BIO 1110L Fall 2020 Scientific Inquiry Worksheet

Lab 1: HOW IS NEW KNOWLEDGE DISCOVERED?

Module 1
· Before starting the pre-lab, make you should have read Chapter 1 (pp. 1-5, 7, and 12) in the lab
manual and watched Chapter 1 Scientific Inquiry
· Use this document for instructions on pre-lab activities, to follow along with the zoom lab
meeting, and complete your post-lab report. You will submit the Post-lab Report pages at the
end of this document using the Post-Lab Report submission link in Blackboard.

Pre-Lab Instructions:
· Complete the pre-lab activities described below prior to the Zoom Lab Meeting.

Pre-lab Activity 1: Investigative Methods and Applications (pp. 2-3) (~10 min.)
Extend and demonstrate your knowledge of common Types of Research Investigations typically used in
the life sciences by:
· Completing the Interactive tutorial, “What is Science?” (created by the Texas Education Agency),
found here.
· Determining which type of investigation would apply to each case study described in the Test
Your Understanding box on p. 3 of your lab manual and filling in each blank.

Pre-lab Activity 2: Elements to Consider in the Design of Experiments (pp. 3-5)

(~15 min.)
Gain specific practice with Experimental Design by:
· Completing the interactive tutorial, Experimental Design (created by the Texas Education
Agency) found here, noting that the term “constants” used in this tutorial is equivalent to and
interchangeable with the term “standardized variables” referred to in the lab manual.
· Identifying variables and treatments relative to the cased study described in the Test Your
Understanding box on p. 5 of your lab manual and filling in each blank.

Pre-lab Activity 3: Microscopes as Investigative Tools (p. 7) (~10 min.)

While the opportunity to develop hands-on skills with microscopes is limited under current conditions,
their value as investigative tools can still be appreciated.
· View the YouTube video, “How Microscopes are Opening a Door Into an Invisible Universe –
Genius Moments” (3:49) to gain an appreciation for how microscopes provide new insights
· To view how selection of microscope influences perspective, visit the animation at this URL:
http://www.classzone.com/cz/books/bio_09/resources/htmls/animated_biology/unit1/bio_ch01_
0021_ab_cells.html To reach the site you will have to copy the URL and paste it into the
address bar at the top of your Browser screen. Once you arrive at the site, select one specimen
at a time and view it through the “lens” of each type of microscope.

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Zoom Lab Meeting:
· We will work together to complete the activities described below during the Zoom Lab Meeting.

Class Discussion – The Nature of Science (~15 min.)

· What is science?
· What differentiates science from other fields of study?
· What is the goal of scientific inquiry?
· How does science advance?

Exercise 1: Fact or Fallacy? (~40 min.)

Understanding the scientific process is central to gaining an appreciation for biology as the scientific
study of life. During this activity, you will apply the principles of experimental design to test a
hypothesis based on an urban myth, saying, or superstition, i.e. you and the members of your team will
act as “Mythbusters”. This activity requires teamwork and the application of concepts learned from pre-
lab activities and readings (pp. 2-4).
1. You and your teammates will select or be assigned a common saying or superstition.
Record the saying (i.e. claim) that your group will be designing a test of validity for here:

2. Once your instructor has placed your team into a break-out room, it will be the group’s
responsibility to design an experiment to test the claim ‘s validity. Work on your own to begin
with. On a blank sheet of paper or in the workspace labelled “DRAFT PLAN” below begin to
identify elements that will guide your planning effort. Then collaborate with other member of
your team to develop a single plan of action (i.e. the process you would follow to test your claim).
If you prefer using pictures rather than words to express your “vision”, then sketch your plan of
action using objects (e.g. stick figures, boxes, circles, arrows) and labels to convey your ideas.
Do not be a spectator, take notes, remain alert. Later, after receiving feedback from peers, you
will propose and present a final design for your claim in your Post-lab Report found on the final
pages of this worksheet. The Post-lab Report will be completed independently of others.

3. Designate a spokesperson who will present the work of the group to others.

1. Return to the main room so each team’s work can be shared and reviewed by peers. Peer review
is the standard way by which the merit of scientific work is evaluated. Engage in that activity now.
Attributes of experimental design commonly considered during a peer review are listed below. A
“no” answer to any of these would call into question the validity of results generated by the
investigation were it to go forward.
· Does the experiment adequately test the stated hypothesis?
· Are all variables adequately described?
· Was only one variable manipulated (tested) at a time?
· Has a control group been included?
· Have all treatments (control and experimental) been handled exactly alike? (e.g. kept in the
same place, used same test arenas, time intervals, etc.)
· Is the experiment properly replicated (multiple experimental and control groups or multiple
experimental trials over time)?
· Is assignment to group or order of testing randomized?

