The equipment augments a course which has two goals: to introduce students early in their career to the nature of the scientific process, and to decrease reliance on vertebrates in physiology laboratories. The unique invertebrate experiments demonstrate essential basic principles and in some cases allow students to see phenomena which cannot be easily demonstrated in vertebrates. The exercises are designed to enhance critical thinking and quantitative skills, introduce the use of micro- computers in the laboratory, and teach scientific methodology. Students design many of the experimental protocols within guidelines provided by the lab manual. Students write their reports as "scientific papers" to acquaint them with the standard format of the scientific literature and to enhance their written communication skills. An innovative approach has been designed for distribution of the new physiology laboratory exercises; instead of a traditional student lab manual, the material will be disseminated via a combination of published papers, posters at national meetings, and computer programs. Instructors can then modify the exercises for their laboratory situations and create personalized student manuals suited to their student populations and available resources. The equipment includes a sea-water and environmental chamber, spectrophotometers, microscopes, osmometer, centrifuge, oxygen monitors, recorders, myographs, pre-amplifiers, and computers with printers and software.
