The laboratory for Geosc. 40 (GEOSC 040P) is a required element of the course. For Fall 2008 there are 14 Lab Sections. Labs meet for two (2) hours per week. The laboratories are taught by graduate teaching assistants in Geosciences. They are experienced and highly-qualified instructors who are there to help you. Their office locations and contact information can be found below.

For Fall 2008, Labs meetings will start Monday Sep. 8th. There are no labs the first two weeks of classes.

Important Laboratory Information

• There is a required lab manual, written by Tyrone Rooney, Chris Marone, and Mike Arthur , The Sea Around Us Laboratory Manual (4th Ed.), Thomson Co., 2006, which should be purchased from the bookstore. The manual contains data, photographs and question sheets that are essential for the laboratory.


• Grading is as follows: lab exercises=65%; 4 quizzes=35%. The maximum possible final lab grade is 100%, which is then assigned as 30% of the course grade. Although each TA will naturally have somewhat different grading standards, we will ensure that all laboratory sections have equivalent mean grades. If necessary, lab grades will be normalized at the end of the semester to ensure that the mean scores for each section are the same. This will eliminate any disparities between lab sections taught by different instructors.

• Labs will be completed during lab class every week and graded based on the following scale:

  "check" 100 %   Given for completion of all tasks with full explanations and neat presentation

  "check-" 80 % Given when assignment is complete but shows a lack of effort or little forethought.

  "IC" 50 %  Incomplete assignment or answers that show no effort.

  "U" 0 %  Unacceptable. Disruptive behaviour, leaving before dismissed, no effort or participation

  "check+"  Bonus, 1 % added to final lab grade for the semester (max of 5 % for semester). Given for exceptional answers and participation.

• Attendance in the laboratory is mandatory. A percentage of your grade will depend on your attendance record.

Your lab assignment must be completed in the laboratory and handed in to the TA. You must attend your assigned section unless you are ill or have an offically sanctioned school event. Students should contact their TA prior to any anticipated absence and obtain permission of the TA in the section they plan to attend for makeups. In that event, completed assignments must be signed by the TA in the makeup lab section, and it is the student's responsibility to get it to their own TA immediately for grading. Labs can only be made up during the period that the exercise is scheduled. PLAN AHEAD!

• The laboratory emphasizing thinking, communication, and writing skills. You should make every effort to write each assignment completely and clearly. You should also be prepared to interact with the TA and other students in discussions and question/answer sessions.
• There is topical overlap between the lecture and laboratory, and we endeavor to coordinate them. The laboratory allows exploration of some topics in more detail than is possible in lecture.
• Laboratory Quizzes will be given as scheduled (4 total). You should be prepared, whether warned by the TA or not, for a quiz during these lab periods.
• There will be no Midterm or Final in laboratory sections.
• A few laboratory exercises require interactive modeling using computers. These labs will be scheduled elsewhere; you will be informed of the timing and location of these exercises
• Note: although facility with mathematics is not necessary for this course, there will be some elementary calculations required. Please bring a calculator to the laboratory. The math required for the two modeling exercises is already programmed into the computer. You will learn how to plot and interpret x-y (scatter) plots in lab. This is an essential skill for success in every day life!

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LAB INSTRUCTORS

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Lab Schedule

Note: All lab sections cover the same material. You may make up a lab only by prior arrangement with your TA and only during the period the lab is given.

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