“Lab 1 Introduction to Science BIO250L”

Student Name: Click here to enter text.

Access Code (located on the lid of your lab kit): Click here to enter text.

Lab Report Format Expectations

Utilize college level grammar and professional formatting when completing this worksheet.
Submissions without proper formatting, all required photos or sufficient responses will be rejected.

Pre-lab Questions
1. In this course, you will utilize several types of growth media to observe the nature of
microorganisms. How can you protect yourself from any microorganisms that you may work
with in the upcoming labs?
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2. What constitutes personal protective equipment? When should personal protective equipment
be worn?
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3. What is meant by “BioSafety Levels”? Why do researchers utilize these when working with
microorganisms? What level of biological containment (which BSL) will be necessary to
complete the experiments in this course?
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4. What document should you refer to if you have questions regarding the safety or disposal of a
chemical? Where can this document be located?
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“Lab 1 Introduction to Science BIO250L”

“EXERCISE 1: DATA INTERPRETATION

1. What is the overall goal of this exercise? What learning outcomes is it trying to convey to you as
a science student?
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2. What patterns do you observe based on the information in Table 4?

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3. Describe the hypothesis the researcher may have used in the experiment that provided the data
in Table 4. Format your response as an IF/THEN statement that describes what you will do, and
the outcome you expect to see.
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4. Describe a possible experimental setup that could have provided the data in Table 4.
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5. For the experiment you described above, what would be the independent and dependent
variables?
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6. What experimental control variables would need to be in place to ensure the proper execution
of the experiment you described?
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7. Why is it important to have those controls in place? How would a lack of those controls affect
any results or conclusions you may make about the observed data?
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8. What type of graph would be appropriate for this data set? Why?
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“Lab 1 Introduction to Science BIO250L”

9. Graph the data from Table 4. Include your name and access code handwritten on your graph.

10. What conclusions can you draw from the data from this experiment?
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“Lab 1 Introduction to Science BIO250L”

EXERCISE 2: TESTABLE OBSERVATIONS

1. In this exercise, you will be provided several statements and then be asked to identify and
discuss possible experimental factors that could be used to test them. For each of these
statements, you will be asked to discuss a pertinent hypothesis and null hypothesis. What is a
null hypothesis? Why is it crucial to the scientific method?
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2. Fresh-baked bread develops mold more quickly than bread bought from the store.

a. Observation is Select one

b. Hypothesis: Click here to enter text.

c. Null hypothesis: Click here to enter text.

d. Experimental approach: Click here to enter text.

e. Independent variable: Click here to enter text.

f. Dependent variable: Click here to enter text.

g. Experimental Controls: Click here to enter text.

h. Data collection method: Click here to enter text.

i. Data presentation: Click here to enter text.

j. Data analysis: Click here to enter text.

“Lab 1 Introduction to Science BIO250L”

3. Sally comes to work sick; two days later, three of her coworkers are also sick.

a. Observation is Select one.

b. Hypothesis: Click here to enter text.

c. Null hypothesis: Click here to enter text.

d. Experimental approach: Click here to enter text.

e. Independent variable: Click here to enter text.

f. Dependent variable: Click here to enter text.

g. Experimental controls: Click here to enter text.

h. Data collection method: Click here to enter text.

i. Data presentation: Click here to enter text.

j. Data analysis: Click here to enter text.

“Lab 1 Introduction to Science BIO250L”

4. You accidentally left a carton of milk on the counter all night, and you notice that the milk tastes
worse than it usually does when it is stored in the refrigerator.

a. Observation is Select one.

b. Hypothesis: Click here to enter text.

c. Null hypothesis: Click here to enter text.

d. Experimental approach: Click here to enter text.

e. Independent variable: Click here to enter text.

f. Dependent variable: Click here to enter text.

g. Experimental controls: Click here to enter text.

h. Data collection method: Click here to enter text.

i. Data presentation: Click here to enter text.

j. Data analysis: Click here to enter text.

“Lab 1 Introduction to Science BIO250L”

EXERCISE 3: ACCURACY AND PRECISION

1. In the following questions, you will be asked to assess whether the observed data is precise,
whether it is accurate, whether it is both, or whether it is neither. Before answering those
questions, describe below the difference between accuracy and precision.
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2. Four new students are learning how to count bacteria colonies. They all count the same plate,
and the first student counts 98 colonies, the second counts 115 colonies, the third counts 103
colonies, and the fourth counts 93 colonies. The professor tells them there are actually 107
colonies on the plate.
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3. You want to make sure your incubator is operating at the correct temperature of 37˚C, so you
place a thermometer inside the incubator and check it every hour for five hours. You record
readings of 36.9˚C, 36.9˚C, 37.1˚C, 37.0˚C, and 37.1˚C.
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4. You aren’t sure whether or not your pH meter needs to be calibrated, so you put it in a solution
that you know has a pH of 7. Take four separate readings, which are reported as 5.5, 8.6, 7.2,
and 9.4.
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5. Your lab is working on sequencing a new plasmid. Before starting, you all decide to guess how
many base pairs you think the new plasmid has. The lab members’ guesses are 4,005; 4,006;
4,007; and 4,010. It turns out the plasmid has 7,968 base pairs.
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6. You try to measure out exactly 5.0 mL of water by eye into five different test tubes. When you
go back and check, you find the amount of water in each tube is 4.8 mL, 5.3 mL, 5.2 mL, 4.8 mL,
and 4.7 mL.
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“Lab 1 Introduction to Science BIO250L”

EXPERIMENT 1: THE IMPORTANCE OF HAND HYGIENE

Introduction Questions
1. In this experiment, you will grow microorganisms on agar and observe their growth over a 5 day
period. What is the objective of this experiment? How does it relate to the concepts covered in
this lab?
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2. What steps will you be taking in this experiment?

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3. Develop a hypothesis for this experiment as an IF/THEN statement.

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Data and Observations

In the table below, report your observed growth. Then provide a photo of your growth plates. Your data
should have a quantitative aspect to it, such as a count of the number of colonies that grew. Your data
must also correspond to the photo you include for credit.

Table 1: Colony Growth

Growth Day Growth Day Growth Day Growth Day Growth Day
Plate Condition
1 2 3 4 5
Hand without Input Input Input Input Input
1
Washing
Hand with Input Input Input Input Input
2
Washing
Input Input Input Input Input
3 Yeast

Deionized Input Input Input Input Input

4
Water
“Lab 1 Introduction to Science BIO250L”

Provide a clear, high resolution photo of your plates after incubation with the lids removed. For credit
on this lab, your photo must show the growth that is reported in your tabulated data and must also
include your handwritten name in the background.

Plate 1 Plate 2 Plate 3 Plate 4

Results and Discussion

1. What is the outcome of your experiment? Was your hypothesis proven or disproven? How do
you know?
“Lab 1 Introduction to Science BIO250L”

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2. What purpose did plating the yeast serve in this experiment? What purpose did the water
serve?
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3. Based on your hypothesis and the results of your experiment, can you make any conclusions
about the effects of handwashing on bacterial populations?
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4. Did you have any growth on Plate #2 (Hand with Washing)? If so, what are some possible
reasons for the presence of the bacteria?
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