 March 2015