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Contributed talk to be presented at AAPT Summer National Meeting, Portland OR, July 2013.

Research on a Laboratory Curriculum for NEXUS/Physics

K. Moore, J. Gianini, B. Geller, V. Sawtelle, & W. Losert

In 2012-2013, the UMd PERG and Biophysics Program implemented a new laboratory curriculum for its introductory physics for biologists course in a pair of small test classes. These labs address physical issues at biological scales using microscopy, image and video analysis, electrophoresis, and spectroscopy in an open, non-protocol-driven environment. We have collected a wealth of data (surveys, video analysis, etc.) that enables us to get a sense of the studentsʼ responses to this new approach, with a focus on: 1) the ways in which students see these labs as engaging the biology/chemistry concepts; and, 2) the student reaction and adaptation to the combination of “open-ended” labs with complex, technical equipment. In this talk, we will give a brief overview of what we have learned. (This work is part of the UMd PERG NEXUS/Physics and is supported by funding from HHMI and the NSF.)