Lab 2 pre-lab.
Your task in Lab 2 will be to conduct a mini-literature review on the ecology and behavior of terrestrial isopods, complete your chi-square analysis, and begin construction of your scientific poster. Please take advantage of all the resources you have been provided to produce a quality final product. You will also create a technical report, a manuscript, and a scientific argument piece as other final products throughout the term.
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Introduction
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Do you know enough?
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What we will do in lab?
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LABridge
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How do we translate theory into practice?
It's just a theory? Biological theories underpin all the concepts and principles explored in both lecture and lab. Testing a single hypothesis, even with repetition, cannot lead to a theory; it can, however, add to theoretical development. As we discovered, ethological theory encompasses most of what we understand about animal behavior, and this unit is an excellent example of how a theory works in practice. Watch the YouTube video in the sidebar which deals with some common misconceptions about what the words fact, theory, hypothesis, and law actually mean to scientists.
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DO you know enough about statistics?
We look for patterns to help us understand the natural world. As we do so, we are fighting our own human tendency to see patterns where none truly exist, and to take what we see in a specific context and try to apply it more broadly. Let’s say you notice that within your friend circle, those who regularly eat breakfast did much better on their first BIOL 122 exam than those who skipped your morning meals together. You might then assume that, somehow, eating breakfast is causing the better grades. But! Consider the following...
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the chi-square statistic
You have likely made statements using terms like “more, less, lower and higher” regarding your animal behavior data thus far. That is a good place to start! Now we must ask if the patterns we see in our data...
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What will we do in lab & how will we do iT?
Lab 2 contains three exercises.
STOP! If this is a fall term, next week's lab is "online only" due to Labor Day. LABridge 2 is due the week of Labor Day and LABridge 3 is due before our next in-lab meeting. Plan accordingly. If this is a spring term, you will be in lab next week. |
If you feel confident with this material, click the bridge icon below and navigate to Blackboard to take the LABridge for this week. Be ready to be tested on this material before you go to the quiz, and make sure you have your Lab Notebook Guide ready to submit as well.
Lab 2 Protocol
Following this lab you should be able to...
- Use the scientific method including hypothesis creation, data collection, and analysis with the chi-square statistic.
- Determine if a source is considered scientific and peer-reviewed and conduct a literature review with proper citation format.
- Calculate and use the chi-squared statistic to test a hypothesis
- Produce a scientific poster.
Overview. In today's lab you will conduct a mini literature review on the ecology and behavior of terrestrial isopods, complete your chi-square analysis, and begin construction of your scientific poster.
- Exercise I. Literature Review
- Exercise II. Data Analysis
- Exercise III. Poster Preparations
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Exercise I
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Exercise II
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Exercise III: Poster
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Exercise I. Literature Review
Investigating the scientific literature on your topic is an important step of the scientific method; it connects your question to existing theory and research. Some of this was done for you so you could begin with your experiment last week. We need more research before we can proceed, and this will also give you a good start on your poster.
Scientific articles are often not free to the public, so large institutions, like universities, pay fees for access. If you are not on a campus computer, you will need to sign into the library using your WKU account to access some articles: Just click HERE, and search "Google Scholar" [see example]. Procedure.
Three good references as examples: |
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Citation Details
IN-TEXT CITATION OF LITERATURE
This section is also referred to as the "References" or "Works Cited" section. List all authors of each entry. Do not abbreviate journal titles. The first line of each reference should be typed flush left; the remaining lines should be indented five spaces. Examples of common types of references are given below.
- Cite publications in the text by author(s) and date – e.g., (Readley, 1994)
- Multiple citations should be in chronological order and separated by semi-colons – e.g., (Foster, 1976; Ashley et al., 1987; Brown, 1994)
- Multiple citations of works by one author(s) should be in chronological order – e.g., (Jones, 1978, 1983).
- Publications by one author(s) in the same year should be distinguished by a, b, c, etc. – e.g., (Smith, 1994a, 1994b).
- For in-text references to works with one or two authors use names of both authors – e.g., (Jones and Williams, 1991).
- For works with three or more authors use name of the first author followed by et al. – e.g., (Lee et al., 1985).
- Do not include any reference unless it has been published or accepted for publication (“in press”; see below).
This section is also referred to as the "References" or "Works Cited" section. List all authors of each entry. Do not abbreviate journal titles. The first line of each reference should be typed flush left; the remaining lines should be indented five spaces. Examples of common types of references are given below.
- JOURNAL ARTICLE (one author): Lacki, M. J. 1994. Metal concentrations in guano from a gray bat summer roost. Transactions Kentucky Academy Science, 55:124-126.
