The instructional laboratories for the GEP Lab-Based Natural Science Courses for non-science majors are housed in Connelly Hall on the James J. Maguire campus of St. Joseph’s University.
Technology employed in these laboratories has been featured in the College of Arts & Science Technology Blog.
Exploring the Living World Laboratory (Connelly 230):
This laboratory was built in the summer of 2010 and includes new laboratory furniture and a built in audio visual system. A Leica microscope has been installed in this laboratory, which connects directly to the room’s AV system to allow students to see microscopic organisms through the classroom’s projectors. Each microscope has a camera that connects to each lab station’s computers. These computers are used to assist students in data analysis.
Some examples of experiments our students design and carry out in this lab include:
- Factors influencing the rate of photosynthesis
- DNA extraction and restriction fragment length polymorphism assays
- Factors that influence heart rate during a diving simulation
Exploring the Earth / Physical World Laboratory (Connelly 220):
This laboratory was built in the summer of 2011 and includes new laboratory furniture and a built in audio visual system. Two light cart stations are available for students to use when growing plants as part of their ecology competition studies. Computers available in the lab are used to assist students in data analysis and for collecting and analyzing current weather data. Much of the data we collect in this laboratory is through the PASCO Xplorer datalogger system.
Some examples of experiments our students design and carry out in this lab include:
- Detection and factors that influence interspecies plant competition
- Water and soil quality testing of environmental samples from both on and off campus locations
- Survey of energy use in the buildings of St. Joseph's University
- Determination of the temperature of a flame from various burners
- Modeling insolation patterns of the Earth at different times during the year using student globes
- Modeling of the effects of global climate change
Fume Hood Laboratory:
Between Connelly 220 and 230 is a fume hood available to both laboratories for students to carry out experiments.