In these labs, you will:

• learn physics relevant to microscopic and living systems;
• use 21st century physics tools and software;
• deal with data-rich environments;
• collaborate and work effectively with different groups of classmates; and
• learn how to design the steps to an experimental investigation, interpret data, engage in argumentation, and write formal scientific reports.  In particular, you will experience and develop expertise with the following scientific practices, with emphasis on the bolded items: 
  1. Developing Research Questions
  2. Using Diagrams, Drawings, Mathematics, etc., to Model Physical Phenomena
  3. Developing and Implementing a Design Plan
  4. Collecting, Analyzing, and Interpreting Experimental Data
  5. Using Mathematics, Statistics, and Computational Skills to Represent Data and Relationships
  6. Extracting Scientific Meaning from Experimentally Analyzed Data
  7. Engaging in Argumentation using the CER Framework
  8. Communicating Results and Providing/Receiving Constructive Feedback

Goals and Objectives: In this course, our hope is that you will learn how physics principles can be used to explore and explain biological systems.  This is the second semester of a two-semester lab sequence that includes PHYS 2015 and PHYS 2025.  These courses are loosely associated with the corresponding lecture courses (PHYS 2010 and 2020), which must be taken prior to or at the same time as the lab courses, but we make no explicit attempt to synchronize the topics between the lecture and laboratory courses. 

PHYS 2025 generally covers Newtonian fluid dynamics, electrophoresis, biological material spectroscopy, fluorescence, nervous system electrical signaling, etc. You will utilize the relevant physics principles to engage in authentic scientific practices during weekly laboratory sessions.  You will work in groups to develop your own investigations to answer particular scientific questions.  You will also learn how to quantify the certainty of your results and conclusions, how to justify your assumptions and experimental method, and how to communicate your results and arguments to others. 

	Prof. Jordan Gerton Associate Professor Physics & Astronomy Department Preferred contact:  Canvas Email (just in case):  u0458626@gcloud.utah.edu  Phone: 801-585-0068 Office: INSCC 464 Chosen Pronouns:  he, him, his
	Dr. Kevin Davenport Associate Instructor Physics & Astronomy Department Preferred contact:  Canvas Email (just in case):  kevin.davenport@utah.edu Phone: Office: SP 226 Chosen Pronouns:  he, him, his

In this laboratory, you will encounter both undergraduate Learning Assistants (LAs) and graduate Teaching Assistants (TAs).  LAs and TAs are both here to support your learning, but their roles are somewhat distinct.

Teaching Assistants (TAs): They are graduate students who have already completed a Bachelor's degree in Physics (or equivalent for the purpose of the lab content).  TAs receive special training to help support your learning and are responsible for ensuring your lab section runs safely and smoothly. TAs also grade assignments and lab reports, although the course instructors (Profs. Gerton and Davenport) are ultimately responsible for all grading decisions. Here is the list of TAs for this semester:

• Dalley Cutler (contact through Canvas)
  
• Joshua Bartkoske (contact through Canvas)

Learning Assistants (LAs):  LAs are undergraduates who may have taken this course previously and who receive special training through the Learning Assistant Program on how to help students learn science. LAs are not responsible for grading assignments and can be thought of as peer mentors. Here is a list of LAs for this semester:

• Emily Huang (contact through Canvas)

For questions regarding class logistics, grading etc. always contact your TA first or the course instructor, not your LA.

University Deadlines:

• Friday, August 28:  Last day to add without a permission code
• Friday, September 4: Last day to add or drop (delete) the course
• Sunday, September 27 - Sunday, October 11:  Online instruction for all classes
• Friday, October 16: Last day to withdraw from classes
• Wednesday, November 25:  Conclusion of in-person instruction
• Thursday December 3: Last day of classes
• Friday, December 4: Reading Day

Meeting Times:

Communication Policy: All correspondence for this course will take place through Canvas announcements, messages, etc., as well as through Umail.  It is possible that announcements, assignments, or other information will be provided through Canvas or email that are not explicitly announced in class.  Please be sure to check the Canvas course site and your Umail regularly and, if you use a third-party email, that you forward your Umail to that email address. 