- JOURNAL ARTICLE (multiple authors): Jones, D. G., Little, D. P., and Marks, L. J. 2010. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and Wasting Disease in Western Kentucky. Transactions Kentucky Academy Science, 55:124-126.
- BOOK: Ware, M., and R. W. Tare. 1991. Plains Life and Love. Pioneer Press, Crete, WY.
- PART OF A BOOK: Kohn, J .R. 1993. Pinaceae, Pages 32-50 in J. F. Nadel (ed). Flora of the Black Mountains. University of Northwestern South Dakota Press, Utopia.
- WORK IN PRESS: Groves, S. J., I. V. Woodland, and G. H. Tobosa. In press, Deserts of Trans-Pecos Texas.
- WEB PAGE: Smith, A.W. 1999. Title of web site. Web site address. Date accessed (06/12/2005).
Exercise II. Analysis
Now it is time to calculate the chi-square value for each test. Open your datasheet in excel. Remember, you determined your observed and expected values last week. Review your Lab Notebook you submitted for Lab 1 if necessary.
Procedure.
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Exercise iii. Poster CreationThe scientific poster is a form of scientific expression and one way researchers communicate their work with the wider scientific community. Most often, researchers will use the poster format as a way to put their preliminary research together and test the waters of scientific critique. Posters often come before presentations and manuscripts and they are presented at scientific conferences in large halls or rooms. Attendees wander from poster to poster, get a brief explanation from the researcher, and then a discussion begins. The appearance/content varies widely by field or lab, but they are often produced in PowerPoint and printed as 36" x 48" posters for display.
Important!!! You will need to bring one color copy (on a 8.5x11" page) of your poster to class with you next week to participate in peer review. Discuss who will be in-charge of bringing the copy to lab! FAQs on printing / WKU Computer Labs |
Procedure.
- Review the information presented on this page, including the template and rubric.
- Discuss a plan of action for completing a draft of your poster with your group. Make a list of any questions you might have for your TA.
- Please note: You will trade your draft with another group next week for an informal peer review. You will have another week or two to revise before submitting your final poster. Everyone in your group must submit a final version via Blackboard.
- Complete Exercise III in your Lab Notebook Guide.
- EXTENSION: Do you think the results would be the same if you completed these analyses using class data? Why or why not? You can decide as a group to use the class data for your posters if you wish. Be sure to discuss this with your TA.
- Please check-out with your TA before you leave.
Your Poster: Will be created in PowerPoint using a provided template. We will print and display the three best, which will earn extra credit (TBD).
Lab Groups: You will work in your lab group. You must be an active participant in this assignment. You will be evaluating each other’s contributions via a peer evaluation form at the end of the term.
Content: Specific directions on what to include in each section are available on the poster template and the evaluation measures are available in the rubric.
Research:
Formatting: You have a lot of leeway!
Lab Groups: You will work in your lab group. You must be an active participant in this assignment. You will be evaluating each other’s contributions via a peer evaluation form at the end of the term.
Content: Specific directions on what to include in each section are available on the poster template and the evaluation measures are available in the rubric.
Research:
Formatting: You have a lot of leeway!
- Colors: Your choice.
- Length: Variable section length. Typically, the results section takes up the most space, but include the least amount of text.
- Font: Use serif font (e.g., cambria or times), non sans serif (e.g., arial or calibri). Avoid red font.
- Font size: You can go a bit smaller/ larger but stay close to these and be consistent within levels. Title: 80-100pt., Authors: 60pt., Sub-headings: 28-58pt., Body text: 24-32pt., Captions: 18pt.
- Tables & figures: Your design! Stay clean and readable. Tables get labeled (Table 1.) with titles that go above. Figures (diagrams, graphs) get labeled (Figure 1.) with captions that go below.
- Citations: Five minimum, directions in template.
- Be creative and have fun with this. Examples below!
Dr. McElroy is a solver of puzzles. He enjoys trying to make the pieces fit and finding new ways to understand old problems. Often, he applies the processes of scientific inquiry to new issues that not befitted from the approach in the past. PLUS, he is a statistical expert. Much of his perspective has been translated into Unit 1. Reach out to him if you have interests in statistics or evolutionary biology.
Research: Evolutionary Biology and Genetics, Biostatistics. Dr. McElroy's current research focuses on applying evolutionary principles and multivariate statistical methods to examine processes of curricular change and assessment in higher education. Past research interests have addressed questions related to wildlife molecular forensics, morphometrics and conservation of desert fishes, genetics and speciation in African cichlid fishes, and the statistical analysis of population genetic data. Recent Publication: An Evolutionary Perspective on Increasing Student Success, and the (Partial) Fallacy of First-Year Retention |