Faculty of Science Course Syllabus Department of Biology BIOL 1030: Biology for Engineers Winter 2017 Instructor(s): Dr. Robert Latta Lectures: [email protected] Dr. Margaret Cooper [email protected] MWF 10:35‐11:25 Sexton B Building B225 LSC 7076B LSC 4016 Laboratories: 5 three hour labs _____________________________________________________________________________________ Course Description An introduction to Biology as it relates to Engineering, including a basic understanding of cell structure and function, genetics, ecology, the relationship between living systems and the man‐made environment, and the relevance of Biology to industrial and engineering applications. Course Objectives/Learning Outcomes 
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Compare and contrast the fundamental features of mitosis and meiosis with emphasis on the movement of homologous chromosomes during these cellular reproductive processes Create scientific questions, propose a written hypothesis as a tentative answer to that question and generate observable predictions consistent with that hypothesis in the context of a particular experiment. Define Mendel’s two laws of heredity that explain the transmission of traits from one generation to the next Describe the basic chemical structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA), and their function in the processes of replication, transcription, and translation of genetic information. Describe the basic features of competition and predator‐prey interactions Describe the basic mechanism of adaptation by natural selection and predict when adaptation is likely or not likely to occur Describe the basic structure and function of organelles Describe the components of photosynthesis and the main steps and products of each component Describe the effects of disturbance on species diversity and other aspects of community structure Describe the mechanisms that drive primary and secondary succession Design a simple experiment and identify the design elements of an existing experiment. Identify the regulatory elements and how they function in the control of gene expression of inducible and repressible operons in prokaryotes Recall how cells communicate and process signaling information Recall the major biogeochemical cycles on the planet (e.g. water, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus) Recognize the influence of stochastic variation in the changes in population numbers Understand the basic principles of DNA technology/Biotechnology, its applications and the ethical and societal implications of this technological revolution 
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Use and know when to make use of common biological research tools such as compound microscopes, gel electrophoresis units, pipettors and micropipettors, bioinformatics tools, and enzyme assays. Analyze data using basic statistical techniques (mean, standard deviation, n, chi‐square test). Collect both quantitative and qualitative data through careful observations Describe the basic structure and function of biological membranes Describe the different macromolecules Describe the mechanisms of photosynthesis and respiration in meeting the energy needs of the cell Interpret data (e.g., graphs and tables) to assess hypotheses and generate conclusions Recall how cells produce and utilize ATP Report data using written descriptions, graphs, tables, and sketches Use simple models to describe unlimited (exponential) and limited (logistic) population growth Course Materials Campbell Biology Canadian Edition, by J.B. Reece, L.A. Urry, M.L. Cain, S.A, Wasserman, P.V. Minorsky, R.B. Jackson, F. Rawle, D. Durnford, C. Moyes, S. Walde, and K. Wilson. Benjamin Cummings/Pearson Education Inc. (2014). Earlier versions of Campbell Biology (e.g. 8th or 9th editions) are also acceptable, but you will be responsible for determining appropriate page numbers for your readings. This class maintains a Brightspace page, which is only accessible to members of the class. Please check it regularly. The site will contain specific information about lectures and labs. The site will be also be used