Dr. Karen Carleton,Dr. Eric Haag, and Dr. Jeff Shultz

BSCI 207 (Organismal Biology)

Dr. Karen Carleton,Dr. Eric Haag, and Dr. Jeff Shultz

Fall Semester, 2013

Section 0101: M-W-F @ 2:00-2:50 pm,HJ Patterson, room 0226

Section 0201: M-W-F @ 11:00-11:50 am, Physics, room 1412

Lecturers

Dr. Karen Carleton(Dept. of Biology)

Office: 2130 Bioscience Research Building

Office Hours (1229 HJP): Tu11:30 pm – 1:30 pm

Telephone: 301-405-6929

Dr. Eric Haag(Dept. of Biology)

Office: 0256 Biology-Psychology

Office Hours (1229 HJP): W 9:15-10:45 am

Telephone: 301-405-8534

Dr. Jeff Shultz(Dept. of Entomology)

Office: 4134 Plant Sciences

Office Hours (1229 HJP): M 3:00-5:00 pm

Telephone: 301-405-7519

Graduate Teaching Assistants

Grace Anderson

Tutorial sessions: T 2:00 pm-3:30 pm and T 3:30-5:00

Mercedes Burns

Tutorial sessions: T 8:00-9:30 am and T 9:30-11:00 am

Grace Capshaw

Tutorial sessions: W 12:00-1:30 pm, F 9:00-10:30 pm

Daniel Keil

Tutorial sessions: Th 2:00-3:30 pm, Th 3:30-5:00 pm

Lectures

Lectures for Section 0201 start promptly at 11:00 and continue until 11:50 while those for Section 0101 start at 2:00 and go until 2:50. Please arrive a bit early and plan on staying for the whole lecture. In case of an urgent need to arrive or leave early, please sit at the end of a row and near a door. Lecture outlines are available for download from ELMS (as .pdf files). However, some lecture material will not be in the handouts, and that which is will be more clear after hearing the entire presentation. We thus do not recommend skipping lectures.

It is your responsibility to note any changes in the syllabus or other information announced in lecture and/or posted on our Canvas discussion area.

Examinations

There will be three midterms (100 pts. each) and one comprehensive final (150 pts.). The lowest midterm will be dropped. We do not give make-up exams. If you miss a midterm, that examination will count as the dropped exam. Each midterm exam will be partly multiple-multiple choice and partly short essays. The final exam is entirely composed of multiple-multiple choice questions.

Make-up Examinations: Because of the size of the class and the flexible grading policy, make-up exams will not generally be offered, even for legitimate excuses such as illness or family emergencies. If you miss a midterm, that will be your dropped exam. Students with unusual situations that can be anticipated in advance (e.g. medical school interviews, university athletic events, etc.) are encouraged to contact the instructors well in advance of the exam.

Re-grade Requests: For lecture exams, re-grades will be considered only if theoriginal was written in pen. If you feel you were graded incorrectly on an exam, please do the following:

1. Refer to the answer key (which will be posted the day of the exam) to make sure you know what the correct answer is.
2. Return the exam to your instructor along with a written explanation of why you feel you should have received more points, and including reference to the posted answer key.

Important Note: The firm deadline for re-grade requests is ONE WEEK after the graded exam was made available (regardless of when you actually pick it up). There will be no re-grades for the final.

Math Bench Modules

Mathematics is interwoven through most of the material in BSCI 207. The Math Bench modules on the course website are useful tools for being successful in this course. We STRONGLYurge you to complete these around the time noted in the syllabus. Previous experience indicates a strong correlation between successful completion of the Math Bench modules and success in BSCI 207.

Homework problem sets and Tutorials

To increase mastery of the topics encountered in the lectures, there will be ten problem sets during the semester. These will be graded primarily as pass/fail, but students are encouraged to scrutinize the key posted to self-evaluate. The content of homework problem sets will be directly applicable to exam content.

TAs will lead guided group discussions of the homework assignments in H.J. Patterson 1229. At the start of the term, students may select any tutorial times that work for them, and may change from week to week. If needed, however, these times may be revised and/or augmented to prevent overcrowding or wasted time.

Grading Scale

The 400 maximum possible point total for this course derives from the best two of the three hourly examinations (100 points each = 200 points), 50 points from homework (ten at 5 points each), and a 150-point comprehensive final examination. The minimum gradefor a given number of points is set as follows:

388-400A+ / 346-359 B+
373-387A / 333-345B
360-372A- / 320-332B-
306-319C+ / 266-279 D+
293-305C / 253-265 D
280-292C- / 240-252 D-
0-203 F

The relationship between points and grades is not subject to routine revision (“curving”). That is, grades reflect an absolute standard of mastery, rather than performance relative to one’s peers. However, the instructors reserve the right to adjust grades in the class’ favor in light of the outcomes on particular assessments. Such adjustments may take the form of extra credit assignments (always for the whole class) or alternative grading schemes for some items. In any case, changes will be made uniformly for the class as a whole, and cannot be given by special pleading from individual students.

