A Total Science Experience Laboratory for Biology Majors

James B. McGraw DUE 9552196 WV大学研究公司1995财年$ 37,846摩根敦，WV 26506 ILI -仪器仪表项目：生命科学西弗吉尼亚大学的生物学专业完成了严格的学习计划，包括化学、物理、数学、统计学和一套相关的核心生物学课程，以及至少五门选修课。这门课程（以及大多数科学课程）缺少的是让每个主修专业的本科生都有机会体验成为一名科学家的完整过程。这一建议要求在生物专业的期末必修课程中建立一个全面的科学体验实验室，以使这种沉浸在科学过程中成为可能；生态学和进化。全面科学体验实验室是一个为期15周的实验室单元，专注于生物体对全球和区域环境变化的响应。在本单元中，学生：(1)撰写预提案和拨款提案（响应提案请求），从而学习(a)如何进行计算机辅助文献综述，(b)如何制定假设和目标，(c)如何设计有意义的实验来测试这些假设，以及(d)如何制定令人信服的项目计划，(2)撰写其他学生提案的提案审查，并接受资助提案的模拟小组审查。(3)进行实验，并全权负责完成每项实验；(4)分析实验数据，接受使用高级统计软件的培训；(5)在一个特殊的学生研讨会上展示结果（海报和口头报告），包括高级图形软件的培训；(6)向“期刊”提交一篇完整的手稿，然后进行编辑审查和重新提交。1993年春季学期对这种实验形式的尝试非常令人鼓舞，因为学生们体验了进行原创研究的兴奋和沮丧。对整个班级实施这个实验的障碍包括统计和图形的计算能力不足，以及缺乏为学生提供实验的受控环境条件。这个项目将消除这些障碍，使全面科学体验实验室得以全面实施。

James B. McGraw DUE 9552196 WV Univ Research Corp FY1995 $ 37,846 Morgantown, WV 26506 ILI - Instrumentation Project: Life Sciences Title: A Total Science Experience Laboratory for Biology Majors The Biology major at West Virginia University completes a rigorous program of study, including chemistry, physics, mathematics, statistics, and a linked set of core biology courses followed by at least five electives. Missing from this curriculum (and most science curricula) is the opportunity for every undergraduate major to experience the complete process of being a scientist. This proposal requests equipment to make such immersion in the process of science possible with the development of a Total Science Experience laboratory in the final required Biology course for majors; Ecology and Evolution. The Total Science Experience laboratory is a fifteen week laboratory unit focused on response of organisms to global and regional environmental change. In this unit, students: (1) write a pre-proposal and grant proposal (in response to a Request for Proposals), thereby learning (a) how to conduct a computer-assisted literature review, (b) how to formulate hypotheses and objectives, (c) how to design a meaningful experiment to test these hypotheses, and (d) how to formulate a convincing project plan, (2) write proposal reviews of other students' proposals and receive mock panel reviews of grant proposals, with 'funding' of some projects and others being declined (with invited resubmission), (3) execute their experiments, with full responsibility for carrying each experiment through to completion, (4) analyze experimental data, with training on use of advanced s tatistical software, (S) present results in a special student symposium (posters and oral presentations) including training on advanced graphics software, and (6) submit a full-length manuscript to a 'journal,' followed by editorial review and resubmission. A trial of this laboratory format in Spring semester, 1993 was extremely encouraging, as students experienced both the excitement and frustrations of performing original research. Obstacles to implementing this laboratory for the entire class include insufficient computational power for the statistics and graphics, and lack of controlled environment conditions to offer students for their experiments. This project will remove these obstacles and allow full implementation of the Total Science Experience laboratory.