Final Applied Lab Project (1 credit Lab Component)
Addresses course outcomes 1-4:
This is the culminating lab assessment in BIOL 103. It is designed to assess your ability to apply the principles of the scientific method.
The Effect of low pH on Enzyme Activity
Design an experiment in which you will test the effect of an acidic fluid on enzymatic activity. Recall: enzymes are proteins! To complete this project it may be useful for you to first review the Scientific Method Tutorial informationabout pH and enzymes in the text book and course modules Lab 1 (Introduction to Science) and Lab 4 (Enzymes). As you review Lab 4 you will be reminded that there are several factors that impact enzymatic activity: pH temperature and amount of reagent.It is OK to use the same enzyme/substrate/method as you did in lab 4 (but modify the treatment) or you can search on-line to find a different enzyme/substrate/method for measuring enzyme activity for your project (include all references).
As you design your experiment for this project please remember that you are trying to examine how anacidic fluidwill modify the outcome of an enzymatic reaction. To successfully complete this project you will need to identify the question(s) being asked in your experiment and the hypothesis that you are testing. In your experimental design you must clearly explain what you are doing. That means that youwill need to identify the enzyme the substrate the acidic fluid used as treatment the control treatment and the method of measuring enzyme activity as well as explain your experimental protocol. You must also thoroughly explain how the acidic fluid impacted enzyme activity based on the results from your own experiment as well as knowledge of enzymes and pH from the text book modules lab manual and potentially additional information sources.
Hint:Keep in mind that the acid will change the environmental conditions of the experiment (for example a low pH value could change the shape of the active site on the enzyme protein) without directly participating in the reaction.
Lab Materials
Youmayneed all or some of the following depending on your experimental design:
Materials from your lab kit:
You may choose to use additional materials (different acidic fluids and/or different organisms and/or different substrate if you chose an enzyme other than catalase).
Outline:
Include the following in your outline:
Write a lab report that includes the following:
1. Title page: descriptive title your name course name semester
2.Introduction: general background information about enzymes and specific information about your chosen enzyme the question(s) that you are asking and a clear hypothesis for your experiment (20 points).
3. Design an experiment. Provide a detailed description of the materials and methods used to conduct the experiment. Identify control and experimental samples as well as independent and dependent variables. Also include the methods used for data collection and analysis (20 points).
4. Conduct the experiment and record your results. Take picture(s) of your results. What did you observe?Present your data in table and/or graph format. Remember to label everything and include the unit of measure with all numbers (20 points)
5. Use your knowledge of enzymes and pH to interpret and discuss your results. It may be necessary for you to refer to the OLI course modules lab manual and/or use additional information resources. What effect does the acidic treatmenthave on enzyme activity? Did you get the expected results? Explain. (20 points)
6.State a specific and accurate conclusion. Is your hypothesis supported by the results? Looking back how could you have improved your experiment?(10 points)
7. Include a list of references to all information sources used in APA format (5 points).
Avoid Plagiarism
It is very important to write withyour own words. If you do copy one or two sentences directly (use sparingly) use quotation marks () around the copied text followed by an in-text reference. All information sources need to be included in the reference list and as in-text references. Plagiarism will be reported to the proper UMUC authority. Guidance on how to avoid plagiarism can be found here:https://www.umuc.edu/students/academic-integrity/ai-tutorial/academic-integrity-tutorial.html
Submission
Submit your final applied lab project in the assignment folder by the due date specified in the course schedule.
Grading
Your Outline will be graded based on the following criteria (100 points total):
Your Final Applied Lab Project will be graded based on the following criteria (100 points total):