Bio 130: The Diversity Of Life

Want to know your instructor better? Visit my homepage . You may also be interested in my Kenya page ; I'll talk about Kenya from time to time in class.

General announcements & info:

SI AVAILABLE: Don't hesitate to take advantage of Abbey's supplemental instruction/study sessions.  Watch for updates on availability.  Also, contact Center for Academic Excellence about tutoring sessions with Erin or Adam.

First exam...see next section

Special Guest Speaker...please be on time and awake for Dr. Roe's talk on 10 Feb., and think ahead of time about questions for him.  His perspective on science and careers (and broadly, science and society) is unique and valuable.  Pick his brains!

Lecture Info

THANK YOU for your comments and questions during lecture.  These help make the class more fun for me, and hopefully engage your interest.  I won't always be able to delve into everything in detail, and of course lots of other resources out there for you to explore and learn more.  I'll post some info here.

Bioweapons and related information: links to the " Select Agents " and  Smallpox at the Centers for Disease Control's website.

Since I've declared this the Stephen J. Gould Memorial Edition of Bio 130, I suggest reading one (or more!) of his books.  His old-fashioned (sometimes obtuse) writing style is a bit daunting, but try to get past that.  His was a keen intellect, interested in almost everything!  Most of his books are compilations of his essays from Natural History magazine: The Panda's Thumb, Eight Little Piggies, etc.  Our Geisler library also has a book he wrote on religion and science, one on geologic history, and others.  One of my favorites is "Wonderful Life" and I was fortunate enough to hear his lecture on topics from the book.  It was great!  I'm putting a couple of his titles on reserve.  I will also put a book by Tim Berra, Evolution and the Myth of Creationism .  It is short and easy to read, although over a decade old now.

The Library actually has dozens of books on the evolution/creation debate, and some videos too.  Go check it out.

Here's an entire book (published on-line by its authior) about paleomagnetism, briefly discussed in our text.  It's fairly technical.
The USGS has a group working on paleomagnetism which includes a brief introduction to the techniques used.
The scientific organization American Geophysical Union has a webpage on this topic .

You may still access some old exams, the first and second exams from my Ecology course.  These give you an idea of my lecture exam format.

NEW!!  I have placed a copy of my first lecture exam from Bio 130 of Fall 2000, on reserve in Library.  You can find copies in the VSC Reading Room, too.

FIRST LECTURE EXAM will be Friday, 7 Feb. from 10-10:50, in the normal lecture room.  You will need only a pen/pencil.  Exam covers "lecture" (and related lab) covering text chapters 20 through 26 inclusive.

How flagella and cilia work: here's a cool page on the physics of bacterial flagella (specifically E. coli) along with other aspects of bacterial biology.  Also here's a nice description with photos and diagrams of Eukaryotic cilia and flagella .

Lab Info

Lab Report info: CLICK HERE for the "research paper format guide " which describes how to write a "formal lab report." click on the following to see the parts of an an example lab report (listed here in the order in which they would appear in a real report): Title page , Page 1 , Page 2 , Page 3 , Page 4 , Tables , Figure . I hope this example shows you what I have in mind for the formal lab reports later in the course. 

FIRST LAB REPORT is based on your cultures which you will observe in lab Mon or Tuesday, Feb 3 or 4.  Don't hesitate to show Drs. Weihe or Benedict your plates if you want our interpretation.  Your observations will be the basis for the lab report, due in lab the week of the 10 Feb .

NEW!! Look for a sample lab report (on human physiology experiment) on reseerve in the Library and in the VSC Reading Room downstairs.  This is a very good lab report!

This page last updated 5 Feb. . 2003
by Paul Weihe