Lab Schedule (Mandatory in-person weeks are shown in RED):

*** This grading scheme is subject to change until the start of the semester on August 24, 2020 ***

PHYS 2025 follows a points-based scoring method. The entire course consists of 1,000 possible points, spread throughout the semester within Pre-Lab Activities, Deliverables (e.g., reports, data plots, etc.), Post-Lab Activities (e.g., presentations, feedback, reflections, etc.), Attendance, and Surveys. Below are the point totals for each assignment during each investigation (Lab 5, Lab 6, etc.). 

This points-based system will help you quickly count how much each assignment is worth towards your final course grade; each point is 0.1% of the final course grade.

Attendance (20 points per non-lab week): 

Please always plan to arrive to your assigned session (either on Zoom or in the lab) ON TIME and plan to stay for the entire 3-hour session (1-hour in the lab); not doing these things will result in points being taken off for Attendance. Since you will be working in groups all semester, it is important that you come to lab every week.  Otherwise, your teammates will need to do extra work, and the quality of the lab work and report might suffer.  

If you are tardy or leave early consistently throughout a multi-week lab, in addition to missing points for in-class activities, you may lose a percentage of your Deliverables score similar to the point deduction for being absent for an entire lab.

See the Make-up Lab policy for more information about missing labs. 

Pre-Lab Activities (12-30 points each, individual submission): 

Before each session, there will be warm-up activities and tutorials (with short quizzes) to introduce students to techniques and practices that will be helpful to know in order to complete the lab investigations.  An individual Canvas-based submission will be required to receive credit for this.

Deliverables (120 - 140 points each, individual and group submission):

This category includes the following:

• CER Check (group submission): 

Towards the end of the second week of lab, your group will be responsible for discussing your Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning to your TA or LA to show that you have made sufficient progress during your investigations. There will be an informal rubric for this CER check that your TA or LA will use to score your group. More details regarding this will be discussed in class. 

• Final Report (individual submission): 

For some investigations, you will individually draft, receive feedback on, and complete a final report.  This will be graded by your TA according to a formal rubric, which will be introduced in detail during class.  More details will be discussed in class.

• Scientific Poster (individual submission):

For some investigations, we may ask you to create a more visual representation of the results using a provided poster template and utilizing key visual communication concepts. More details will be discussed in class.

Post-Lab Activities (18 points, individual submission):

After the first week of every lab there will be a Post-Lab Initial Feedback; at the end of the last week of every lab (usually the 3rd week, except for Lab 5) there will be a Post-Lab Final Reflection. Both of these will count 6 points and will be due on Canvas  24 hours after the end of your section.  In addition, you will complete a short comprehensive quiz at the end of each lab on the important concepts related to that particular lab, which will be due on Sunday at 11:59 pm (Mountain Time) following the conclusion of the relevant investigation.

Surveys (points vary):

Course Feedback Surveys (points vary):  There will be two surveys (mid-semester and end-of-semester) to provide feedback on your experience in the course. These will be extensive surveys which may take 15-20 minute to complete. We value your feedback and take your comments seriously. Please take the time to submit these thoughtfully. 

University Course Evaluation (10 extra credit points):  As part of the continued reform of this course, we are asking that you complete the University-based course evaluations at the end of the semester and submit a screenshot on Canvas to prove your completion.

Please check the Missing a Week of Lab & Make-Up Lab Policy page for information about gaining points missed.

IMPORTANT NOTE: It is your responsibility to check your grades on Canvas regularly and  reach out to your TA or instructors ASAP if you notice something missing /wrong. Notification of grade errors should be submitted within 10 days after the grades are released for consideration.

Final Letter grades will be determined based on the following table

Late Submission Policy

Assignments submitted after the due date will be marked as late in the Gradebook, and 4.167% will be automatically deducted for each hour it is late.  This means that 24 hours after the due date, no points will be awarded at all.  If you know that you will not have time to complete the assignment after your lab section, then please plan ahead and work on it earlier so that you can be done by the end of your lab section. Extensions will NOT be granted except for those that notify the course instructor beforehand with an official written excuse (e.g. university sanctioned activity, CDA letters).

