Biology 331 (531)-- Methods in Toxicology

Department of Biology
Four credit hours
Prerequisites: Biology 330
Dr. Stine
kstine@ashland.edu

Course description: In- depth study of various methods used in toxicological research. Designed to give students experience in applying biochemical, histological, physiological, ecological, and epidemiological techniques to toxicological problems.

Course objectives: To teach students the fundamentals of toxicological research.

Instructional approach: Three lecture hours, two laboratory hours each week

Content of course: This semester will be quite different from last semester. During this semester you will :

• Learn to read and evaluate papers describing current research in toxicology. This will help you develop a good feel for the kind of work going on in the field today and also help you learn and apply critical thinking skills.
• Sharpen your writing skills. No matter what you do in life, it is bound to involve communicating through the written word. We will talk about the various types of writing tasks you might encounter as a scientist, and how to approach them. And then, because it is the only way to become a good writer, you will practice, practice, practice.
• Conduct a scientific study from start to finish, beginning with library research, continuing through design and completion of experiments, and concluding with a written report. This will be a real study: not a cookbook lab with answers avaiable in the back of the manual. Asking questions and finding answers is what science is all about, and the only way to learn what it is like is to do it.

We will spend most Tuesdays discussing a paper or papers which I will have handed out to you the previous Tuesday. I will try to choose papers on a wide variety of topics, using a wide variety of different experimental techniques. Some I will choose because they are particularly good, some perhaps because they are particularly bad. On each Tuesday you will come to class with a brief (2-3 pg) typed summary and critique of the paper(s) to be discussed. This should contain the following information:

• The hypothesis which the study was designed to test.
• A BRIEF review of the experimental techniques used.
• A summary of the results.
• A summary of the authors'conclusions, as well as an opinion from you as to whether or not the conclusions are well supported by the experimental evidence.
• Your ideas on possible "real- world" applications of the research.
• A brief discussion of what line of inquiry you would follow up with if you were the author.
• Your overall assessment of the paper.

You should then be prepared to present your ideas during class discussion of the paper(s).

On Thursdays we will work on your research project(s). We will probably have a short "staff meeting" at the beginning of class to discuss the project status, and then we'll get to work.

Evaluative criteria: Your weekly papers and participation in class discussions will be worth a total of 10 points each week. In addition, you will be expected to keep a laboratory notebook to record the progress of your research project. This notebook will be checked and graded four times during the semester, with a total of 25 points possible each time. Finally, you will write up the results of your research in the form of a journal article at the end of the semester for another 100 points. This should add up to somewhere in the neighborhood of 300-350 points.

Students who wish to receive graduate credit for this class will be expected to complete, in addition to the above requirements, an additional paper or project which complements, but does not duplicate, the class project. This will be worth an additional 100 points.

Grades will be figured on the basis of total points:

• 95- 100% = A, 90- 94% = A-
• 87- 89% = B+, 83- 86% = B, 80- 82% = B-
• 77- 79% = C+, 73- 76% = C, 70- 72% = C-
• 67- 69% = D+, 63- 66% = D, 60- 62% = D-
• 59% and below = F.

Resource materials: Three books which will be useful for this class, as well as being useful references in general, can be found at the bookstore. These are Writing the Laboratory Notebook ,Writing the Scientific Paper, and a recommended but not required book on Scientific English. In addition, you should also have a good dictionary, as well as a manual of style.

If you have problems or questions, I encourage you to come by my office during office hours, or call to make an appointment for other times.

Office: 207 Kettering
Office hours: see my home page for current office hours

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