FAST PLANT INFORMATION PAGE
Rev. 3/2020
A.  "FAST PLANTS"

  • "Fast plants" are a type of fast-growing mustard plant (Brassica rapa) that grows easily under laboratory conditions.
  • Each group of students will be asked design their own experiment using these "fast plants."
  • Please get together with other students (ideal group size = 4).   Begin by exchanging email addresses.
    • If there are fewer than four students in your group, please allow others to join.
    • Larger groups should split into smaller ones. Maximum group size is 5. Minimum is 3.
  • Read about "fast plants" in advance by going to these web sites:
  • Together with the partners in your group, plan some experiment that uses these "fast plants". For example, you could:
    • Add something that might enhance the growth of the plants
    • Add something that might interfere with growth
    • Change some environmental condition (temperature, lighting, wind, etc.)
    • Any other test condition that you would like to investigate
  • The one important restriction is that you need to be able to gather data and write up the report by the due date shortly after the second exam.
    See the syllabus for the exact date.
  • Each group is invited to email me or meet with me during lab to discuss the possible project that you are interested in. Some projects may be easier to do
    than others; some may be impossible with the resources at hand. No radioactive or highly toxic substances are allowed.
  • Each lab group must get together and jointly write up a research proposal, outlining what experiment you would like to conduct and why.   These proposals are due no later than the date listed in the syllabus and are usually submitted as email attachments. Earlier submission is welcome and is encouraged because it will allow your group to start early and have more time to conduct a better experiment.
    Your proposal should minimally include:
    1. A title
    2. Everyone's name
    3. A hypothesis (at least one) that you wish to test
    4. A motivation, i.e., a reason why you think that a test of your hypothesis is important.   This usually includes bibliographic reference to similar studies (and their findings) on this or other plant species.
    5. A short explanation of the methods and materials that you plan to use, including any measurements (always in metric units) that you plan to take and any statistical procedures that you plan to use.
    6. Please be very clear and explicit about what you plan to test. If you are testing orange juice, don't call it "vitamin C" because its effects may be caused by the sugar content, the acidity, or something else. If you specify "coffee," make it clear whether you mean fresh grounds, used (leftover) grounds, or liquid beverage. If anything has a brand name, be sure to include it, along with any relevant label information about the contents:  fertilizers, for example, always specify their nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus content, so make sure to include this information.
    7. At least two references (more is better) relevant to your project, such as similar studies on another plant species.   See the next bullet for information about finding relevant research articles.   Also see the Lab Information page (paragraph D) for information about what each reference must include.
  • For research help, go to the Library!  The Worcester State University Library (www.worcester.edu/library), located on the second and third floors of the Learning Resource Center, provides access to print materials in addition to a wide variety of full-text online resources accessible both on- and off-campus, including e-books, journal articles, newspapers, and magazines. Additionally, as a member library of the ARC consortium (www.worcesterarc.org), WSU students can also access resources at other college libraries.
