Course Syllabus

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 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. 

This lab will likely proceed differently than many labs you may have taken in the past.  The overall goal of a physics lab course is exploring physics topics through data collection and analysis.  Emphasis is given to the collection of data and the use of software/hardware to achieve that goal.  The emphasis is NOT necessarily the mastery of the theoretical topics in physics; those are best left to the lecture course.

While PHYS 2015 had a particular emphasis on the collection of data and its subsequent analysis, PHYS 2025 builds upon that by emphasizing the development of strong research questions and the communication of scientific ideas.

What sets this course apart is our emphasis on the research-driven scientific practices wherein you learn the structure of a scientific investigation and how to proceed through that process from beginning to end.  In other labs, you may have had the experience of working through a series of questions rather formulaically and then writing up a synopsis of the end result; that is not this class.  In your labs, which we refer to as investigations, you and your group will be given a foundational set of physics information and a collection of tools (both hardware and software) and it is your job to build a custom investigation.  Within the confines provided, you will decide develop a research question, decide on an experimental procedure to follow, what data to collect, and how to interpret that data to answer your question.

You can find out more information about what this kind of community-driven lab is like here: Community Labs: What To Expect.  You will also find this page under the "Supplemental Information" link on the course home page.

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 instructor (Dr. Davenport) is ultimately responsible for all grading decisions. Here is the list of TAs for this semester:

	Tyler Hagen Email: Contact via Canvas
	Lincoln Draper Email: Contact via Canvas
	Dalley Cutler Email: Contact via Canvas
	Ajibade Oluwafemi (Femi) Sunday Email: Contact via Canvas

Learning Assistants (LAs):  LAs are undergraduates who may have taken this course previously and who receive special training through the Learning Assistant Program Links to an external site. 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:

	Naga Paritala Email: Contact via Canvas
	Tyler Ockey Email: Contact via Canvas

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

University Deadlines Links to an external site.:

Holiday/Event Schedule Links to an external site.:

The following dates reflect the holiday schedule for PHYS 2025 in Fall 2021.  You will see the holidays which impact this course (and other dates) listed on the course further down the page and on the course homepage.

Meeting Times:

All sections of this course will meet in CSC 022 of the Crocker Science Center.  Please note that the number of the sections is not necessarily in the order in which they are held due to when sections were added.  Make sure that you know what time your section is supposed to meet.

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 - PHYS 2025, Fall 2022

* Note: Lab 8C will be somewhat asynchronous as the last day of class is Dec 9

PHYS 2025 follows a points-based scoring method. The entire course consists of 1,000 possible points, assigned to a few major categories.  For each of this semester's investigations, these categories include the following:

• Concept assignments which include pre-lab quizzes covering the physics/software material required for each investigation
• Research Plans detailing your groups "to-do" list during the in-class data collection period
• Collection Assignments related to the preparation for and collection of data in the lab
• Scientific Practices assignments related to making sure you understand the process by which science is done
• Argumentation Assignments which give you a chance to pitch your investigation ideas to your peers and receive feedback from outside your group.  You can out more about this particular type of assignment on the How To Participate in an Argumentation Session page.  You can also find this under the "Supplemental Materials" page on the course home page.
• Final Result Deliverable which is essentially some for of a lab report/spreadsheet showing all of your work, data, and conclusions (this is the big one)
• Post-Reflection Assignments which give an opportunity for you to reflect on the total experience and to give us feedback

Lab 0, the material for the first two weeks of the course, has its own unique structure.  In addition, there will be two surveys, one at mid-semester (after Lab 2) and one at the end of the course for educational research purposes.

Below is a road map of the point totals for the entire course.

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.  The university survey assignment (marked by an asterisk) is an extra credit assignment which will add (effectively) 1% too your grade at the end of the course if you complete it.

Please check the Missing a Week of Lab & Make-Up Lab Policy page for information about gaining points missed.  You can also find this under the "Supplemental Materials" page on the course home page.

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/ Links to an external site.), 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, Dr. 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 Download consent

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. Dr. Davenport will do his best to answer promptly and schedule an appointment at your convenience.

Student Code:  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. Links to an external site.

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 Links to an external site., 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.

We want to keep everyone safe while working in a laboratory environment so we are requiring everyone to follow certain guidelines and regulations. Below are the minimum Lab Safety Protocols that are required for any laboratory course taught in the Crocker Science Center (CSC) educational laboratory facilities.

