Student-designed experimental investigations and integrated symposium for the undergraduate neurobiology, ethology, and physiology laboratories

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Over the next few years the Neurobiology, Ethology, and General Physiology courses at Middle Tennessee State University will be restructured with the following Goals in mind: 1. to increase student involvement in design of laboratory experiments; 2. to improve student skills in critical thinking and presentation; 3. to develop the mental process of distilling biology down to the cellular and molecular level then reassembling it into organ system and organismal levels; 4. to integrate three separate courses into a student symposium; 5. to update the technologies currently being used in the lab exercises. Expected outcomes of these goals include improved interest in and success at learning, and an increased ability to retain the "big picture" of organismal function while still comprehending the smaller-scale details. Instructors will provide background information and procedural guidance, rather than simply prescribing a set of experiments with known outcomes. The instructor's role will shift to one of advisor and encourager, allowing students to experience the true process and nature of science as it is experienced by professional researchers. We will encourage students to continue their experiments beyond the scope of the one-semester class, leading to undergraduate theses. The focus of the equipment request is to establish Macintosh computer-based physiological data acquisition and analysis work stations, many of which utilize MacLab hardware and software. Students in the General Physiology course will explore the physiology and homeostasis of organ systems using a comparative approach. Students in the Ethology course will gain practical experience in studying the cellular physiological basis of behaviors. Students in the Neurobiology course will explore cellular phenomena of the nervous system, including the bases for resting potentials, action potentials, and synaptic potentials, and organismal phenomena such as motor control and sensory perception. A laboratory component for Neurobiology h as never been taught at MTSU, thus its implementation will require a substantial capital equipment investment. The MacLab system was chosen for its reputation, versatility and "user-friendliness."