20.109(F11): Assignments

Layout of the class

You will perform three series of experiments (called “modules”) over the course of the semester. The modules differ in length and in the ways you will be assessed. The experiments and your assignments are:

Module	Topic	Assignment	% of Final Grade
1	DNA Engineering	lab practical	10
		ppt summary	10
2	System Engineering	research article	25
3	Biomaterial Engineering	oral presentation of research idea + written text	20
also in 2	Journal Club I or II	oral presentation	10
overall		"Blog & Summary"	5

You will be working as pairs throughout the semester, but you will submit individual lab reports and give individual oral presentations. Relevant guidelines from MIT policies and procedures are here and here. Please ask one of the teaching faculty if any question arises about what constitutes collaboration, plagiarism, etc.

In addition to the assignments listed above there will be

• Daily Lab Quizzes (5% of final grade)
  • These are intended to refresh your memory about the experiment you are performing. They will not be hard and should take no more than 5 minutes at the beginning of lab.
• Homework Assignments (10% of final grade)
  • These will vary considerably in content and points associated with each assignment. You may be asked to perform a calculation, draw a conclusion, and/or make a figure using the data you have collected. The homeworks can be found in the "for next time" section of each lab day. You can work with your lab partner, friends and teaching assistants on these assignments but you will hand in individual assignments.
• Laboratory Notebooks (5% of final grade)
  • You will record your data on the white pages of a bound notebook. The yellow, duplicate pages will be collected and evaluated by the teaching assistants. Guidelines for notebook keeping are here.

Late work will be penalized 1/3 of a letter grade for each day late and will not be accepted after a week.

Lab Attendance

Lab attendance is mandatory and there are no make-up labs. A family crisis or severe illness requiring attention from the infirmary and prohibiting you from all your coursework are acceptable reasons for missing lab and every effort will be made to accommodate you in these exceptional circumstances.

Direct links to major assignments and guidelines

Module 1 lab practical
Module 1 powerpoint summary
Module 2: Research article guidelines
Module 3: Research proposal guidelines
"Blog & Summary"

General guidelines for writing up your research
General guidelines for giving scientific talks