Computerized Data Acquisition is being developed as a part of the laboratory for an upper-level course in Animal Physiology. The course consists of a lecture series based on the textbook Animal Physiology: Mechanisms and Adaptations by R. Eckert and D. Randall, and a laboratory. A series of experiments give students an opportunity to collect physiological data using a computerized system. Students use transducers interfaced with an IBM-XT microcomputer to monitor processes in an experiment through the Lab Linc system. Using the data handling software, Videograph, the students simultaneously store the data on a floppy disk. Undergraduates completing these experiments have a better understanding of concepts and of state-of-the-art methods in Animal Physiology, and thus are better prepared to do further work in this area. In addition to its utilization in course work, the equipment is being used extensively by both Health Science and Biology majors, all of whom are required to complete independent study projects.
