LabEx 2011 Preparations

LabEx 2011 is starting to come together. We have your registrations in (Thank-you!) and the supplies are starting to arrive. We expect our shipment of eugelena gracilis, amoeba proteus, blepharisma, paramecium caudatum and spirogyra to arrive tomorrow and we hope to be able to keep them alive until next Wednesday for the first day of LabEx.

We have created and run LabEx for a number of years for the most part because as science professors we were seeing bright, capable students coming into our introductory biology and chemistry courses from homeschooled and christian schooled backgrounds that had little, if any, any experience in a science laboratory. This lack of experience showed itself in high anxiety and awkwardness in these students on arrival at university and we created this program to address the issue as best we can.

LabEx is a program supported by the Science faculty at our University and is subsidized by the University so that the cost to the students (and their parents) is kept at a minimum.

So, just like we are getting prepared for you, you need to get prepared for us ...

What to bring: For the labs: wear regular comfortable clothes with long sleeves, full pant legs and footwear that covers the entire foot (no shorts, no sandals). You should not have any exposed skin except for your face and hands. If you have long hair (shoulder length or longer) you should wear it up and behind your head. You must not wear contact lenses in the laboratory.

On Monday, May 16th (subject to weather) we will be going on a field trip to the stream that runs through the University property. Students should come prepared to walk over rough terrain (hats, sturdy clothing and boots would be appropriate). Students will also want to bring a change of clothing in case of inclement weather or an incident involving mud. The field trip will consume the entire day.

You should bring the usual stationary that you would use in science (notebooks, looseleaf, graph paper, geometry set and a calculator) and your science notes for reference.

Bring your medicare # in case there is an emergency where you will need medical care.

WE NEED TO KNOW ASAP IF YOU HAVE ANY MEDICAL CONDITIONS, SENSITIVITIES OR ALLERGIES THAT MAY AFFECT YOUR WORK IN A SCIENCE LABORATORY. CONTACT US WITH THE INFORMATION.

Thanks for reading and we will see you next Wednesday (remember the morning lab starts at 8:30 so plan on being here before that time, tell yourself it starts at 8:15).