Florida International University

Department of Biological Sciences

Biscayne Bay Campus

OCB2000L – Introduction to Marine Biology Laboratory

Summer A 2021

Updated  May 8th

Contact Information:

Please check canvas for zoom meeting details depending on your section.

Course Texts:

No text require although students must have your lab task sheet ready

Lab Supplies:

·         Lab coat (Long sleeve shirts are not acceptable substitutes for proper lab coats)

·         Closed-toe shoes, preferably waterproof but MUST be able to be worn in water (no flip-flops or sandals)

Course Description:

This is a face to course and is meant to be an overview of marine organisms and concepts, with some focus on local South Florida ecosystems. There is a weekly quiz on the previous and current weeks’ material. You will work in groups to get “hands-on” experience that will enhance your learning and develop your practical knowledge and skills.

Participation:

Participation also includes wearing proper attire for lab work (closed-toe shoes and lab coat) and outdoor field work (getting wet from the head down if it is raining and from the feet up when we wade into the adjacent Biscayne Bay to collect samples) and cleaning up after each lab.  There might be a required half-day snorkeling field trip on Saturday. Other trips on and off campus will also be held during lab hours.

CDC Guidelines for COVID 19:

We will be following CDC guidelines so wearing masks and keeping social distance will be the norm for this class. Please make sure you complete your P3 app sign in and wash your hands frequently.

Practical Exams: 

There will be a midterm and a cumulative final practical exam.  Due to the nature of the laboratory practical exams, you will also receive a grade of zero if you are late or miss the exam.  You may not attend any other lab section if you miss an exam and no make-up exams are available.

 Quizzes:

There will be several quizzes and dates are indicated in the schedule of this syllabus.  Quiz material is based on material presented in the previous lab as well as that day’s activities.  You will be expected to recall major concepts and results discussed from the previous lab and background introductory information from the current lab.  You must be present at the beginning of the class in order to take the quiz.  If you are late or absent, you will receive a zero and no make-up quizzes are available.

Lab Task Sheets:

Each lab has an associated task sheet that can be found online on your Canvas shell.  It is your responsibility to print out, read and understand each assigned task sheet(s) before the lab period. The questions within the task sheet(s) should be completed and turned in at the beginning of the next lab session. No late materials will be accepted.

Help:  If you need additional assistance with the information presented in this course, contact your TA, or Dr. Brinn.  If the office hours are inconvenient, other arrangements can be made.

Important Policies:

All students should follow all policies as stated in the University Handbook, Undergraduate Manual and posted within fiu.edu.  Failure to do so will result in dismissal from the course and possibly the University. 

Sexual Harassment:     http://www.fiu.edu/hr/eop/Forms/Policies/Sexual_harassment.pdf

Plagiarism:  Cheating is unacceptable and will be reported to University Officials

Emergency and Excused Absences:  “Emergency” is determined as an unpreventable event such as:

·         Medical emergency with Medical Doctor/emergency room’s note.

·         Automobile accident with police report (lack of ride is NOT an emergency)

·         Death of immediate family members.

·         Natural events causing the closing of FIU-BBC

·         Emergency situations also include problems with late registration.  However, your instructor reserves his/her right to deny you a seat in this course. 

You will only be excuse of your absence if an email is sent to your Instructor or the Lab Coordinator within 48h of the occurrence. This should be followed by the proper documentation within one week of the occurrence. Emergency also covers natural events such as hurricanes, floods, or fires that causes the closure of FIU-BBC. Please note that the lab will be closed for the whole week if one of the week’s lab sections is closed/affected. Your instructor will do his/her best to inform you in advance via email. But it is your responsibility to find out the status of emergency. You may contact following numbers for information campus-wide, not specific to Biology Department.

SYLABUS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

. Schedule:

Section B51
Date	Topic
May 10	Think Like a Scientist
May 12	Seawater Chemistry (quiz 1)
May 17	Microscopic Marine World (quiz 2)
May 19	Organisms and their Environment (quiz 3)
May 24	Evolution of Appendages and Feeding Behavior (quiz 4)
May 26	Midterm
May 31	No Classes Memorial Day
June 2	Rocky Intertidal Diversity
June 7	Kayak trip and Mangroves, Seagrasses and Algae (quiz 6)
June 9	Water Pollutants and Living Organisms (quiz 7)
June 14	Comparative Morphology of Shark vs. Bony Fish (quiz 8)
June 16	Final

SYLABUS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE