BIO 301, Summer I 2006

Inquiry into Planetary and Space Biology

Stephen Wagner, Instructor

Objectives: This concept-based course will concentrate on Earth as a life-support system for its inhabitants and will be taught from the perspective that the students are part of the living, changing Earth. It will emphasize the fact that the atmosphere, ocean, and land interact in ways that help dictate the conditions that foster life. We will emphasize science teaching based upon the National Science Education Standards (NSES).

Instructor: I earned a B.S. in Environmental Biology from Heidelberg College, an MS in Microbiology from North Carolina State University, and a Ph.D. in Agronomy (Soil Microbiology) from Clemson University. I spent two years as a postdoctoral research associate with the USDA, working on herbicide biodegradation before joining the faculty at SFA in 1996. My major research interest is microbial ecology, emphasizing bioremediation, plant-parasite interactions, and effects of management practices on soil ecology.

Lecture Texts: Elements of Ecology, 6th Edition, by Smith and Smith, 2003, Benjamin Cummings, Inc. Belmont, CA; My Nature Journal by A. Olmstead, 1999, Pajaro, Lafayette, CA.; Trees. An Introduction to Familiar North American Species. By Kavenagh and Leung, 2002. Waterford Press, Chandler, AZ.

Attendance: You are expected to attend all lectures and exams. Because this course is a science activities course that usually will involve group activities, your attendance and participation in the class is very important. Absences are only excused as outlined in the university handbook:

≥Regular and punctual attendance is expected at all classes, laboratories, and other activities for which a student is registered. For those classes where attendance is a factor in the course grade, the instructor shall make his/her class policy known in writing at the beginning of each term and shall maintain an accurate record of attendance. Regardless of attendance, every student is responsible for course content and assignments.

It is University policy to excuse students from attendance for certain reasons. Among these are absences related to health, family emergencies, and student participation in certain University-sponsored events. Students are responsible for providing documentation satisfactory to the instructor for each class missed. Students with acceptable excuses will be permitted to make up work for absences to a maximum of three weeks of a semester or one week of a six-week summer term when the nature of the work missed permits.

In the case of absences caused by participation in University-sponsored events, announcement of such absences by the Vice President for Academic Affairs will constitute an official excuse. Faculty members should submit a written explanation of the absence, including the date, time and an alphabetical listing of all students attending to the office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs for publication. You must make prior arrangements if you have to miss an exam. Please contact Dr. Wagner before the exam if there is any problem.

Office Hours: Your success in this course as well as here at SFA is very important. Should you have questions or need additional help I maintain an open door policy and encourage every student to talk freely about any issue that concerns them. Feel free to contact me in room 223 (468-2135). My office hours for the summer session will be M – Th, 1:30-2:30. If I am not in my office, I will leave a note as to my whereabouts. Also check rooms 207, 212 or 208 (labs).

You can also contact me by email @ swagner@sfasu.edu.

Attire: We will spend a lot of time outside for this course. So I would suggest that you wear comfortable clothing (in good taste) and sunscreen when we are in the sun. Because, we will do a lot of walking, wear a pair of tennis shoes with socks. Wearing open toe shoes and/or sandals is not permitted during lab exercises.

Extra Credit, Bonus Points: Opportunities for extra credit or bonus points will not be given to individual students but rather to all students as a whole. Students with excessive unexcused absences and/or tardiness will not receive any additional points.

Students with Special Needs: Students who require special accommodations for this course will be provided such accommodations within established university guidelines. Students who are requesting support services from SFA are required to submit documentation through the Office of Disability Services to verify eligibility for reasonable accommodations; the institution must review and evaluate that documentation. To obtain disability related accommodations and/or auxiliary aids, students with disabilities must contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS), Human Services Building, Room 325, 468-3004/ 468-1004 (TDD) as early as possible in the semester.  Once verified, ODS will notify the course instructor and outline the accommodation and/or auxiliary aids to be provided.

Use of Electronic Devises: Use of computers to take lecture notes and/or tape recorders are permitted during lectures. Listening to a biology lecture repeatedly may not be ≥easy listening≤ but it can help you learn the material. Use of calculators will not be permitted for any exams. Ringing (or singing) cell phones are a huge interruption during lectures; if you own or use one, please turn it off for lectures or do not bring it into the lecture hall.

