20.109(S08)

Spring 2008

Instructors: Bevin Engelward, Alan Jasanoff, and Agi Stachowiak

Writing Instructor: Neal Lerner Oral Presentation Instructor: Atissa Banuazizi

TAs: Bahar Edrissi,Victor Lelyveld, David Weingeist

Lecture: T/R 11-12 (13-3101) Lab:     T/R 1-5 or W/F 1-5 (13-3095)

Welcome to 20.109! For many of you this will be the first time in a research lab and for others it will not, but it is our goal to make this class a useful and fun introduction to experiments and techniques in biological engineering. There is not time enough to show you everything you’ll need to know if you go on to do research, but after taking this class you should feel confident and familiar with some fundamental experimental approaches and lab protocols. You will develop good habits at the bench, ones that will increase the likelihood of success in your work and ensure the health and safety of you and those around you. By the end of the semester, you should also be aware of good scientific practice, having had some experience with report writing, notebook keeping and publicly presenting your data. All of us involved in teaching 20.109 hope you will find it a satisfying challenge and an exciting experience that has lasting value.

Announcements

 * You can find the latest changes to the 20.109 wiki at Recent changes for 20.109
 * You can find old announcements here


 * Module 3 presentations will begin at 1:30 pm, on both May 13th and 14th.
 * On Tuesday, presentations will be in 36-372.
 * On Wednesday, presentations will be in 13-5101.


 * Lecture on Tuesday, May 13th will consist of:
 * discussion of reasons for discrepancies in RT-PCR vs. ELISA data
 * short chalkboard lecture on drug delivery
 * last-minute q&a before research proposal presentations


 * On Thursday, May 15th during lecture we will have a discussion of the course followed by evaluations. This is an important chance to contribute your feedback.


 * On Thursday May 15th from ~12-1:30 pm, we will have a celebratory lunch in the Bush Room, 10-105.