Sandra Johnson

sjohnson@mtsu.edu

George Murphy

Biology

Discipline specific equipment

DSB 116, DSB 137, WPS 301

New Technology

The Dissecting Microscopes (Stereoscopes) for the Botany lab will replace old scopes that have been scavenged from other labs as those labs have been equipped with newer models. The microscope cabinets of DSB 137 hold an odd mix of microscopes, all of which have one or more serious defects - frustrating to students and faculty alike. New microscopes are desperately needed.

Many of the hot topics in biology today are derived from discoveries in molecular biology. However, knowledge of molecular processes must be grounded in organismal systems, especially in an understanding of the interactions among traits, genes and environmental variables. This foundation in biology is acquired through the study of whole organisms. The Organismal Subgroup of the Biology Department requests the following equipment and instruments, which will be used in courses focused on organisms as model systems. Acquisition of these instruments will expand undergraduate and graduate students' hands-on laboratory experiences with cutting-edge instruments, critical to the study of biology. The analytical instruments will be used in Ecology, a core course for all Biology and Environmental Science and Technology majors, and other upper division courses (~ 180 students/year). The portability of laptop computers makes them useful for data collection and analysis in both field and lab for the same courses, and augments departmental resources for technology-based learning. Compound microscopes will also be used in the Honor's lab, a small cadre of students who should, nevertheless, have access to top-of-the-line equipment (~ 80 students/year). Finally, the dissecting scopes will be used in the botany lab with an array of courses (~ 100 students/year).