BIOL 102: Introduction to Biology, Scientific Method, and Course Overview

Course Identification and Administration

• Course Designations: BIOL 102 (also identified in materials as BIO 102, BIO102, and ACPG 462).

• Academic Requirement: Fulfills the Mason Core Natural Science with Lab requirement.

• Lecture Section: Section 001.

• Synchronous Component Schedule: Live lectures occur on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:30am to 11:45am.

• Canvas Platform: Announcements, schedule revisions, and discussion boards are maintained on Canvas; students are responsible for all posted notices regardless of class attendance.

Instructional Staff and Study Sessions

• Role of Learning Assistants (LAs):

  • Function as scientists in training who attend daily lecture sessions to assist and lead in-class activities.

  • Host weekly study sessions structured like academic recitations.

  • Session content includes practice questions reviewing new and historical course concepts, as well as practice exam questions.

• Study Session Weekly Schedule:

  • Mondays: 12:00pm–1:00pm, led by Doc Lock in Innovation Hall 427 (held immediately following Monday lecture).

  • Tuesdays: 10:30am–11:30am, led by Steven.

  • Wednesdays: 3:00pm–4:00pm, led by Steven.

  • Thursdays: 1:30pm–2:30pm, led by Atulesh.

  • Fridays: 4:30pm–5:30pm, led by Atulesh.

• Faculty Out-of-Office Notice: Doc Lock will be out of the office from 9/4 through 9/7; questions must be submitted prior to departure.

Course Goals, Learning Objectives, and Workload Expectations

• Main Course Framework and Goals:

  • Provide a structured framework to understand, appreciate, and apply biological concepts.

  • Draw direct connections between biological principles and real-world application outside the classroom.

  • Explore biological diversity, evolutionary mechanisms, and ecological principles.

  • Investigate core questions: What do we know about the diversity of life? How do living organisms affect other organisms and their environment?

  • Guide students to evaluate how scientific knowledge is constructed and apply biological reasoning to personal, professional, and public decision-making.

• Learning Objectives for Week 1:

  • Understand science as a systematic process of answering questions via observation and experimentation.

  • Distinguish between types of scientific and non-scientific evidence to reduce personal bias.

  • Evaluate the validity of scientific reports presented in popular media.

  • Describe the theory of evolution by natural selection.

• Learning Expectations and Student Commitments:

  • Engage in collaborative group work to test hypotheses, connect empirical facts to biological theory, and solve complex biological problems.

  • Read assigned textbook chapters as material is introduced rather than postponing reading until exam dates.

  • Maintain synchronous attendance and active participation in both lecture and laboratory sections.

  • Establish personal learning goals and conduct periodic self-evaluations throughout the semester.

  • Estimated Time Commitment: Plan for approximately $12$ total hours per week ($10–12$ study hours outside class, calculated at $2–3$ study hours per credit hour).

Course Policies and Grading Requirements

• Laboratory Credit Requirements:

  • Concurrent enrollment in BIOL 102 Lab is required to receive course credit.

  • Laboratory accounts for $25\%$ of the overall course grade.

  • Mandatory Materials: Lab manual must be purchased from the bookstore for in-person labs or downloaded instantly for online labs.

  • Attendance Rule: Accruing $3$ missed lab sessions results in $0$ total lab points for the course.

  • Section Identification: Students must inform their laboratory Teaching Assistant (TA) that they belong to Lecture Section 001.

• Standard Course Policies:

  • Extra Credit: No extra credit is offered under any circumstances (a universal policy across all BIOL 102 sections).

  • Late Work: Late submissions are not accepted unless backed by an official accommodation letter, and extension requests must be communicated prior to the assignment deadline.

  • Exam Make-up Policy: No make-up exams are administered. The lowest midterm score is automatically dropped at the end of the term; a missed exam counts as a score of $0$ and serves as the dropped grade.

  • Generative AI Policy: Generative AI tools are strictly prohibited for completing course assignments unless explicitly authorized in written task directions.

  • Academic Integrity: Strict adherence to the university Honor Code is required.

Important Schedule Dates, Homework, and Exam Logistics

• Achieve Homework Schedule:

  • Platform: Completed asynchronously on the Achieve platform.

  • Weekly Deadline: Due every Friday at 11:59pm without exception.

  • Specific Dates:

  • Homework #1 Due: Friday, August 28th at 11:59pm.

  • Homework #2 Due: Friday, September 4th at 11:59pm.

  • Thanksgiving Exception: Homework during Thanksgiving week is due on Tuesday, November 26th at 11:59pm.

• Midterm Exam Schedule and Format:

  • Midterms are conducted in-person using paper format.

  • Required Supplies: Blue Scantron, pencil, and a good eraser.

  • Midterm 1: Monday, September 14th (also listed as Monday, September 16th in course updates).

  • Midterm 2: Wednesday, October 14th.

  • Midterm 3: Monday, November 16th.

• Final Exam Details:

  • Testing Location: College of Science (COS) Testing Center.

