| Section | Percent |
| Results | 22% |
| Assignments | 23% |
| Lecture preparation questions | 7% |
| Lab book | 13% |
| Final Exam | 35% |
RESULTS
Lab1------2.5%
Experiment 1------3.5%
Experiment 2------6%
Experiment 3------2%
Experiment 4------5%
Experiment 5------3%
The results are assessed on quality.
ASSIGNMENTS
Assignment 1------10%
Assignment 2------5%
Assignment 3------5%
Assignment 4------3%
LECTURE PREPARATION QUESTIONS
You are expected to hand in the answers to the first three questions associated with an assigned reading before the lecture starts. By the role of the dice, one of these questions will be marked. Dice 1and 2, question 1 is marked; Dice 3 and 4, question 2 is marked, and Dice 5 and 6, question 3 is marked.
LAB BOOK --------13%
Format/Layout:
Pages 1-4 Table of Contents
Pages 5-15 Introductory lab
Pages 16-30 Experiment 1
Pages 31-45 Experiment 2
Pages 46-60 Experiment 3
Pages 61-75 Experiment 4
Pages 76-90 Experiment 5
Pages 90- If you need more room for a particular section.
Before arriving in the lab you are expected to have prepared for the day's experiment. This includes pasting in the protocol and writing information into your lab book that you will rely upon during the lab. The TA's will check that this has been done and anything else requested before you enter the lab and will sign your lab book if the tasks were completed. Mark penalty for not being prepared is -2 marks. Due to time constraints you will not be able to prepare for lab during the lab session. Therefore, it is important that you arrive prepared.
The lab book is not meant to be a pristine document. It is a working and a work-in-progress document. Data is recorded in your lab book as you are working and not after completion of the labs or at the end of the term. Therefore, at the end of every lab, you shall show your lab book to the TA indicating that you have recorded the days data and anything that you may rely on for interpretation (eg., loading your samples on the gel in the reverse order). The TA shall then sign your lab book. Failure to do so will result in a deduction marks since there is no proof that you were actually in the lab.
If you have completed the above tasks well you may expect 5 out of 12.
You will have completed an introductory lab and the Experiments. You should have the experimental results of these labs pasted in your lab book.
In addition you are expected to have determined the length in bases of all restriction enzyme DNA fragments and PCR DNA fragments using DNA markers for the Introductory lab, Experiment 1, Experiment 2, Experiment 3, and Experiment 4. The plots on semi-log graph paper shall be included in your lab book.
The results and their analysis for Experiment 5 are to be written up in your lab book with the following format.
You have analyzed your eight yeast strains in a number of ways. These include CAN resistance, ade2 phenotype (red), expression of beta galactosidase, and complementation and non-complementation of a swi5 mutant.
You have looked at eight strains. Present your results in a table that sums up the phenotypes that you have noted for each strain.
Strain Phenotype x Phenotype y etc.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Having set up your table then answer the following questions
1.) Do you think you have found a she mutant? Why?
2.) Do you think you have found a swi5 mutant? Why?
3.) Do you think you have found a swi mutant that is not swi5? Why?
4.) Have identified mutants that do not correspond to these classes of mutants? Another way of say this, is have you identified mutants that are difficult to classify? Why are they difficult to classify? Any ideas on what they could be or why this is the case?
If you have completed all the above tasks well you may expect 8 out of 13.
In order to get 13 full marks, the content of your lab book must be very clear. In other words, someone who has never taken this course should be able to have a good understanding of the experiments that you performed throughout the term. More importantly that person and should be able to replicate the experiments based on the contents in your lab book only. In addition, you must have participated fully in all that is asked of you during the lab, that is, slackers who let their lab partners do the majority of the work can not expect much in the way of marks here.
You will hand in your notebook at the last lecture. Your book will be ready for pickup by you within a few days.
FINAL EXAM
There are no practical lab exams in this course.
The exam consists of sets of questions derived from a primary research paper that you will be assigned to read PRIOR to the exam. The final exam paper will be posted on this website one month prior to the exam. You will have more than sufficient time to read the scientific paper before the exam date. Since you will be tested on this paper, I cannot comment or answer any questions on this paper.