Integration of Physics Experiments into the Life-Sciences

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Hans M. Bozler DUE 9551148 U of Southern California FY1995 $ 30,000 Los Angeles, CA 90089-0484 ILI - Instrumentation Project: Physics Title: Integration of Physics Experiments into the Life-Sciences The purpose of this laboratory development project is the design and implementation of a new physics laboratory curriculum for students of the life sciences. The reason for such a new laboratory is to transform the laboratory into one of a greater creativity, student involvement, and relevance. The course is a one year non-calculus based physics course for students with prehealth and life science majors at the University of Southern California (USC). This course has high attendance with an annual enrollment greater than 330 students increasing at the rate of 10% per year. While this course attempts to present physics in an interesting way, the experiments are classical and are not particularly related to the primary interests of our students. This lack of relevance impedes the learning process. The new laboratory program has three components: new mechanics experiments with increased student participation and involvement, fluid mechanics experiments due to their importance for life sciences, and electrophysics measurements on living systems, primitive animals and finally the students themselves. The new laboratory, which is highly relevant to the primary interest of the students, will be designed to achieve high student participation and interest in physics. It will be instrumented with high accuracy sensors and their accompanying electronics. The training of the students in the use of such devices will be beneficial to them in preparing for their professional careers.