In case of an emergency, contact either of these two Lab Managers for the Crocker Science Center:

• David Thomas; Educational Lab Facilities Manager; d.r.thomas@utah.edu; 828-553-3180; primary contact for concerns/questions
• Dr. Jim Muller; CSC Building Operations Manager; jmuller@chem.utah.edu; 801-949-1123; secondary contact for concerns/questions

Other Emergency Contacts:

• Emergencies:  911
• Campus police or paramedics:  801-585-COPS; Campus paramedics will come and evaluate any medical situation without charge.
• Environmental Health and Safety:  801-581-6590; Call for any large and/or hazardous spills.

Watch this video to be introduced to the CSC labs, meet David Thomas, and learn safety guidelines.

Basic CSC Laboratory Safety Protocols for Students

These are the minimum CSC Lab Safety Protocols that are required for any laboratory course taught in the Crocker Science Center educational laboratory facilities.

• No food or drink is permitted in any CSC laboratory.
• TAs or instructors must be present at all times when students are in the laboratory (minimum 1 TA or instructor per lab room).
• Classroom spaces that adjoin labs are not laboratory spaces and are open to all students when a class is not in session. Therefore, these must remain clean and safe. No chemicals, biological agents, gloves, lab coats or lab equipment should be brought into these areas. All such items must remain in the labs.
• Gloves should be removed and hands washed before students leave a lab space even if it is just to enter the classroom space.
• Students should store all personal belongings in the cubbies available in the lab rooms. Backpacks, coats, etc. should not be left on the floor or counter tops.
• On the first day of lab, TAs or instructors must review the location and use of all safety equipment found in the laboratory (including but not limited to, safety showers, eye wash stations, hoods, etc.) with their students. (Videos are provided to help with this)
• On the first day of lab, TAs or instructors must review the evacuation plan for their laboratory area with their students

1st Floor Laboratory Courses

• Use of personal electronics is not permitted within the laboratories except in instances where the instructor has approved the use of such equipment for experiment related purposes AND the equipment has appropriate “PPE” (such as zip lock bags for cell phones). Otherwise, cell phones, tablets and personal laptops should remain in students bags on silent.
• Minimum laboratory clothing requirements for any lab taking place on the 1st floor of the CSC:
  • Fully closed shoes (not just closed toe)
  • Full length pants or equivalent
  • Safety glasses (some experiments may require splash goggles)
  • Lab coats (100% cotton are better than synthetics if the material ignites)
  • Gloves as dictated by the experiment being performed
  • Disposable face masks

Optics Laboratory Courses

• Minimum laboratory clothing requirements for any course taught in the optics lab in the basement of the CSC:
  • Closed toed shoes (no sandals, flip flops, etc.)
  • Safety glasses
  • Disposable face masks
  • Gloves

Crocker Science Center Evacuation Plan

In the event of an emergency such as (including but not limited to) fire, power outage, flooding, etc., occupants of the Crocker Science Center should evacuate the building. As occupants evacuate, they should do so calmly, in an orderly fashion and according to the following guidelines:

• If it is safe to do so, turn off any equipment or processes that could escalate an emergency situation.
• Use the closest exit to your current location in the building to evacuate.
  • Maps showing suggested exit routes from different parts of the building are provided as part of this evacuation plan.
  • For areas where you regularly reside, study and know your suggested evacuation route so that you’re prepared in the event of an emergency.
  • Remember that illuminated EXIT signs will lead you out of the building via a suggested evacuation route. Once you reach an EXIT sign, there should always be line of sight to another EXIT sign indicating how to proceed.
• As you are leaving the building, if it is safe to do so, check rooms that you leave/pass to ensure no one is still in those areas.
• Once outside, proceed to the north side of the building beside President’s circle (being sure to stay outside of the building as you travel).
  • This will be the designated assembly point for everyone in the building.
• Once you reach the assembly point, gather with your group (research group, Advising Hive Staff, Custodial Staff, classmates and instructor, etc.)
• Report any vital information to
  • Dr. Jim Muller; 801-949-1123 (on left) or
  • David Thomas; 828-553-3180 (on right)
• Remain outside with your group until you are given the “all clear” by Dr. Jim Muller, David Thomas or a faculty member.
  • In the event that occupants will need to remain outside of the building for a long time, Jim, David or a faculty member will give an “okay to leave” so that you can go to other areas of campus, lunch, home, etc. Please do not leave the assembly point until you receive this notice.

CSC Basement Floor Evacuation Map

CSC 1st Floor Evacuation Map