Improving Undergraduate Biology Laboratory Experiences by Performing Experiments with Controlled Environment Chambers

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Biological Sciences (61) The Biology Department of the University of DetroitMercy is committed to changing how we teach science in accordance to the recommendation of the National Research Council. To accomplish our goals, we have replaced laboratory exercises that are largely "cookbook" to exercises involving the "process of science." Thus, our students are designing and executing their own experiments in laboratory courses. This involves the students conceiving a testable hypothesis and designing experiments that test their hypothesis. After executing their experiments, they develop their own conclusions based upon their analyzed data. Controlled environment chambers are used to manipulate physical factors that affect whole organism physiology in our students' experiments. Introductory biology students investigate the process of plant cold-acclimation. This curriculum change incorporates methodology invented by the principal investigator (Baker et al., 1994, Plant Molecular Biology) that has been modified for use in the general biology laboratory courses (Gelvin and Karcher, 1996, Proceedings of the 17th Workshop/Conference of the Association of Biology Laboratory Education). Ecology students are investigating the effects of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels on terrestrial food chains. This line of investigation complements and adapts research on aquatic food chains (Urabe and Sterner, 1996, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) as well as methods from botany laboratory courses that have been successfully taught using directed research on model plant systems (Monroe, 1994, www.jmu.edu/biology/pplab/poster1.html). Our students are identifying and analyzing developmental mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana along with developing their own tissue culture regeneration protocols on numerous plant species. Additionally, undergraduates use these chambers in their faculty-supervised independent research projects.