This module will cover laboratory based topics from Biology 2, Chemistry 2 and Physics. The Scientific Computing component will provide the student with an understanding of computer, internet security and network applications, as well as the skills to use desktop computers and applications appropriate to scientific research and industry. In all practicals, students will be encouraged to develop their ability to integrate the use of various laboratory techniques in order to solve a prescribed scientific problem. The concept of team-work, good laboratory practice and the need for both validation and statistical evaluation of results will be emphasized throughout. An underlying theme will also be the development of students’ scientific presentation skills.
Biology
Biochemistry Experiments: Investigation of the Beer-Lambert Law; Biuret Assay; Amino acid analysis; Separation of Proteins using Gel Filtration Chromatography
Biology
Microbiology Experiments: Media preparation and sterilisation; Microbes in the environment; Aseptic technique; Isolation of pure culture (streak plate technique); Simple and differential staining of microorganisms.
Chemistry
Synthesis of Simple Organic Compounds and their analysis by TLC
Chemistry
Organic Chemistry Techniques including extraction, recrystallisation, distillation and functional group tests
Physics
Determination of density of solids and liquids; measurement of viscosity, determination of elasticity.
Physics
Measurement of focal length of lenses; determination of refractive index of glass by simple measurement; determination of thickness of hairs and fibres from their laser diffraction patterns; determination of wavelength of light using the spectrometer and diffraction grating.
Scientific Computing
Hardware components of a PC. Login and security. The Windows environment. Organising, saving and backing up folders and files. Client-server network environments: Ethernet and WiFi networks, network folders and files, network printing, email and WWW.
Scientific Computing
Word Processing: Drafting and formatting technical documents; Tables; Chemical and mathematical equations and formulae. Spreadsheets: Tables; Data processing; Equations; Statistical functions; Graphs. Chemical Drawing, Digital signatures
Lecture-based instruction - Traditional Lectures; Small group work, Digital Learning
Individual learning - Small group work, Digital Learning
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Other Assessment(s) | 100 |