to make any class announcements, distribute grades and hold discussions. The instructor will be monitoring the discussion board on a regular basis. If you have a particular question, it is best to check the discussion board to see if the question has already been answered. The professor will be checking the discussion board periodically, however, if you have a specific question you would like the professor to answer, please contact him directly via phone or email. The class site will also be the location of the Pre‐Lab Quizzes. Labs each have a Pre‐Lab Quiz associated with them. Pre‐lab quizzes are available online through the class website under the Assessments tab. Each quiz becomes available during the 3 days directly before your associated lab, but disappears 15 minutes prior to your scheduled lab. You will have two attempts available to you over the course of those three days. Each quiz consists of 10‐20 simple questions based on your pre‐lab and lab exercises for that week. Each quiz is worth 1% of your final grade, for a total of 5% from all the pre‐lab quizzes. There are no make‐up quizzes. Lecture
Date
Lecture Topic
#
Jan
Feb
9
M
1
Introduction and Chemistry Review
11
W
2
Biological Polymers
13
F
3
Enzymes ‐ Biological Catalysts
16
M
4
Lipids and Membranes
18
W
5
Single Celled Prokaryotes
20
F
6
Eukaryotic Cells
23
M
7
Basic Respiratory Metabolism
25
W
8
Animals ‐ Basic Structure and Function
Photosynthesis
27
F
9
30
M
10
Plants ‐ Basic Structure and Function
1
W
11
The Cell Cycle ‐ Mitosis
3
F
6
M
12
Chromosomes and Meiosis
8 W
13
Mendel's Laws
10
Mar
Apr
Munro Day ‐ No Class
F
Lab Group
Lab Group
A
B
Lab 1: Microscopy and Cell Structure
No Lab
No Lab
Lab 1: Microscopy and Cell Structure
Lab 2: Fermentation
No Lab
Munro Day ‐ No Class
No Lab
Lab 2: Fermentation
Lab 3: Genetics
No Lab
Midterm ‐ Through Lecture 11 (15%)
13
M
14
DNA Replication
15
W
15
DNA Transcription and Translation
17
F
16
Gene Expression and Regulation
20
M
22
W
24
F
27
M
17
Gene Technology
1
3
W
F
18
19
Autecology ‐ Individuals in the Environment
Population Growth
6
M
20
Population Regulation
8
W
21
Stochasticity in Population Numbers
10
F
22
Adaptation and Natural Selection
13 M
15 W
23
Limits to Adaptation
24
Species Interactions ‐ Competition
Study Break ‐ No Class
17
F
20
M
25
Species Interactions ‐ Predation
22
W
26
Conservation ‐ Population Level
24
F
27
Communities
27
M
28
Food Webs
Study Break ‐ No Lab Study Break ‐ No Lab
No Lab
Lab 3: Genetics
Lab 4: Population Estimation
No Lab
No Lab
Lab 4: Population Estimation
Lab 5: Crowding and Competition
No Lab
No Lab
Lab 5: Crowding and Competition
Midterm ‐ Through Lecture 21 (15%)
29
W
29
Landscapes and Succession
31
F
30
The Soil and Water Substrate of Ecosystems
3
M
31
Energy Flow in Ecosytems
5
W
32
Chemical Cycles 7
F
33
Environmental Impacts and Assessment
10
M
34
Reserved for Snow Day Catch Up
Course Assessment 25 %
Laboratory
15 %
Midterm 1
15 %
Midterm II
45 %
Final Exam
100 %
Total
Lab
Mark Value
Lab 1: Microscopy and Cell Structure
5
Lab 2: Fermentation and Experimental Design
5
Lab 3: Genetics
5
Lab 4: Population Estimation
5
Lab 5: Crowding and Competition
5
Total = 25%
Conversion of numerical grades to Final Letter Grades follows the Dalhousie Common Grade Scale A+ (90‐100) A (85‐89) A‐ (80‐84) B+ (77‐79) B (73‐76) B‐ (70‐72) C+ (65‐69) C (60‐64) C‐ (55‐59) D F (50‐54) (<50) Course Policies Being second year students, we believe that you are capable of successfully completing the work outlined in this manual. We also believe that you are mature, responsible individuals. This means that we expect you will: 
Attend all your assigned lab sessions, or make arrangements with the Instructor prior to the session for accommodations. o If an assigned lab must be missed, it may be possible to attend one of the other lab times during that week. In order to do this, contact the Instructor to schedule an alternate time to attend the lab. Each student is allowed to switch labs once in the semester without medical or other documentation. After that first switch, if documentation is not provided there will be a 10% deduction in grade for that week’s lab. 
