LAB SAFETY & PROCEDURE GALLERY EMPACTS PROJECT FALL, 2015 ERIKA ALAWDI, STEPHANIE AZENON, HAILEY MCCAIN, LISA MAE MALUYA, AND JONATHAN MUNOZ
Biology is both a challenging and rewarding area of study. Throughout the semester we have had many labs. A few of these labs stood out to our EMPACTS group. We all took one lab each and individually documented that lab. We have given step by step instruction in a PowerPoint for our future students and professors to use as a reference. Lab safety and procedures can be complicated and hard to understand. We as a group hope our EMPACTS project will help future students to understand and complete the labs safely while still having fun and learning. Jonathan Munoz: In the ph lab we learned to interpret the ph scale, demonstrate that naturally occurring substances can be indicators of ph values, and determine ph of household solutions using cabbage juice indicator. The ph of a solution tells us whether the solution is acidic, basic, or neutral. Many biological processes are controlled by the ph of intracellular or extracellular solutions. Enzymes function at very narrow ph ranges. Pepsin, an enzyme produced in the stomach, can function only at a ph of 12. On the other hand, trypsin, an enzyme found in the small intestine, can function only in a basic environment. On the ph scale, ph values below 7 are acidic, and values above 7 are basic. A ph value of 7 is neutral. Typically, the ph scale includes values between 0 and 14. The actual procedure included a list full of materials from beakers to cabbage juice indicator. We were directed to prepare the cabbage juice indicator with tap water and mix with selected household chemicals provided to test for ph. Then we were directed to enter the names onto a chart predicting acid, base, or neutral ph determined by cabbage juice indicator. After answering a few questions we followed by cleaning up the lab; carefully washing and placing the beakers back on to the cart and using the cleaning solution on the tables. The pictures shown and provided on our slides show the exciting procedures of this lab.
Stephanie Azenon: For the lab Microscopy and the Cell, we got the chance to learn how to handle, carry, and execute the functions of two different kinds of microscopes: a Stereomicroscope and the Compound Light Microscope. Although they are structured differently, their functions are quite similar. For this lab, the first part was labeling the features of the microscope. For example, we learned where the ocular lenses are where the body tube was located and what the arm provide for the microscope. There were other various parts of the microscope as well that the group also got a chance to be familiar with before starting the actual experimentation process. There are photos of the microscopes within our PowerPoint that describe all of its functions. For our first procedure, we obtained pre-prepared slides containing 3-colored thread. What the main idea was about for this first experiment was how to use the focus knob (focusing) to bring all the thread colors out into a crisp clear view and which thread color was on top of which. Going on to the second procedure, we then prepared our own wet mount slides. One slide was for a plant cell, specifically the Elodea leaf, and the second slide was for an animal cell, or our cheek cells. During these two procedures, our group used our previous knowledge of how to properly use the microscope and identifying the cell wall, chloroplasts, plasma membrane, nucleus and cytoplasm which we then had sketch to show our findings. Our final experiment was to find three different types of pond water organisms with the helping of books provided and note down which magnification level it was on and what the name of that organism was to the best of our abilities. To complete the lab, our group took the right precautions to carefully and correctly put away the microscope as instructed by the professor and from the lab packet.
Lisa Mae Maluya: After getting the equipment for the Photosynthesis lab, our lab group got together and separated the labs because there were four parts. This lab also took two days, pictures were taken during the first day and not the second day. We all helped with the mixing, pouring, eyeing the liquids, washing and putting away the equipment. During the lab, our group kept track of the things we did by documenting the main ideas we thought were important as well as taking pictures with good angles and good lighting to put in our EMPACTS project. We would also help our group members by assisting them on parts of the lab they couldn't do or were unable to accomplish. We would also exchange answers with our group to make sure we wrote down the same thing and not something completely different. Overall, many photos were taken for the project and a couple of the clear and important ones were selected. Erika Alawdi: Chapter 5 lab-enzymes. In this lab there were a total of 5 activities. These activities took nearly 3 hours to complete. While the activities were in process many photos were obtained by visiting other lab groups as well as working with my own. Working on this lab and documenting the procedures simultaneously was very difficult due to the complexity of the lab. In the PowerPoint there are many photos and a step by step guide to the procedure used during this lab. Safety was also important in this lab activity. There were several activities within the enzyme lab. In the first activity we used to analyze solution and iodine to test for starch. Then in the second and third activity we looked at the effects extreme temperatures had on plant membrane proteins and catalase. In activities four and five we used different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide solutions to show the effects of ph on an enzyme and the effects of substrate concentration on enzymes. We worked with some solutions that were potentially harmful. Gloves and safety glasses or goggles were utilized during this lab activity. Also, clean up was important to the lab groups. Every group rinsed their equipment and thoroughly cleaned their lab area to prevent contamination.
Hailey McCain: Lab 5, diffusion, osmosis, and tonicity. The experiment was to test membrane selective permeability and the effect of molecular size on diffusion through a membrane. The first step was to obtain a piece of dialysis tubing and to soak it in tap water until softened. Once the dialysis tubing was softened one end needed to be rolled and clamped shut. On the opposite side it needed to be gently opened forming a bag. 25 ml each of starch and glucose needed to be mixed thoroughly and then poured into the dialysis tubing bag about half way. Once it was filled halfway the air needed to be removed as much as possible and then sealed with a clamp. The bag was then placed in 100 ml of warm tap water (not emerging the clamps). Immediately a sample was taken of the water surrounding the bag and distributed 10 drops of this sample into each of the 2 test tubes labeled 0 minutes. This procedure was then repeated after 15 minutes, 30 minutes, and 60 minutes. The results showed that some molecules diffuse out of the bag at different times. Glucose was the fastest moving molecule because it moves across the cell membrane more easily. Starch did not diffuse because the starch molecules are too large to fit through pores of dialysis tubing. We hope that our EMPACTS project is helpful to other biology students in the future. Documenting and participating in the lab activities was fun and also rewarding. We were able to see how the things we were reading in the textbook came to life in a laboratory. This project required a lot of communication skills and teamwork not only within our group, but with the other members of our biology class.