The goal of this project is to initiate teaching of nerve, muscle and cardiac physiology in animal physiology and introductory biology laboratories. Computers are used with modern physiological instrumentation to acquire and analyze data from physiological events in nerves and muscle. Computer simulations will reinforce principles of nerve and muscle function. Students in Biology of Organisms are introduced to data acquisition systems to teach them principles of muscle physiology in a hands-on setting. Force transducers and amplifiers are interfaced with computers equipped with data acquisition software to record and store data from contraction of frog muscle. The oscilloscope of the new software will permit analysis of nerve action potentials. Students will use these physiological work stations extensively when conducting experiments in nerve, muscle and cardiac function during the research-projects portion of Animal Physiology. This project will significantly extend the instructional capability of our department into areas of physiology that currently cannot be taught because of a lack of modern instrumentation. Computerized data acquisition is the most cost-effective means of initiating these kinds of laboratory experiences.
