The effective design of scientific experiments is critical to success, yet graduate students receive very little formal training in how to do it. Based on a well-received course taught by the author, Experimental Design for Biologistsfills this gap. Experimental Design for Biologistsexplains how to establish the framework for an experimental project, how to set up a system, design experiments within that system, and how to determine and use the correct set of controls. Separate chapters are devoted to negative controls, positive controls, and other categories of controls that are perhaps less recognized, such as “assumption controls†and “experimentalist controls†. Furthermore, there are sections on establishing the experimental system, which include performing critical “system controls†. Should all experimental plans be hypothesis-driven? Is a question/answer approach more appropriate? What was the hypothesis behind the Human Genome Project? What color is the sky? How does one get to Carnegie Hall? The answers to these kinds of questions can be found in Experimental Design for Biologists. Written in an engaging manner, the book provides compelling lessons in framing an experimental question, establishing a validated system to answer the question, and deriving verifiable models from experimental data. Experimental Design for Biologistsis an essential source of theory and practical guidance in designing a research plan.

Experience the magic of biology in your own home lab. This hands-on introduction includes more than 30 educational (and fun) experiments that help you explore this fascinating field on your own. Perfect for middle- and high-school students and DIY enthusiasts, this full-color guide teaches you the basics of biology lab work and shows you how to set up a safe lab at home. The Illustrated Guide to Home Biology Experiments is also written with the needs of homeschoolers firmly in mind, as well as adults who are eager to explore the science of nature as a life-long hobby. To get the most from the experiments, we recommend using this guide in conjunction with a standard biology text, such as the freely downloadable CK-12 Biology (ck-12.org). Master the use of the microscope, including sectioning and staining Build and observe microcosms, soda-bottle worlds of pond life Investigate the chemistry of life from simple acids, bases, and buffers to complex carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, enzymes, and DNA Extract, isolate, and observe DNA Explore photosynthesis, osmosis, nitrogen fixation, and other life processes Investigate the cell cycle (mitosis and cytokinesis) Observe populations and ecosystems, and perform air and water pollution tests Investigate genetics and inheritance Do hands-on microbiology, from simple culturing to micro-evolution of bacteria by forced selection Gain hands-on lab experience to prepare for the AP Biology exam Through their company, The Home Scientist, LLC (thehomescientist.com/biology), the authors also offer inexpensive custom kits that provide specialized equipment and supplies you’ll need to complete the experiments. Add a microscope and some common household items and you’re good to go.

A guide to designing lab-based biological experiments that have low bias, high precision and widely applicable results.

The Contento Experimental Cell Biology Lab Book is a modular design that matches the topics discussed in Karp’s textbook. The manual itself consists of 30+ experiments that coincide and complement each of the 18 chapters in the Karp text. There are three possible designs of the lab book, based on the instructor’s needs. These designs focus on either Techniques, Concepts, or Organelles. The procedures of the 30+ experiments remain standard and unchanged in all designs of the lab book. Special Overview pages, Discussion Questions and Datasheets bookend the procedures in order to create each of the possible textbook designs.This gives instructors flexibility to create a lab book that suits their lecture course curriculum, their experience, and available equipment and supplies.

Using a variety of exercise formats (traditional, guided inquiry, and design-your-own), this manual, written by Doreen Schroeder, helps students ask good questions and think critically. Students will analyze data, draw conclusions, and present those conclusions. They will also be challenged to make connections between lab exercises, between lecture and lab, and between biology in the laboratory (or lecture hall) and their own life. Each exercise in the student manual contains an overview, an introduction, a materials list, the methods, and application questions. Where appropriate, time has been built into the exercises for discussion and interactions between students and between students and instructors. The exercises are also adaptable to different situations and time frames. The instructor's manual gives suggestions for adapting the exercises, in addition to a complete supplies list (including some sources), sample lab format, and suggested answers for questions and/or worksheets. To see the first two chapters of this great new lab manual visit http: //www.brookscole.com/cgi-brookscole/course_products_bc.pl?fid=M20bI&product_isbn_issn=0030225582&discipline_number=22 Select "Laboratory Experiments" under "Book Resources" on the left-hand navigation bar at the Instructor site.

In 2006 anthropologists Paul Rabinow and Gaymon Bennett set out to rethink the role that human sciences play in biological research, creating the Human Practices division of the Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center—a facility established to create design standards for the engineering of new enzymes, genetic circuits, cells, and other biological entities—to formulate a new approach to the ethical, security, and philosophical considerations of controversial biological work. They sought not simply to act as watchdogs but to integrate the biosciences with their own discipline in a more fundamentally interdependent way, inventing a new, dynamic, and experimental anthropology that they could bring to bear on the center’s biological research. Designing Human Practices is a detailed account of this anthropological experiment and, ultimately, its rejection. It provides new insights into the possibilities and limitations of collaboration, and diagnoses the micro-politics which effectively constrained the potential for mutual scientific flourishing. Synthesizing multiple disciplines, including biology, genetics, anthropology, and philosophy, alongside a thorough examination of funding entities such as the National Science Foundation, Designing Human Practices pushes the social study of science into new and provocative territory, utilizing a real-world experience as a springboard for timely reflections on how the human and life sciences can and should transform each other.