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o If you are not able to attend a different lab time, you must contact the Instructor within 48 hours of your missed lab in order to avoid receiving a zero for that lab. You may be excused from a lab if valid documentation is provided. Be prepared and understand what you are to do in each session prior to attending. Complete all Pre‐Lab Quizzes. o These are quizzes that must be completed online before your lab session and are based on the material in that week’s pre‐lab and lab. Your quiz will become available to you on the BIOL 1030 Brightspace site 72 hours before your lab day, and will become unavailable 15 minutes prior to the start of your scheduled lab. You will have two attempts at each quiz and Brightspace will record your highest mark. If you miss a quiz, you cannot make it up later. Regardless of whether you missed your quiz due to short‐term illness, technical difficulties, or simply forgetting, there are no make‐up quizzes. The policy of allowing you two attempts over the three day period is in place to take care of these possible situations. Arrive promptly and expect to stay for the entire period, as there is a lot to complete in each lab. Complete the assigned work and hand in assignments at the end of lab. Abide by Dalhousie University’s policies on academic integrity (see below). There will be times in lab when you work as a group, but every assignment that you submit must be independent and entirely your own wording. Read the feedback given to you by your TA and Instructor. Be courteous to your fellow students and all others involved in the class. Talk to the Instructor if you are having issues that interfere with the class. Solutions can often be found. We understand that this material and these skills may be new to you and that you are working to achieve your best mark. To that end we will:  Remember that this is not the only class in which you are enrolled.  Give useful feedback on your assignments.  Promptly give back marked assignments.  Listen to suggestions you have about the class and assignments. ACCOMMODATION POLICY FOR STUDENTS Students may request accommodation as a result of barriers related to disability, religious obligation, or any characteristic protected under Canadian Human Rights legislation. The full text of Dalhousie’s Student Accommodation Policy can be accessed here: http://www.dal.ca/dept/university_secretariat/policies/academic/student‐accommodation‐policy‐wef‐
sep‐‐1‐‐2014.html Students who require accommodation for classroom participation or the writing of tests and exams should make their request to the Advising and Access Services Centre (AASC) prior to or at the outset of the regular academic year. More information and the Request for Accommodation form are available at www.dal.ca/access. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY Academic integrity, with its embodied values, is seen as a foundation of Dalhousie University. It is the responsibility of all students to be familiar with behaviours and practices associated with academic integrity. Instructors are required to forward any suspected cases of plagiarism or other forms of academic cheating to the Academic Integrity Officer for their Faculty. The Academic Integrity website (http://academicintegrity.dal.ca) provides students and faculty with information on plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty, and has resources to help students succeed honestly. The full text of Dalhousie’s Policy on Intellectual Honesty and Faculty Discipline Procedures is available here: http://www.dal.ca/dept/university_secretariat/academic‐integrity/academic‐policies.html What is Academic Integrity? Academic integrity is ensuring that any work you submit is your own and that you have given appropriate acknowledgement to any sources that you consulted. Dalhousie University defines plagiarism as the submission or presentation of the work of another as if it were one's own...Plagiarism is considered a serious academic offence which may lead to the assignment of a failing grade, suspension or expulsion from the University. ‐ from the Intellectual Honesty section of the 2012/2013 Undergraduate Calendar (p. 23) Examples of plagiarism include:  failure to cite authorship when using sources such as written or oral work, scientific projects, diagrams, videos, and images  downloading all or part of the work of another from the Internet and submitting as one's own  the submission of work prepared by any person other than the individual claiming to be the author  submitting work that has been completed through collaboration or previously submitted for another assignment without permission from your instructor Other acts of academic dishonesty include:  cheating by any means on any form of assessment (such as tests and assignments)  aiding another student to commit an act of academic dishonesty, e.g. by allowing another student to copy your work How is Plagiarism Detected? Professors, instructors, and TAs are skilled at recognizing discrepancies between writing styles, inappropriate citations, and obvious word‐for‐word copying. In addition, the Senate has affirmed the right of any instructor to require that student papers be submitted in both written and digital format, and to submit any paper to an originality check such as that performed by Turnitin.com. What Happens if I Am Accused of Plagiarism? The class instructor is required to report a suspected offence. The full process is outlined in the Discipline flow chart (http://academicintegrity.dal.ca/Files/AcademicDisciplineProcess.pdf). In brief:  Each Faculty has an Academic Integrity Officer (AIO) who receives allegations from instructors  The AIO decides whether to proceed with the allegation and you will be notified of the process.  If the case proceeds, you will receive an INC (incomplete) grade until the matter is resolved.  If you are found guilty of an academic offence, a penalty will be assigned ranging from a warning to a suspension or expulsion from the University and can include a notation on your transcript, failure of the course or failure of the assignment. All penalties are academic in nature. Where can you turn for help? 
