Assignments

Using computers and the internet at CSU:  This webpage has lots of information on finding journal articles for your assignments and guidelines for writing papers in Biology.  You should also use the book Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences, Fourth Edition, Victoria McMillan, Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Neurons in Action Tutorial Presentations

1. All members of the group must do the tutorials.
2. Either through guiding the class through an exercise or through a powerpoint presentation, present the basic concepts that are explored in the tutorial. Maximum time of presentation should be 20 minutes.  Minimum time should be 10 minutes.
3. Design an experiment and use the tutorial to carry out the experiment. Present the results of your experiment.
4. Keep notes on who in the group does what.  There will also be a form that you fill out anonymously that rates your group members.

Coincidence detection: Matt Shelnutt

Partial demyelination

Interactions of synaptic potentials

The neuromuscular junction

July 1: Quiz on NIA Know the following tutorials:

• Introduction to Neurons in Action
• The Membrane Tutorial
• Equilibrium Potentials
• The Na Action Potential
• Chattering Ion Channels

June 29: Neurons in Action Assignment

Read Brown et al., 2007. Metabolic rate does not scale with body mass in cultured mammalian cells

• Identify the hypothesis or hypotheses
• identify the methods and understand why they used those methods to test their hypothesis.
• Did the results support the hypothesis, why or why not?
• Predict the results if the scientists used non-mammalian cells.
• Design a follow up experiment that could further test factors that affect metabolic rate.

Read Secor et al., 2000 Luminal and systemic signals trigger intestinal adaptation in juvenile pythons

• Be able to identify the hypothesis or hypotheses
• Understand why the scientists used the particular methods methods.
• Why did the scientists choose pythons as an organism to study digestion.
• Did the results support the hypothesis, why or why not?
• What are some follow up experiments that could be done to further investigate python digestion. Would they have relevance to understanding digestion in other organisms?