Week 2 – Intro Skills Week
This module was designed by Ms. Devon Jones and Mr. Ryan Belowitz (School of Interdisciplinary Science). The colour wheel activity has been adapted with permission from Mr. Russ Ellis (Integrated Science).
Module Overview
In this Intro Skills Module, you will be introduced to several of the tools we will be using in this course. The lecture will provide you with an overview of the LIFESCI 2L03 course. In the lab, you will explore some of the tools you’ll be using regularly, including microscopes, ImageJ and Zen softwares, and micropipettes. In tutorial time, you will receive your first in-person visit from an Instructor to go over the specifics of the course structure and the GradeGrid. You will also work through the virtual Excel tutorial this week. There is an additional virtual microscope tutorial in the Pressbook Appendix, which you can complete to further familiarize yourself with the microscopy techniques you’ll be using throughout the year.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this week, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate their ability to set up and use the compound microscope for Kohler illumination
- Understand how manipulation of the light path (e.g. with apertures) affects resolution and contrast on the compound microscope
- Use Zen software to capture images
- Accurately pipette small volumes
- Follow protocols to create a colour wheel using a micropipette
- Work with large data sets and generate a bar graph in Microsoft Excel