        The librarians at WSU can help you develop research questions, identify research strategies, search for relevant and reliable information and data, select the best sources for your paper or project, and cite that information. A librarian can meet with you in person (one-on-one or in groups) and provide assistance via email, phone, or chat. While every WSU Librarian is able to help students with a project in any discipline, each department has a designated librarian to support the research needs of the students in that department. You are welcome to stop by their office, or make an appointment!
    Just go to libguides.worcester.edu/askus or consult the Library Research 101 Guide
  • Plants and other materials will only be given out to groups that have handed in a suitable study proposal.
  • If you need to locate supplies when I am not around, please check with the lab technicians:
    • Mike Mayko, mmayko@worcester.edu (head lab coordinator), room 304
    • Don Dineen, ddineen1@worcester.edu, room 310Z
  • Additional information (please read):
  • You will probably have the use of up to 8 styrofoam "quads" (32 total compartments) for your plants. Thus, if you are testing one substance or treatment, you can do 16 experimental plants and 16 controls, or you can do 8 with a low dose of something, 8 with a medium dose, 8 with a high dose, and 8 controls with no dose.
  • Each group will have at least 32 seeds to put in the styrofoam quads. Each compartment should have a small hole through the bottom. Insert a flag-shaped triangular wick through this hole, then add some potting soil to a uniform depth, then a fertilizer pellet and more soil, then a seed and a final layer of soil. (If your experimental protocol calls for it, you may omit the fertilizer pellet, or you may add additional solid material-- plan this carefully before you begin.)
  • Illustrations: How to set up automatic watering for most experiments
  • For projects that use solid materials, you can just measure out and put in the desired amount from the beginning. Projects that use dissolved materials will require regular visits to replenish the materials-- your group needs to decide upon a schedule of how often to re-supply and who should do it. Liquid solutions can be administered with a medicine dropper.
  • If your project involves dissolved laboratory chemicals (not store-bought), please check here.
    All bottles or flasks with liquid solutions (even water) must be properly labeled.   Please check here for label requirements.
  • If some details are unresolved in your proposals, try to resolve them as soon as you can before you get started.
  • Fast plant projects will continue alongside other labs. The lab room will be available during the daytime on weekdays (I'm not sure about evening access).
  • Ask where the potting soil for the Fast Plants is located (possibly in a bag or a bucket);
        please put the soil back if you move it, and clean up any mess.
    Most other supplies for growing the Fast Plants are in cabinet drawers 24-35 along the windows.
  • Along the windows in our lab, check out the large cardboard box in the center of that bench. Many supplies are available there, left over from previous years' Fast Plant experiments. Feel free to use these supplies.
  • Please make sure to label your set-up and all of your supplies!
  • Also be sure to label your growing compartments so you can distinguish which is which.
  • IMPORTANT! — Each student must contribute to their group's effort. Please inform me of any student(s) who is not contributing.
  • Each student should write up some part of the final report, and all group members should read the portions written by others and offer their corrections.
  • Students in each lab group should keep in contact with one another by email.
  • Please email me if you need any further advice or run into any difficulties.


