In this lab, students explore the experimental basis for our understanding of animal development. We will focus on the nematode, C. elegans, which has become one of the most useful model systems to study development.

LAB MANAGERS SEE LIST OF EQUIPMENT, SOLUTIONS, AND SUPPLIES

Prerequisite: Biol 3230 (may be concurrent) or instructors permission.
Special fee: There is a special fee to offset the cost of materials used in the class.

INSTRUCTOR
M. Bastiani, Room 430 ASB (ext. 1-8605)
Office hours Tuesday and Thursday in student lab and by appointment. I encourage you to email me comments/suggestions concerning any aspect of the course, especially those concerning errors or improvements in the content of this web site. I am also happy to answer any questions concerning developmental biology via email.

Teaching Assistant:
Earl Middlebrook
Biology Department
eamiddlebrook@gmail.com

SCHEDULED LAB PERIODS
Tues-Thurs from 12:25-3:20 PM.
Open lab: Card key access to the lab will be available 7 AM to 7 PM seven days a week. If you work during the open lab periods, please remember to clean up after yourselves, so that you do not inconvenience your fellow students.
Live embryos do not follow convenient class schedules. Failure to follow up and care for your experiments outside of scheduled lab periods will often result in complete loss of useful results. If you cannot make a commitment to caring for your experiments outside of scheduled lab periods you should not take this class.

READING ASSIGNMENTS
Text: There is no required textbook. Protocols and background information will be provided on this web site or in class handouts. You will be held responsible for all material presented in the lectures, web site links, and handouts.

GRADING
Grading will be absolute (90%=A, 80%=B, etc.) or on the curve depending on class performance.

Lab participation and learning practical lab skills: 25%
Lab book: 25%
Formal Lab Reports (20% oral, 30% written) 50%

Although you may work in teams of 2 and share data you must keep individual lab notebooks that reflect your own work. You must clearly indicate data you collect vs data you share with your partner or collect together. Similarly your lab reports (between lab partners, NOT between groups) may share data and figures, but your lab reports must be your own individual work. You will be graded on the extent and quality of the data you collect and the sophistication of your analysis and discussion. (I will not look kindly on "partners" who try to divide the lab in half, each attending only half the labs. Nor more extreme examples of ghost partners who never attend the lab, but turn in complete lab books and reports based on their partner's work EVEN IF THEY DO SO WITH THE AGREEMENT OF THEIR PARTNERS. Your lab participation score will be deducted by 5% for every lab period missed.

DROP POLICY
The university now has a uniform withdrawal policy.
NOTE that the last day on which a student may withdraw without permission is Friday October 24, 2014 and that all appeals after that date should be addressed to the Dean of the student's major College or to the Office of Undergraduate Studies. THE COURSE INSTRUCTOR CANNOT GRANT WITHDRAWALS FROM CLASS!

The University of Utah seeks to provide equal access to its programs, services and activities for people with disabilities. If you will need accommodations in this class, reasonable prior notice needs to be given to the instructor and to the Center for Disability Services,162 Olpin Union Bldg, 581-5020 (V/TDD) to make arrangements for accommodations.