Role of readings and textbooks

We will assign reading materials from a variety of sources for many specific lectures.We are not assigning readings from a textbook, but we encourage you to use a text from an introductory course (e.g. Campbell’sBiology) as a reference.

Course Web Site:

We will be making extensive use of theEnterprise Learning Management System (ELMS) for this course. Currently, ELMS is running the Canvas system. If you have problems, refer to the Browser link on the login page, or contact ELMS staff by sending email to . For general computer issues, the OIT Helpdesk for students can be reached at 301-405-1400.

Using ELMS you will be able to access lecture notes (and add your private annotations to help you learn) and additional materials discussed in class. Its messaging and discussion functions will allow you to discuss material in the course with your professors and other students, other web pages, etc.

ELMS will also enable you to access your grades and keep track of your scores. They will be available to you (and only you) each time you access the web, from anywhere in the world.

• Keep in mind that only you can see your grades or your annotations to documents. Your use is password protected and you should NOT give out your password to anyone.
• Please make sure you log out of Blackboard after you have done your work. Otherwise, anyone else who comes onto the same computer may be able to see your work and your grades.
• We will provide material on our course site that may not show up in lectures, and announcements will be placed on the Discussion area.

Hints for Academic Success

We have found that the following suggestions have made asignificant difference for many students:

• Attend ALLlectures.
• Print the lecture outlines andtake notes right on these sheets, so you won't have to worry about spelling and other basic information.
• Re-copy your lecture notes in condensed outline form, ideally by hand rather than typing. (Note, we really do mean rewrite the notes, not just review them.) This helps to greatly reinforce your learning and will make a giant difference for comprehension and in preparation for exams. As you turn your raw notes into tight outlines, you will have tothink about the lecture and check yourself to make sure you understood the material. If you did not understand the material then you should refer to the text and, if necessary, get help from your TA or lecturers.
• Keep up with all course work, reading assignments, and updating your notes. It is almost impossible to perform well on the exams if you have not kept up.
• While we hope to test your higher-level thinking and reasoning in this course, it is also essential that you learn the basic vocabulary of biology. Therefore, do your best to memorize the meaning of new terms and to understand concepts as they arise (some people find flash cards useful for this).
• Consider participating in a study group (which you set up yourself). If you are successful in teaching this material to someone else (correctly), you have probably mastered it. Note, however, that while such groups are valuable, they are not a substitute for individual time spent with the material.
• Being a full-time student is a full-time job (or more). To perform well, you should spendan average of eight to 12 hours per week outside of classworking on BSCI 207 material and assignments. One cannot study for a BSCI 207 exam entirely the night before the exam.
• Do not hesitate to ask for assistance. To be an effective “squeaky wheel,” see the various options

Academic Policies

The University of Maryland, College Park has a nationally recognized Code of Academic Integrity, administered by the Student Honor Council. This Code sets standards for academic integrity at Maryland for all undergraduate and graduate students. Students are responsible for upholding it.

For more information on the Code of Academic Integrity or the Student Honor Council, please visit It is very important for you to be aware of the consequences of cheating, fabrication, facilitation, and plagiarism… Definitions of these forms of academic dishonesty are:

• CHEATING: intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information or study aids in any academic exercise.
• FABRICATION: intentional and unauthorized falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise.
• FACILITATION: intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help another to violate any provision of the Code of Academic Integrity.
• PLAGIARISM: intentionally or knowingly representing the words or ideas of another as one's own in any academic exercise.

Youwillbeaskedto write and sign the University Honor Pledge on allexaminations. The pledge reads as follows: “I pledge on my honor that I have not givenor received any unauthorized assistance on this assignment/examination.”

Religious Observances

In accordance with University Policy, no examination will be held on a major religious holiday; see for a list of these holidays. We realize that not all holidays are listed here. If you need to be absent for a religious observance on a day when an exam is being held you must inform us in advance and we will work with you to resolve the problem as best we can.

Accommodating Students with Disabilities

The Disability Support Service (DSS) will work closely with both faculty and students. You may contact the office at 314-7682. A booklet, Reasonable Accommodations, is also available to assist you in understanding the options. Students registered with DSS will be given every accommodation they deserve (as documented via DSS).

Getting help

1. Tutorial sessions, office hours, and GSS sessions: These drop-in sessions are your easiest, most reliable way to access the instructors. Tutorial sessions are primarily dedicated for homework discussions, but in weeks where there is no homework they will continue for general review and discussion of lecture materials. GSS sessions are focused on general lecture content.