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STUDENT WORKSPACE
DRAFT PLAN FOR TESTING THE CLAIM THAT:
- What is the question?
Can a U.S. penny dropped from the Empire State Building in New York kill a person?
- What is your hypothesis?
A U.S. penny dropped from the Empire State building in New York will not kill a person.
- What is your prediction?
If a penny is dropped from the Empire State building , then it will not a person.
Identify variables:
- What is your independent variable?
Our independent variable are would be the year the penny was minted.
- What is (are) your dependent variable(s)?
Our dependent variables would be the speed at which penny is dropped, the weight of the penny, and
the wind.
- What are the standardized variables that you will keep the same across all groups?
The height of the Empire State building.
Identify your treatment groups:
- What is your experimental group and how will conditions be manipulated?

- What is your control group and what conditions will it be subjected to?
Our control group is dropping a penny minted in 2019
Positive control- confirm our hypothesis penny not kill man (dummies)

Negative control- penny did kill man.

Additional considerations:
- How many treatment groups do you plan on setting up and how many subjects (sampling units) will be
placed in each group?

- How will you assign individual subjects to groups?

We will adjust years and the condition of the penny.
- How will you go about measuring an effect (what tools might you use; what might you have to define,
e.g. how would you define luck? A fever?)?

- How many experimental trials will you run?

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Exercise 2: Microscopes as Investigative Tools (~15 min.)
As part of this activity, you will
· Learn about various types of microscopes, their advantages and limitations, and qualities
(magnification and resolution) that make them such important tools for “seeing” things that the
human eye cannot.
· Complete the activity described in the Test Your Understanding box on p. 12 of your lab manual.

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Post-lab Report:
· Complete the post-lab report described below after the Zoom Lab Meeting.
· Submit this section of the worksheet using the link in Post-Lab Folder in Blackboard before your
next Zoom Lab Meeting.

Your lab report will present the final experimental protocol you propose for busting the myth which
your group discussed. The experimental design will be described in words, summarized in a table (like
that practiced in Pre-lab Activity 2), and presented as a sketch (figure). This final report, while
benefitting from your discussion with others, should be completed by you (i.e. independently of others).

A FINAL PLAN for testing the claim that: [insert the saying your group discussed]

EXPRESSED IN WORDS

- State the question.

- State the hypothesis.

- State the prediction.

- The independent variable I will manipulate is:

- The dependent variable(s) I will measure is (are):

- The standardized variables that I will keep the same across all groups include:

- The experimental group(s) will be subjected to (or consist of):

- The control group will be subjected to (or consist of):

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- The number of treatment groups I plan on setting up = _____; and the number of subjects I will place
in each group = ______.

- The method(s) that I will use to assign Individual subjects to groups include:

- I will measure an effect by:

- I plan to conduct (or repeat) the experiment this many times:

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EXPRESSED IN A TABLE

Summarize the elements of your experimental design by entering the various components of your
experimental investigation into its appropriate position (shaded cells) in Table 1. The format of Table 1
mimics the table featured in the Experimental Design tutorial from Texas Gateway that you completed
as part of Pre-Lab Activity 2. Return to that website for hints on how to complete Table 1 if you are
having difficulty.

Table 1. Components of the experimental design proposed to investigate the claim that [insert the
saying here]

Independent Variable Standardized Variable(s) Dependent Variable(s)

Tr Control Group H
e o
at w
m
e Experimental Group t
nt h
G e
ro Experimental Group* D
u e
p p
s e
(a n
n d
d e
L n
e t
v V
el a
s) r
fo i
r a
th b
e l
In e
d w
e il
p l
e b
n e
d M
e e

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 Independent Variable Standardized Variable(s) Dependent Variable(s)

nt as
Vari ur
abl ed
e

Number of Repeated Trials:

* Use if there is more than one experimental treatment level

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EXPRESSED IN A FIGURE

Sometimes a diagram, picture, or flow chart is the most understandable way to depict an idea. Give it a
try by using stick figures, arrows, boxes, numbers etc. to illustrate your protocol. The message conveyed
is of greater importance than your artwork – so do not despair if “art” is not your strong suit. Take a
picture of your work and then embed it below or submit it separately.