Inclusion:  The PHYS 2025 instructional staff is here to help you learn, and we want you to succeed in this class.  We expect the entire PHYS 2025 community – students, instructors, TAs, and LAs – will strive to be an inclusive and supportive community, appreciative of the many perspectives that come from us each bringing to the class different backgrounds and beliefs. We expect all members of this community to be respectful of each other, and to strive to create a community that facilitates self-expression, inquiry, and learning.

If you have already established accommodations with the Center for Disability and Access (CDA - https://disability.utah.edu/), please communicate your approved accommodations to the instructor at your earliest convenience so we can discuss your needs in this course. If you have not yet established services through CDA, but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but are not limited to: mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), you are welcome to contact CDA at 801-581-5020 to make an appointment. General information for students can be found under the "Students" tab CDA website. CDA offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities and/or temporary health conditions. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between you, your instructor(s), and CDA. It is important to the University of Utah to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law.

Expectations for Students:  Most of your work for this course will be accomplished during the scheduled weekly 3-hour synchronous sessions - either online (Zoom) or in the Lab.  Because of this, and because you will be working in teams, attendance in these sessions is critical to your and your teammates success.  Thus, we expect you to make all attempts to arrive on time if not early for your section each week - tardiness and absences will be recorded and will affect your participation score (see below). 

Because your work will be done during the scheduled sessions, it's really important for you to prepare before arriving for your session by completing any pre-lab readings and assignments - otherwise, you will likely have difficulty completing your work.  Also, your team is much more likely to complete your work if you all actively participate and work together to develop, pursue, document and communicate your investigations.

Course Material:  All the relevant course material will be posted on the course site, no additional textbook is required. 

Educational Research: Within this course, instructor Jordan Gerton and a research team at University of Utah (Jason May and Dr. Lauren Barth-Cohen) plan to conduct educational research to study how students learn in introductory physics courses. To do this, they plan to ask if students in the course give or do not give consent to participate in the research. More information on this will be given during the first week of class. If you have any questions about any of the educational research that may be conducted in this course, please reach out to Jordan.

Honesty and Respect: Cheating of any assignment is a very serious violation of University rules and is unethical. Students caught cheating will receive a failing grade for the course and will be sent to the University Disciplinary Committee for further action.  All teaching assistants and learning assistants are to be considered proxies for the instructor – you should listen to them and treat them with respect at all times. 

Student Office Hours:  Office hours with your Instructor or TA can be scheduled via email. Please look the contacts at the top of this page to email them. Profs. Gerton and Davenport will do their best to answer promptly and schedule an appointment at your convenience.

Student Code:  Please review and sign this code of conduct statement within the first week of the course.  All students and faculty need to be aware of provisions in the Student Code relevant to this course. Students have 20 business days to appeal grades and other "academic actions" (e.g., results of comprehensive exams). The date that grades are posted on the web is considered the date of notification. A "business day" is every day the University is open for business, excluding weekends and University-recognized holidays. If the student cannot get a response from the faculty member after ten days of reasonable efforts to contact him or her, the student may appeal to the department chair if done within 40 days of being notified of the academic action. Students should definitely document their efforts to contact a faculty member.

Similarly, faculty members who discover or receive a complaint of academic misconduct (e.g., cheating, plagiarism) have 20 business days to "make reasonable efforts" to contact the student and discuss the alleged misconduct. Within 10 more business days the faculty member must give the student written notice of the sanction, if any, and the student's right to appeal to the Academic Appeals Committee of the College of Science.

All students and faculty members are urged to consult the exact text of the Student Code if a relevant situation arises. The code is on the University web site at http://www.admin.utah.edu/ppmanual/8/8-10.html.

Student Names and Personal Pronouns Statement: Class rosters are provided to the instructor with the student’s legal name as well as “Preferred first name” (if previously entered by you in the Student Profile section of your CIS account). While CIS refers to this as merely a preference, we will honor you by referring to you with the name and pronoun that feels best for you in class, on lab reports, group assignments, etc. Please advise your instructor and TA of any name or pronoun changes (and update CIS) so we can help create a learning environment in which you, your name, and your pronoun will be respected. If you need assistance getting your preferred name on your uID card, please visit the LGBT Resource Center, Room 409 in the Olpin Union Building, or email bpeacock@sa.utah.edu to schedule a time to drop by. The LGBT Resource Center hours are: M, W-F 8am-5pm, and 8am-6pm on Tuesdays.