PCB 4023 Florida International University Cell Biology Lab Report
PCB 4023 Florida International University Cell Biology Lab Report
A. Course Description:
This course is designed to:
Provide students with a hands-on experience in a cell biology laboratory.
Provide students with the experience of performing research in cell biology.
Provide a forum for student scientists to experience the scientific method by putting it into practice
and discuss the results obtained as well as its implications in the field.
Students will also gain experience in applying knowledge from past and present courses in the
venue of this lab.
B. Prerequisites:
Students taking this course MUST have completed and passed Genetics (PCB3063).
C. Text resources:
All lab preparatory materials will be provided electronically to students through Canvas prior to the lab.
These text resources will explain conceptual background related to the exercise of the day, the question
being addressed, and the outline of the experiment to be performed. Students will also be directed to
other external information by web links in the material for that week.
D. Organization:
Your responsibilities
Be on time for every laboratory. All experiments require that the class starts all together as a
group.
Come to class ready to work; student preparation before carrying out the experiment is required.
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As in scientific studies, this lab requires team interaction, communication and collaboration. You
are expected to engage with your peers and TA in the cell bio laboratories performed.
Contribute with ideas and comments you think may be beneficial to class discussion.
The success of many of these labs will depend on your maturity and willingness to be successful.
Attendance policy
Attendance at lab is mandatory, and because of the structure of the labs there are not make-up
labs available.
Students arriving more than 10 minutes after the class started will not be allowed in the lab since
typically, the distribution of the work, set up of the experiments and treatment of the cells will
occur within these first minutes.
Students attending lab are also required to remain at laboratory for the duration of the lab period.
Leaving prior to the end of the lab will earn a zero for the day’s quiz, lab report and participation.
Students will not be penalized for official excused absences that include: observance of religious
holy days, a death in the immediate family, and statutory government responsibilities. If you are
absent for such reason, you must notify the instructor in writing in a timely manner (at least one
week in advance to your lab session) and submit supporting documentation upon your return to
class (scheduling a Dr’s appointment for a time coinciding with a lab session is not an excusable
absence). If any of the important due dates or the final exam coincides with an official religious
holiday, student must notify the instructor within 2 weeks of the commencement of the first lab
session at the beginning of the semester.
Points allocated to participation, notebook and quiz for each lab will be deducted per class
absence (~9%).
One excused absence is permitted (save it for a real emergency). Students who are absent more
than 2 times for any reason (excused or unexcused) will earn an automatic failing grade for the
course.
Safety
Student safety in the lab is necessary for a thriving in a discovery environment. Students are
required to follow safety procedures standard for the lab. Careful handling of the equipment is
important for your protection. Students are required to bring long pants, closed-toe shoes,
lab coats and goggles to the cell bio lab.
Cell phones and other personal items must also to be put away during lab time to prevent any
possibility of contamination with pathogens and lab reagents.
Lab routine
Student preparation before carrying out the experiment is essential in this laboratory. Review of
the procedures before attending lab, and actively participating in the introductory portion of the
lab section will prepare students to fully understand the premise and technique involved in each
exercise. Quizzes will be administered to students during the beginning portion of the lab course
to assess student preparedness.
Recording the experience of each lab exercise is central to research. To this end, each student is
asked to prepare a report for each experiment performed in the semester. Each report connects
the student with the experience of recording the outcome from each meeting of the class: what is
the major question addressed experimentally that day and the relevant processes of reporting
and interpreting the results obtained. This transition of primary information to an organized, formal
written form is usually done using the same format through research facilities across the globe
(see document with guidelines). A lab report for each lab is due at the beginning of the next lab
session, with a 20% deducted per day that it is late. This report should include the answers to the
questions present at the end of each lab manual (testing and applying your understanding).
This course does have a final exam. There are no makeup exams. Exam answer forms presented
to the instructor after an exam has concluded will not be accepted.
E. Grading:
The final grades for the class will be determined using the following scale; a grading curve will not be
applied:
A 100% – 90%, B+ 89.9% – 88%, B 87.9% – 80%, C+ 79.9% – 78%, C 77.9% – 70%, D 69.9% – 60%
Each part of the course assessment contributes to the final grade, in the proportions shown here:
Surveys 1.5%
Quizzes 35%
Reports 30%
Participation 8.5%
Final Exam 25%
Total: 100%
Scores will be available for viewing by appointment with your instructor or TA.
F. Students with disabilities statement:
The Disability Resource Center collaborates with students, faculty, staff, and community members to
create diverse learning environments that are usable, equitable, inclusive and sustainable. The DRC
provides FIU students with disabilities the necessary support to successfully complete their education
and participate in activities available to all students. Students that have a diagnosed disability and plan to
utilize academic accommodations are asked to please contact the Center at 305-348-3532 or visit the
DRC, located at the Graham Center GC 190. Students are required to contact their instructors/TAs
regarding their accommodations so the proper arrangements with the DRC office can be made
(preferably during the first week of lab). Official written documentation from the DRC office must be
provided to your instructor/TA.
G. Conduct:
Cheating is counterproductive to the big picture cell biology research in general, as it can deeply
compromise work done by many other researchers. Students submitting plagiarized work or
fraudulent exams in this course will be referred to the Dean of Undergraduate Education as
outlined under “Academic Misconduct” in the Policies and Regulations section of the FIU Student
Handbook.
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Students are expected to contribute to a positive, productive, and focused environment in the
classroom by adhering to a respectful standard of conduct. Following common-sense guidelines
will maximize the overall student experience, protect student privacy, and minimize student
distraction from the tasks at hand.
Photography, video recording, and inappropriate usage of computers or mobile devices by
students is prohibited. Disrupting class, such as by inappropriate conversation between students,
argument with other students or the instructor, launching projectiles of any kind, etc, has no place
in Cell Biology.
The Biology department is committed to a quality classroom environment, and retains the right to
confiscate students’ devices or dismiss students from the class if necessary. If a disruptive
student refuses to exit the class upon being asked to do so, the instructor reserves the right to
contact campus police.
Some students may experience extreme stress during the course due to difficult circumstances
outside of class. We respect the needs of students in distress, and encourage students at any
time of need to contact the supportive and knowledgeable staff at FIU Counseling and
Psychological Services. They are reachable by phone at (305) 348-2277, and located at
UHSC270. There are daily walk-in hours there from Monday-Friday. The Dean of Students,
Cathy Akens is also standing by to help students access other resources. Students can visit her
office in GC219, call her at (305) 348-2797, or email her at akensc@fiu.edu There is help out
there, and students do not have to go through it alone.
H. Weekly schedule of activities
On the next page is an outline of the planned activity schedule for this semester. As some portions of the
lab are undergoing revision this semester, there is a small chance that the content of this schedule will
change. If a schedule change occurs, the TAs will notify their students either during lab or by email, and
a new schedule document would also be posted in Canvas for student viewing.
