Lab Assistants for Human Physiology
Fall Semester 2015
last update 29 August 2015 at 10:35 am
Monday 2-5
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Tuesday 2:30-5:30
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Wednesday 2-5
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Thursday 2:30-5:30
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Friday 2:00- 3:00 as necessary for lab prep
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Logan Shelnutt |
Daniel Altman |
Dhruv Patel |
Catherine Eve Tisdale |
All Physiology TAs |
with Dr. Davis
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with Dr. Moeller |
with Dr. Davis
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with Dr. Moeller
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with Dr. Davis and/or Dr. Moeller
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Instructions for Lab Assistants
General Information
Check with the professor the day before your lab for any special circumstances.
Arrive in the lab at least 10 minutes early to verify that all equipment and
supplies are ready for each lab station. If computers and Powerlabs are to be
used, they should be turned on and verified to be functional.
The balance in 206A is to be used only by lab assistants and professors. Clean
up any spills.
Promptly report any malfunctions of the equipment to the lab professor.
Notify your lab professor in advance if you must be excused from assisting
with at lab due to medical emergencies, interviews, or other conditions that
require your absence from lab. Arrange to swap lab days with one of the other
lab assistants.
In general, laboratory experiments are similar from year to year in this course,
but be alert to modifications that may be implemented. Your suggestions for
improvement are welcomed.
Some weeks your presence may not be necessary in lab; at other times in the semester you'll be working individually or in pairs with students on their Abstracts or Hemorrhage Diagrams or Executive Reports. We'll establish a special schedule for this during the weeks when such outside work is require.
On the three test days, we'll need you for 45 minutes or so to mark the multiple-multiple choice answer sheets and tabulate grades. Again, we can create a schedule to accomodate all the lab assistants.
Before Lab:
If solutions are to be used, place in labeled containers at
each lab station. Most solutions are used at room temperature, so allow warming
time if the solutions have been refrigerated.
Check to see that each lab station has a complete set-up, including all electronic
components, dissecting tools, solutions, waste containers, etc.
During Lab:
Assist students with setting up the equipment, dissections, etc., but don't
do the work for them. Ask leading questions. Then, if necessary, offer suggestions,
and only as a last resort, show them how. It's preferable to encourage them think
and solve problems with minimal prompting.
If Powerlab equipment is being used and the lab instructor is having student
groups follow along from the big screen, make sure that you can see the computer
screen of each group and verify that all groups are keeping up with the instructor.
For labs where data is collected on the board or on a spreadsheet, assist
with the record-keeping. You may be asked to send the spreadsheets to the professor
via email after lab.
Make sure each group is progressing at a reasonable pace, but don't rush anyone.
Move about the lab often. Avoid devoting too much attention to one person
or one group.
After Each Lab:
Have the lab students assist with as much clean-up and wash-up as practical.
Save any computer files of class data, and email to the lab professor if appropriate.
Quit any programs on the computers. Leave the computers "on" but
switch off each monitor.
Make sure each lab station is ready for the next lab session.
Collect carcasses and organs into a plastic bag and place in the freezer.
Make sure there are sufficient quantities of chemicals and expendibles supplies
for the next lab session.
Make sure that dissecting tools have been washed, rinsed, and laid out neatly
to dry.
Make sure hot plates, balances, etc. are off.
Empty ice baths.
Rinse out animal containers.
Arrange chairs neatly at each table.
Turn off the projection system and room lights.
Friday Afternoons:
Dr. Davis and/or will join the lab assistants on Friday afternoons to prepare for
the following week's lab. Generally, with all of us hustling and using notes
from previous years on setting up the labs, this takes no more than 30 minutes.
However, it is imperative and only fair that each assistant reliably show up
on Friday afternoons for this chore. If you have a legitimate reason for missing
a Friday prep session, please notify Dr. Davis in advance.
On Test Days
Working as a group, we can quickly grade the multiple
choice portions of the three tests. On test days it'll
take about 45 minutes to an hour to accomplish this task.
Recall that some weeks, the Physiology lab consists of critically reading
a research paper for which student assistants are not needed. During those weeks
you may be asked to do other chores for the department or for the professors,
or you may simply have those weeks free.
last update 29 August 2015 at 10:35 am