Instructor: David Webb, Ph. D. (956-8028)
Office = St. John 412A
Office Hours = 10:30 - 12:30 (Tue. & Thurs.)
e-mail dave@hawaii.edu & dwebb12345@cs.com
Lectures:
Tue. & Thurs. 9:00 - 10:15 (St. John, Rm. 007)
Labs: Fri. 1:30 - 4:20
(St. John, Rm. 402)
BOT 140 CDs:
I can give you CDs that contain
all of the
course Materials (Lectures & Labs)
Textbook Recommended: Plant Anatomy, J. D. Mauseth,
1988, Benjamin Cummings, Menlo Park, California
(ISBN 0-8053-4570-1) 560pp.
Course Format & Philosophy
Plants and Algae are the foundations of the biosphere, and they form the dominant components of most ecosystems. It is important to realize that Wales, the largest animals, rely on phytoplankton for their survival. Plants are also the basis for agriculture, aquaculture and horticulture. Agriculture is the basis for civilizations large and small. Hunters and gatherers do not develop civilizations. They are immeasurably important in medicine. Plants provide the air we breathe, the food we eat and they help to conserve and purify the water we drink. They are also beautiful, and beauty is always welcome. Plants also produce wood which is the most common fuel on the planet. Other uses of wood are manifold. Plant fibers are used used for clothing and paper. Paper making revolutionized civilizations and helped to disseminate thoughts, art and even recipes throughout the ancient world.
The flora of Hawaii contains many unique and endangered species. Their anatomy is largely undocumented. Studies of their ecology and physiology are incomplete without some knowledge of their anatomy. Most Plant Anatomy courses use "model" species from the temperate zone to learn about plant structure. This is due to the fact that most universities first developed and flourished in temperate regions of the world. We will learn about these model plants but we will use this knowledge to analyze local and other tropical plants. We will pay attention to some major kinds of anatomical traits that are associated with extreme environments. We will also pay attention to some of the uses that ancient Hawaiians had for these plants.
Plant Anatomy Mantra
Plant Anatomy is simple!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Plant Anatomy is fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Plant Anatomy is great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Plant Anatomy is fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There are certain basic terms which must be remembered. These are reinforced by reading the book, and attending the lectures and labs. I expect you to learn the terms I use in class and in the lab. I will not search the text for obscure terms to use for tests. I think that it is more important to teach you how to explore and understand plant structure via hand sectioning and the use of various microscopic techniques than to have you memorize lots of terminology. The terms are in your textbook and other books. Use these to learn terms that are unfamiliar or new to you. Once you know the basics you can tackle almost anything. I recently heard that Albert Einstein said that he avoided memorizing facts and figures. He felt that it took up space in his brain that could be used more creatively. During ancient times scholars were expected to know everything. We live in an age of data explosion. It has become almost impossible to keep up to date in one area let alone many. It will become vital that you learn how to acquire knowledge, comprehend it and use it for the project at hand. The next project you get may be on an entirely different topic, but the process for its solution will be the same. This process is the scientific method and it can be applied to almost any kind of project. You need to learn how to use computers and electronic media to acquire information, process it and report it. You will also need to learn how to use various scientific tools so that you can actually do something. We will try to give you the basics and challenge you to go beyond them. We will teach you how to section plants with a freezing microtome. You will learn how to take microphotos, and we will show you how to digitize these and fold them into an electronic paper that you will write. The paper will require the use of software and computers. We will provide some basic guidance for the software, and we have some computers in the Botany department that you can use. This is truly an exciting age! The PC has made it possible for individuals to create documents of the highest quality.
Isaac Assimov believed that the advent of the scientific paper revolutionized science and led to the explosion of knowledge that we have experienced in this century. I think that he was right. The internet and the world wide web may be just as important as paper making, and the scientific paper. It is certainly a great way to send ideas and data around the world. We will try to give you a little experience with this new form of "Papyrus".
Hopefully, we will give you the opportunity to learn how to analyze plants on your own. You can do it!!!!! At the end of the day that is what I think education is all about.
I have developed a web site for this course. The Lectures and Labs can be previewed in their entirety! You will get a CD that contains all of this!
To use the 410 CD - Locate & Double Click the Folder anatweb
Double Click the Folder pages
Double Click the file bot410LecDirPg1.htm or default.htm
The former takes you to the lecture directory while
the latter takes you to the
Bot 410 Home Page
I include most of the slides I use in the lectures so
that you can review them for the tests. However, I will only supply skeletal information
about them so that you can exercise the little gray cells (a la
Hercule Poirot).
Dr.
Dave's Secret Formula for Success
Yours for only $19.99
I
learned this as an undergraduate & it works every time!!!!!
Sorry - No Refunds!!!!!!
1] Read the web pages & textbook BEFORE you come to class.
2] Come to class and listen to the lecture. Take only a few notes.
3] Read the lab web pages & handouts before the lab.
4] Work the entire 3 hours in the lab!
5] Review the illustrations in the web pages and textbook prior to the exams.
6] Cream the Exam!!!!!
I will lecture from my web pages using a digital projector. I will also use some overheads.
I expect that you will have read the relevant material before you came to class.
I will not stop the lecture to spell terms for you. These are in the book.
Look and listen to my lecture. Don't try to write down what I am saying. The basic information is found on the web site or in the textbook.
Questions
Asking questions is one way that you can participate in the class and the lab!
Stop me if I go too fast or if you have a question.
No question is too simple.
The only dumb question is the one that wasn't asked because of shyness etc.
If you have a question, 10 other people also have this question.
Ask!! If I think that you should already know this or be able to find it readily in the book, I will say so politely.
Please do not ask me to spell terms for you, however.
There will be 3 lecture exams
which deal with the most recently presented topics. Each is worth 100
pts. Two of these are scheduled within semester class
periods. The third lecture exam will be given during the final
exam period.
These three = 300 pts.
Sample
Tests can be explored from the Plant Anatomy Home Page.
I make fresh exams each year. Consequently, your tests may not
be exactly the same as the samples but they should be similar.
There will be a comprehensive portion of the final. This is worth 100 Pts.
Total of All Exams = 400 Points
If you do not understand a test question, ask for clarification!!!! It is a BIG MISTAKE to answer a question that you do not understand!
I look for understanding and knowledge in your answers. If you follow my secret formula the tests will be a snap.
Research Paper (Writing Intensive)
Each student will write an original paper based on his/her analysis of one species. We will give you a choice of plants that were used by ancient and/or present day Hawaiians as part of their culture. If you have a good reason to work on another plant, that will be OK but we must discuss it. We will target plants that have secondary growth, and we will try to analyze all aspects of vegetative anatomy. Floral anatomy will not be studied for various reasons. Dr. Carr offers an excellent class in which flower structure and evolution is covered in great detail and I would advise you to take Flowering Plant Families BOT 361.
You will be asked to hand in your paper in stages which correspond to major blocks of class topics. You will get more detailed information on this. I will review your paper at each stage of the process and return it to you for revision. I will assign grades for each submission, except the first one.The grades will become progressively greater. The first might = 10%, the second 20% and so on until a total of 100% is reached. Thus you will have time to learn and adapt. The goal of scientific papers is NOT to produce volumes of text but to present tightly written, easy to understand text with the minimum amount of words. I will give you detailed instructions and examples early in the term.
We will help you get started with the computer software and with other technical aspects of the project. My Computer Tutorials can be reached from my Home Page. Believe it or else, this will be fun, and you will actually be learning something valuable.
The total value of the paper will be 200 pts.
The grand total of Points for the Lecture = 600
I don't use a standard curve to determine grades, although I might devise one to see how the scores are distributed.