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If you are ever unsure about ANYTHING, contact your instructor or your TA Academic Integrity website (http://academicintegrity.dal.ca/) o Links to policies, definitions, online tutorials, tips on citing and paraphrasing Dalhousie Libraries (http://www.library.dal.ca/How/) o Workshops, online tutorials, citation guides, Assignment Calculator, RefWorks Dalhousie Student Advocacy Service (http://www.dsu.ca/services/advocacy) o Assists students with academic appeals and student discipline procedures. Senate Office (http://senate.dal.ca/) o List of Academic Integrity Officers, discipline flow chart, Senate Discipline Committee How to Avoid Plagiarism Think Together, Write Apart Don't write group answers. While we encourage you to discuss the work with your classmates, this doesn't mean you should make up a perfect written answer together, with each of you contributing a little bit. The result will be identical answers which appear as plagiarism to whoever is grading your report. There's a simple solution to this: come up with all your important points together, and then separate to organize and write up all those points in your own answer. Help Your Classmates...But Not Too Much Try to avoid letting others read your written answers. How many times have you said or heard this: "Hey, can I see your answer to #1?" or "What did you write for #2?" Whenever you agree to this, you are allowing someone else to use your own hard work and run the risk of having your answer copied. The person grading your report will again see this as plagiarism and both you and the copier will be reported. Again, there is a simple solution: if someone asks you for an answer, discuss it with them verbally if you wish, but decline to let them look at your written work. How To Ask For Help From Classmates On the other side of the previous point, be careful about asking someone else to give you an answer. If they give you a well‐worded answer, it may be very hard to think of another way of phrasing the answer that is just as good. If that happens, both you and your friend could find yourselves charged with plagiarism. So before asking for help, try to figure out as much as you can on your own: what do you need to know in order to answer the question, what is the question asking, where might you need to look to find the answer, what might the correct answer be? Then ask your friend if you are on the right track. If your friend tells you that your answer is correct, it’s already in your own words. This approach is more difficult than having the answer handed to you, but you learn how to do the work, and you’ll be better off for exams where you can’t ask for help. STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT Dalhousie University has a student code of conduct, and it is expected that students will adhere to the code during their participation in lectures and other activities associated with this course. In general: “The University treats students as adults free to organize their own personal lives, behaviour and associations subject only to the law, and to University regulations that are necessary to protect  the integrity and proper functioning of the academic and non – academic programs and activities of the University or its faculties, schools or departments;  the peaceful and safe enjoyment of University facilities by other members of the University and the public;  the freedom of members of the University to participate reasonably in the programs of the University and in activities on the University's premises;  the property of the University or its members.” The full text of the code can be found here: http://www.dal.ca/dept/university_secretariat/policies/student‐life/code‐of‐student‐conduct.html SERVICES AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS The following campus services are available to help students develop skills in library research, scientific writing, and effective study habits. The services are available to all Dalhousie students and, unless noted otherwise, are free. Service Support Provided Location Contact Help with Killam Library In person: Killam Library Rm G28 General Ground floor By appointment: Academic ‐ understanding degree requirements and Rm G28 ‐ e‐mail: [email protected] Advising Dalhousie Libraries academic regulations ‐ choosing your major ‐ achieving your educational or career goals ‐ dealing with academic or other difficulties Help to find books and articles for assignments Help with citing sources in the text of your paper and preparation of bibliography Help to develop essential Studying for Success study skills through small group workshops or one‐
(SFS) on‐one coaching sessions Match to a tutor for help in course‐specific content (for a reasonable fee) Writing Centre Meet with coach/tutor to discuss writing assignments (e.g., lab report, research paper, thesis, poster) ‐ Learn to integrate source material into your own work appropriately ‐ Learn about disciplinary writing from a peer or staff member in your field Bissett Centre for Academic Success Killam Library
Ground floor Librarian offices Killam Library 3rd floor Coordinator Rm 3104 Study Coaches Rm 3103 Killam Library Ground floor Learning Commons & Rm G25 ‐ Phone: (902) 494‐3077 ‐ Book online through MyDal In person: Service Point (Ground floor) By appointment: Identify your subject librarian (URL below) and contact by email or phone to arrange a time: http://dal.beta.libguides.com/sb.php?subject_id=34328 To make an appointment: ‐ Visit main office (Killam Library main floor, Rm G28) ‐ Call (902) 494‐3077 ‐ email Coordinator at: [email protected] or ‐ Simply drop in to see us during posted office hours All information can be found on our website: www.dal.ca/sfs To make an appointment: ‐ Visit the Centre (Rm G25) and book an appointment ‐ Call (902) 494‐1963 ‐ email [email protected] ‐ Book online through MyDal We are open six days a week See our website: writingcentre.dal.ca