Florida International University

Department of Biological Science

Biscayne Bay Campus

BSC- 1010L – General Biology I Lab

Spring 2009

Lab Coordinator: Dr. Richard Brinn     brinnr@fiu.edu -  www.fiu.edu/~brinnr

Required texts:

 Lab Manual Biology – Vodopich and Moore Eighth Edition

Reading assignments:

- You are required to read each lab assignment before lab period.

Course personal supplies required:

-A lab coat and proper clothing (see Laboratory Safety Rules).

Exams:

- There will be two exams, midterm and final on the dates listed in your syllabus.

Lab Manuals: You will be required to maintain your Lab Manual containing your observations and results as well as the answers to exercise questions.

Attendance:

- Be prepared to participate in ALL the course as scheduled

Help:

- If you need additional assistance with the information presented in this course, seek the assistance of the professor. If the office hours on the Biscayne Bay Campus are inconvenient, other arrangements can be made.

Sexual Harassment Policy:

- The Faculty Senate voted to require each professor to include a statement about this in the syllabus. FIU’s sexual harassment policy is available online:      http://www.fiu.edu/hr/eop/Forms/Policies/Sexual_harassment.pdf

Cheating or plagiarism will not be tolerated!!!

- Students caught cheating during an examination or plagiarizing will be subject to the Academic Misconduct procedures and penalties.

Proper Laboratory Attire:

- Laboratory safety equipment (goggles, lab coat, closed-toe shoes, and proper attire) will be required for admission to the lab. You must have all of this equipment starting the second lab.  If you do not have your equipment, you will not be allowed into the lab. (See Laboratory Safety Rules)

- Each table will be responsible for cleaning up after each lab. Participation points will be lost from those who do not do so.

Grades:

Midterm – 35%

Final – 35%

Quizzes – 25%

Participation – 5%

Emergency:

- This section covers situations that prevent you for attending the class. For this course, “Emergency” is determined as an unpreventable event that prevents attendance to the laboratory class.

Emergency situations are:

1. Medical emergency with Medical Doctor’s note/emergency room.
2. Automobile accident with police report (lack of ride is NOT an emergency case).
3. Death of immediate family members.

Emergency also covers natural events such as hurricanes, floods, or fires that causes the closure of FIU-BBC. Please note that the lab will be closed for the whole week if one of the week’s lab sections is closed/affected. Your instructor will do his/her best to inform you in advance via email. But it is your responsibility to find out the status of emergency. You may contact following numbers for information campus-wide, not specific to Biology Department.

National Hurricane Center (305) 229-4470

Emergency situation also include problems with late registration. Sometimes, paper work causes the delay in class registration. In such event, make-up for the missing labs can be applied. However, your instructor reserves his/her right to deny you to seat in this course.

Campus Operator (305) 919-5000

                              (305) 348-2000

THIS SYLLABUS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AS DEEMED NECESSARY