For our "veterans", our lab activities have been scaled down a bit, and many of the "hands-on" labs will be only one hour or a little more. Several of our lab periods will be devoted to field trips, with only one field trip scheduled for an out-of-class period.

Laboratory sessions are scheduled for Wednesday afternoons, beginning at 2:10 PM. There will be three separate but identical sessions presented concurrently, except where noted otherwise. Each section will be led by an instructor and a teaching assistant. Following this page you will find a listing of student assignments to lab sections and lab teams. The hands-on exercises are designed for working together as teams of four or two; some activities are for individual participation. For some lab activities and field trips, you will be broken into two large groups, which will be further broken into smaller groups at the time of their meetings.

Some sessions require lab activity results to be interpreted in a subsequent class or lab session, so you will be instructed at each lab when the data sheets and questions are due. For the most part, this will be the class or lab session following completion of the activity. This lab activity notebook is a loose-leaf type, so that you may remove the individual labs for grading. Upon their return, you may put them back into the notebook for further study. Additionally, the laboratory activity will be available on the class webpage.

The following general comments about laboratory sessions will allow you to benefit the most from them:

· Read all instructions thoroughly before you come to class.
· Follow the instructions and any other comments made by the lab instructors.
· Treat all equipment carefully and safely. Think not only in terms of your safety but also that of your neighbors.
· Record all your data neatly and accurately on the Data Sheets as work is being done.
· Answer any written questions as soon as you have completed collecting all data for the lab.
· If you have a question, please ask it! Your neighbor probably has the same question, and may be "afraid" to ask it.

Laboratory and field trip activities are a critical, integral part of this course, and your attendance is important. You will be allowed one unexcused absence from any of the hands-on labs; however, you will be responsible for understanding any missed work. Attendance is required for all field trips. Excused absences from labs or field trips will be allowed only for the following reasons:

· Documented medical excuse
· Death in the family

(If there is a conflict due to a sports activity or other school activity, your coach or professor must contact Dr. Howard to discuss the individual situation.)

There will be one make-up hands-on lab session, late in the term. This session will be available only for students with authorized excuses. Date, time and place for this lab will be announced late in the term.

There will not be any make-up field trips this semester. However, with a valid excuse, a "do-it-yourself" Internet activity will be made available to eligible students.

Many of our hands-on activities are in the field of microbiology. Although there will be no pathogenic organisms involved in our activities, there is always the potential for one to "sneak in". Because of this, we must require absolute adherence to laboratory safety rules. You will find two copies of these rules following these pages. Please read them over, and ask questions at the first class session. At the conclusion of that session, you will be requested to sign and date both copies, indicating your understanding of these rules and your obligation to obey them. You will turn in one copy to your instructors, and keep the second one in your lab notebook, as a constant reminder of your pledge.

These safety rules are put into place for your health and well being!

Let’s have a safe, productive, enjoyable, learning experience this semester.

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