2. ELMS Discussion Board: This allows you to post questions to any of the instructors, and can be done anonymously if you are more comfortable.

3. Review sessions: before each exam, the TAs and course faculty typically offer review sessions. These are most beneficial after the bulk of preparation has been done (they are not long enough to re-teach entire lectures, nor is that a good use of the time).

4. Appointments by arrangement: The dedicated and knowledgeable teaching assistants in the course are typically more flexible in their schedules than the faculty instructors. We therefore encourage you to make requests for unscheduled meetings of the TAs first. If you need additional help, however, please don’t hesitate to contact the faculty instructors.

LECTURE AND EVALUATION SCHEDULE

Lecture / Date / Who / Units / Topic / Evaluation / Readings & MathBench
1 / W 9/4 / All / Introduction - what is 207
2 / F 9/6 / KC / 1. Principles / a.Tree thinking / HW1: trees / Baum et al 2005
3 / M 9/9 / KC / b. Information, codes, and trees / Woese et al 1990
4 / W 9/11 / KC / c. Early life and RNA worlds
5 / F 9/13 / KC / d.Thermodynamics / HW2: energetics
6 / M 9/16 / KC / e.Electron transport chains I (mitochondria, prokaryotic variants)
7 / W 9/18 / KC / f. Electron transport chains II
(photosynthesis & variants)
8 / F 9/20 / JS / 3. Multi-cellularity / a.Scaling: size matters / HW3:allometry / MB: 3/4 Scaling Law
9 / M 9/23 / JS / b.The origin of cellular societies and multicellular organisms
10 / W 9/25 / JS / c. Endosymbiosis: the deep history of
eukaryotes and multicellularity
11 / F 9/27 / JS / d. Limits of diffusion / HW4:Ficke’s Laws / MB: Diffusion
12 / M 9/30 / JS / e. Implications of scaling
13 / W 10/2 / EH / 2. Sex / a. Costs & benefits of sex
14 / F 10/4 / EH / b. Sex and life history
Exam / M 10/7 / EXAM 1 (100 pts.) -Lectures 1-12 / E
15 / W 10/9 / EH / c.Diversity case study: fungi
16 / F 10/11 / EH / 4. Devel-opment / a. Principles of development / HW5:development
17 / M 10/14 / EH / b. Plant development
18 / W 10/16 / EH / c. Animal development (embryonic)
19 / F 10/18 / EH / d. Animal development (larvae & metamorphosis)
20 / M 10/21 / EH / e. Integrative lecture: Evo-devo
21 / W 10/23 / EH / 5. Transport / a.Plant nutrient assimilation and transpiration
22 / F 10/25 / EH / b. Sugar transport in plants (phloem) / HW6:Boyle’s Law
23 / M 10/28 / EH / c.Gas exchange & circulatory system in animals
24 / W 10/30 / EH / d. Digestion & nutrient assimilation in animals
25 / F 11/1 / EH / e. Osmoregulation & waste excretion / MB: Osmosis
Exam / M 11/4 / na / EXAM 2 (100 pts.) -Lectures 13-24 / E
26 / W 11/6 / KC / 6. Neurons / a. Neurons and action potential / MB: Nernst potential
27 / F 11/8 / KC / b. Interneuron signaling and the synapse / HW7:Nernst
28 / M 11/11 / KC / c. Nervous systems
29 / W 11/13 / KC / d. Evolution of the human brain
30 / F 11/15 / KC / 7. Senses / a.Intro (inputs, mechanisms of sensation) / HW8:sensation
31 / M 11/18 / KC / b. Hearing
32 / W 11/20 / KC / c. Vision
33 / F 11/22 / JS / 8. Bio-mechanics / a. Properties of biomaterials
Exam / M 11/25 / na / EXAM 3 (100 pts.) -Lectures 25-32 / E
34 / W 11/27 / JS / visual perception games
F 11/29 / THANKSGIVING BREAK (No Class) / HW9:musculo-skeletal
35 / M 12/2 / JS / b. Support and skeletons
36 / W 12/4 / JS / c.Molecular basis of motility
37 / F 12/6 / JS / d. Muscle architecture and levers / HW10:locomotion
38 / M 12/9 / JS / e. Terrestrial locomotion
39 / W 12/11 / JS / e. Fluid locomotion I
40 / F 12/13 / JS / f. Fluid locomotion II
Final exam / 12/19 1:30-3:30p / FINAL EXAM (150 pts) / MWF 2-2:50 / sect 0101
12/18 8-10a / MWF 11-11:50 / sect 0201

Abbreviations:

E, Examination HW, HomeworkMB, MathBench module

EH, Eric Haag JS, Jeff Shulz, KC, Karen Carleton

M, Monday W, Wednesday F, Friday S, Saturday

a, a.m.p, p.m.