Course Evaluation: All students are required to complete a course evaluation at the end of the semester for both the lecture and lab sections. Failure to complete this evaluation will result in a 1% deduction in your final grade for the course.

Course Assessment

∑ Student Portfolio (50 points): Each student will maintain a portfolio that contains the following: a) class notes for the term, b) handouts given during the semester, c) concept maps d) journal entries, and e) ≥BIO Log≤ notes for classroom experiments.

∑ Homework (75 points): Each student will be given a number of homework assignments on the internet or in the classroom. The instructor will inform the class when each assignment will be due. The grade for each assignment will be reduced by 10% for each day that the assignment is late.

∑ Individual Project Reports (75 points): These are in-depth reports of activities done throughout the semester. One report will involve the use of lichens as pollution indicators. Teams will assess lichen populations on and around the SFA campus. Another project will involve putting together a tree identification guide.

∑ Participation (100 points): Because this course is dependent on group discussion and contributions from each class member each studentπs participation in the course will determine part of their final grade. Participation will be determined by attendance, participation in discussions, and timely completion of assignments.

∑ Content Masteries (200 points) Assessments that emphasize recent content discussed in class will be given as outlined on the schedule. Content masteries 1 and 3 assessment will be worth 50 points, while Content Mastery 2 will be comprehensive and worth 100 points.

∑ Merritt Island Midterm Individual Project (100 points): This will be an INDIVIDUAL PROJECT that is internet – based and involves reporting on the U.S. National Wildlife Refuge System. Further details will be given in class.

∑ Merritt Island Midterm Team Project (250 points): This will be a TEAM project that is internet – based and involves reporting on the U.S. National Wildlife Refuge System. Further details will be given in class.

∑ Comprehensive Final Essay Exam (150 points): This will be an in-class, practical final. Each studentπs comprehension of key concepts from the course will be assessed through the use of a practical exam.

Because the course is accelerated, the final exam is scheduled for June 30, 2005

Class Website: www.faculty.sfasu.edu/supernova/

TENTATIVE COURSE OUTLINE

Date(s)	Subject	Activities	Book, pages
5/31, 6/1 2	Introduction	Observations, Life in Extremes Merritt Island Project Introduction	Smith, CH. 1; Handouts
I. What is the Biosphere?
6/2-6	Life in terrestrial environments	Leaf Classification; Death of a Log; Lichens; Merritt Is. Project Day June 5	Smith, CH. 27
6/7, 8	Life in aquatic environments	Plankton Nets; Pond Adventure, Water Quality Determination	Smith, CH. 7, Handouts
6/9	Studying the biosphere	Ecosystem Mobiles; Decomp. Column; Lichen Exploration Content Mastery 1	Smith CH. 4, Handouts
6/12	Biosphere Processes	Yeast Taste Test	Smith CH. 16
II. How does the Biosphere exist?
6/13	Life characteristics/ requirements	Photosynthesis; Seeds in Inner/Outer Space	Handouts
6/14	Biogeochemical cycling	C and N Cycles	Smith, CH. 22
6/15	Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, Athens, TX Field Trip
6/16	What to look for on other planets	Space Probes, Lichen Exploration Content Mastery 2	Handouts
6/19	Soil Conservation	Soils, Group Project Work	Smith, CH. 5
III. How do we sustain biodiversity?
6/20, 21	Rainforests	Leaf Penetrometer, Leaf Collections	Smith, CH. 25, 30
6/22	Lichens and GIS	Lichen Exploration,	Handouts
IV. How do we apply the concepts to living in space?
6/23	Life support systems and inhabitant protection	Getting Suited for Space Walking Content Mastery 3	Handouts
6/24	Life on International Space Station	ISS, Robotics	Handouts
6/26, 27	Effects on Human Body	Cardiovascular Workout, Bone Density Loss	Handouts
6/28	Merritt Island Group Project Presentations
6/29	Food in Space! Review and Summation
6/30	Final