  • Testing Windows:

  • Wednesday, December 9th: 12:00pm–7:00pm.

  • Thursday, December 10th: 12:00pm–7:00pm.

  • Friday, December 11th: 9:00am–7:00pm.

• Scheduled Virtual Class Meetings:

  • Wednesday, September 23rd.

  • Wednesday, November 18th.

  • Monday, November 23rd.

  • Monday, December 7th.

Fundamentals of Science and the Scientific Method

• Core Definition of a Scientist:

  • Asks empirical questions.

  • Follows systematic, repeatable methods.

  • Disseminates and shares knowledge with the scientific community.

• Nature of Scientific Inquiry:

  • A method for seeking answers to questions using systematic observation and experimentation.

  • A process for establishing evidence-based conclusions.

  • Combines cause and effect, repeatability, and materialism to explain the natural world.

• Essential Characteristics of Science:

  • Empirical: Based on direct observation and measured data.

  • Testable and Falsifiable: Formulated such that predictions can be critically tested and potentially proven false.

  • Generality: Applies broad principles across natural phenomena.

  • Iterative: Continuously subjected to re-testing and revision.

• Sequential Steps in the Scientific Process:

  1. Make an Observation regarding a physical or biological phenomenon.

  2. Formulate a Hypothesis to provide a testable explanation.

  3. Experimentation and Testing: Design experiments and make predictions to test (and attempt to falsify) the hypothesis.

  4. Analyze Results: Collect data through structured methodology.

  5. Draw Evidence-Based Conclusions:

  • If results align with predictions, evidence supports the hypothesis, building toward a broader Scientific Theory.

  • If results contradict predictions, the hypothesis is falsified or revised for subsequent testing.

• Evaluation of Scientific vs. Anecdotal Evidence:

  • Anecdotal Evidence:

  • Originates from personal observation and individual experience.

  • Relies on minimal or isolated data points.

  • Conclusions are not systematically verified, peer-reviewed, or controlled, and are frequently shared via social media.

  • Scientific Evidence:

  • Originates from systematic, controlled observation and experimentation.

  • Analyzes large amounts of data utilizing formal statistical methods.

  • Conclusions undergo rigorous peer review prior to publication.

  • Function: Designed specifically to reduce personal bias and maximize objectivity.

Experimental Design Case Study: Cell Phone Radiation and Cancer

• Initial Observation: Cell phones cause cancer.

• Proposed Hypotheses:

  • Cell phone radiation damages DNA, which subsequently causes cancer.

  • The more time a person spends on their phone, the higher their probability of developing cancer.

• Attributes of a Valid Hypothesis:

  • Serves as a proposed explanation for an observation.

  • Must be both testable and falsifiable.

  • Is never permanently proven; it is only accepted tentatively based on existing data.

• Experimental Protocol and Setup:

  • Target Subjects: Laboratory rats and mice monitored over a duration of $2\,years$ or until death.

  • Subject Assignment: Test animals are randomly assigned to equivalent baseline groups balanced for age, gender, health status, and activity level.

  • Independent Variable: The factor being systematically manipulated by experimenters.

  • Experimental Group (Test Treatment): Exposed to cell phone radiation in cycles of $10\,min$ on and $10\,min$ off for $9\,hrs$ daily.

  • Control Group (Control Treatment): Receives zero cell phone radiation exposure, serving as an unmanipulated baseline for comparison.

  • Dependent Variable: The measured result collected across both experimental and control groups.

  • Measured Outcome: Total incidence of cancer recorded over $2\,years$ or until death.

• Experimental Results and Findings:

  • Control Group Results: Male rats exhibited a lower incidence of certain cancers compared to the experimental group.

  • Experimental Group Results: Male rats exhibited a higher incidence of certain cancers compared to the control group.

  • Drawn Conclusion: Cell phone radiation exposure increases the incidence of certain cancers in male rats, but does not increase cancer incidence in female rats.

Experimental Rigor, Theories, and Media Evaluation

• Repetition and Reproducibility:

  • Increased repetition of an experiment by independent scientists yields higher confidence in drawn conclusions.

• Sample Size and Statistical Significance:

  • Larger sample sizes increase the likelihood of achieving statistical significance.

  • Statistical significance provides quantitative confidence that observed experimental outcomes are authentic rather than artifacts of random chance.

• Scientific Theories vs. Everyday Usage:

  • Everyday Definition: A casual assumption, hunch, or unverified explanation for a daily event.

  • Scientific Definition: A comprehensive explanation of the natural world supported by extensive, rigorous empirical testing that has never been disproved over many years.

  • Recognized Scientific Theories: Germ Theory of Disease, Theory of Gravity, Theory of Relativity, and Theory of Evolution.

• Evaluating Media Reports of Scientific Studies:

  • Media outlets frequently oversimplify experimental designs and findings to suit public audiences.

  • Oversimplification routinely leads to sensationalized, misconstrued, or misleading scientific claims.