B.  FAST PLANT CLEAN-UP and WRITE-UPS

  • Upon finishing your experiments, PLEASE CLEAN UP all your materials.
    The following may be left on lab benches: plastic water trays and lids; chemicals and other solutions (properly labeled) likely to be useful to future students.
    The following should be disarded in the trash: styrofoam holders with square compartments, as well as their contents (your plants, soil, etc.),   plus any experimental materials that are perishable or not useful to future students.
    The following should be taken away and properly disposed away from campus: Commercial products that would be harmful to ingest (like automotive fluids or lubricants, laundry products, pesticides, etc.), or any medicinal products.
    Please clean up any soil or wetness in the area you have used.

  • Reports are DUE in class on the date listed on the syllabus (or electronically by email by 11pm that same day).
  • If you are getting useful results, and feel that just a little more time would improve your report, feel free to ask for a (short) extension. 24-hour extensions are automatically granted to any group who asks for the extension before the deadline.
  • A 10% penalty will be deducted for each calendar day that the report is late (unless an extension has been granted).
  • Students in each lab group should keep in contact with one another by email.
  • Each student must contribute to their group's effort. Please inform me of any student(s) who is not contributing.
  • Each student should write up some part of the final report, and all group members should read the portions written by others and offer their corrections.
  • Each report should be in the form of a scientific paper, as described in the "Student Handbook for Writing in Biology."   This means that each report should include the following sections:
    • Abstract (one paragraph), summarizing everything (what you did, why you did it, and what you found) in a stand-alone format (so that a reader could understand it without reading anything else).
    • Introduction (one paragraph or two), describing what hypothesis you were testing and why you thought it was worth testing.
    • Methods and materials (usually in paragraph form, but much of the information could be included as a list if that seems better). The "methods" should describe what you did in sufficient detail for someone else to re-do the experiment. For example, you need to give concentrations and chemical formulas for liquid solutions, or brand names for store-bought items that have such names.
    • Results, describing measurements or other observations (no interpretation yet) that someone else would have seen if they were looking over your shoulder throughout the experiment; this may include tables, graphs, photos, or other devices in addition to paragraphs of text.   (IMPORTANT: all measurements should be in metric units.)
    • Discussion, in which you interpret your results, compare them with previous experiments or readings, and draw any conclusions that might not be obvious to a visitor looking over your shoulder. This may include suggestions for future researchers who may wish to expand upon your experiments.
    • Conclusion, usually a one-paragraph summary of what you found out that advances the total of scientific knowledge.
    • A list of references or works cited, including other experiments whose results you are comparing to yours, and general writings on the significance of what you have studied.
    • Any other section that you find useful to include, or subdivisions of any section that gets very long.
  • Every report must include bibliographic references in some consistent style.   Most scientists use Turabian's author-date method, but APA style or MLA style are also fine. Whatever style you use, please make sure to follow it consistently.
    Your bibliography should include at least two references to earlier experimental studies, in any species, especially those which were published in scientific journals. References may also include advice from state agricultural agencies, from farmers or gardeners organizations, or from the suppliers of materials.
  • All BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES, in whatever format, must include an author, date, and title.
    • Author:  This is usually a person's name, if you can find one. If two or three persons are named, they are all co-authors.
      If more than 3 authors are named, please list the first one only, followed by "et al.", a Latin abbreviation meaning "and others".
      If no person is named, list the responsible organization (university, government agency, etc.) as the corporate author.
    • Publication date.  If no date can be found, use the abbreviation "n.d."
    • Title.
    • For journals, you also need the name of the journal and the volume number and inclusive page numbers. Some journals also have an "issue" or "number" following the volume number and preceding the page numbers.
    • For books, you also need the city of publication and the name of the publisher. If several cities are listed, only the first is needed.
    • IMPORTANT:  Online references also require:  (a) the web address (URL) and   (b) the most recent date of access or use.
  • There is no prescribed length; just make sure to include everything worth including.
  • PLEASE CLICK HERE TO CONSULT THE GRADING RUBRIC for lab reports. It explains how your report will be graded.
  • Each group should submit one copy of the report, with a cover page that includes a descriptive title, a date, and a list of all group members who contributed to the report.   Please omit the name of any student who did not contribute.
  • Please email me if you need any further advice or run into any difficulties.


C.  Optional "FAST PLANT" resubmissions

  • PLEASE REMEMBER TO CLEAN UP all your materials, if you have not done so already.
    The following may be left on lab benches: plastic water trays and lids; chemicals and other solutions (properly labeled) likely to be useful to future students.
    The following should be disarded in the trash: styrofoam holders with square compartments, as well as their contents (your plants, soil, etc.),   plus any experimental materials that are perishable or not useful to future students.
    The following should be taken away and properly disposed away from campus: Commercial products that would be harmful to ingest (like automotive fluids or lubricants, laundry products, pesticides, etc.), or any medicinal products.
    Please clean up any soil or wetness in the area you have used.

  • Students may revise and improve their reports in the hopes of a better grade; the deadline for such resubmissions is indicated in the syllabus, either during class or by email until 11pm;   NO rewrites will be accepted after this deadline.
  • If you submit a rewrite, the scores for the original submission and the rewrite will be averaged.
  • Students satisfied with their initial grade need not resubmit their reports, and the preliminary grade will stand.
  • Students in each lab group should keep in contact with one another by email.
  • All group members should read the entire report and offer their corrections.
  • Each student must contribute to their group's effort. Please omit the name of any student(s) who is not contributing.
  • The format and content of the report are specified above.
  • Each group should submit one copy of the report, with a cover page listing all group members who contributed.
    Please omit the name of any student who did not contribute.
  • REMINDER:   The due date for the final (revised) report is listed in the syllabus.
  • Please email me if there are any questions or if you run into any difficulties.




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