There was a time when scrolls and parchment were sealed with wax, and hand delivered to their recipient. If the person wasn’t there to receive their message, often the sender had to stick around until they showed up. Fortunately we’ve moved past that form of communication as a society, but even with electronic wizardry there are limitations. In order to prevent further communication mishaps, below are listed the acceptable times to email course staff, and the expected response time for emails.

Monday through Thursday: Emails sent between 8:00AM and 4:30PM will be seen, and responded to accordingly.

Weekends: Emails sent after 3:30 on Fridays, or at any point during Saturday or Sunday, will not be seen or responded to.

It is crucial that if you have an issue you want responded to in a timely manner, that you adhere to these guidelines. If you need to make up labs before a practical, if you are going to be out of town and need to notify your lab groups, or if you’ve suddenly turned into a tomato that can talk and type — no matter how miraculous these occurrences are, we won’t see or hear about them if you tell us outside of these times. Response Time: Typically I will answer your email within 24 hours. If it’s important, don’t risk your email being missed by sending it outside the available time period. Thank you! 🙂

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Schedules, Sections, Sickness, and SWAPS (Oh my!) 2/6/15

Amidst all the bustle of a campus trudging through the blisteringly cold Ithacan tundra, the first two weeks of the semester have come and gone. A lot has been happening in the land of Investigative Biology — here’s what you might have missed, if you’ve been hibernating in your dorm room waiting for all of this weather to blow over:

SWAP Team: Activate

The time for online scheduling has come to an end (2/4 was the deadline) — lab sections are now solidified and rosters are complete. All students should be enrolled in their respective TA’s BlackBoard sections, and able to access all course information, as well as the ability to upload assignments using TurnItIn.com; if anyone is experiencing technical difficulties regarding BlackBoard, please email the Course Coordinator. Students experiencing problems with the e-book — make sure your browsers are up to date, and that AdBlock is disabled for the e-book page when you attempt to download it; Safari has been unreliable in completing the download. If you are still experiencing problems, contact the publisher directly. Students who have been ill (it IS flu season; if you are contagious stay home and take care of yourselves!) should be in communication with their TA’s and the Course Coordinator to schedule any make ups, or office hour sessions. Office hours are posted on the main BlackBoard page, as well as on the Staff page of this website.

Timely Tweeting and Peer Instruction

One of our very own #BioG1500 students has been a very busy, very helpful bee this semester. Eliana Jacobson (class of ’16) has been live-Tweeting from lecture, as well as during our laboratory sections. In addition to the occasional shameless biology pun, links to interesting goings on within the science community, and weather updates, our Twitter feed posts relevant timely course information. Followers can use it as a resource for course updates when access to BlackBoard or Cornell email is unavailable. Got a question? Tweet at us.

Peer instruction is a very important aspect of science education. Seeking opportunities for student mentorship, student Eliana Jacobson provides an outstanding example of educational modernity. Eliana has been providing valuable advice and guidance for undergrad students both in and outside the Twitterverse; from choosing the most suitable courses and advisor, to navigating the difficulties of adjusting to academic laboratory life. She has become an invaluable resource to the course through her mentorship program, pioneered and organized by the Cornell Undergraduate Research Board (CURB).

More information on the CURB mentorship program and Eliana’s experiences can be found in the full article here. Failing that, you can reach her on Twitter.

Medical Miracle

During winter break, one of our former graduate TA’s suffered from a severe cardiac arrest. Much thanks goes out to two of our other graduate students who assisted in saving her life, as well as immense gratitude and thanks to the Ithaca Fire Department who were on the scene to stabilize her. The full story can be read here via 14850.com. Best wishes on your full recovery from the Investigative Biology staff, Ann! And students, if you ever needed a reason to become CPR certified, look to your upperclassmen as examples.

Practical Preparation

Faster than a speeding bullet, the first practical exam is next week. Make sure that you attend any office hour session offered, and feel free to contact your TA’s or Dr. Sarvary for any questions you may have. Studying with a friend is more productive — so grab a few of your labmates, and stop by 1122 Comstock for some practical practice on the Spec200’s. Alternatively, you can watch the tutorial by accessing our YouTube page or clicking the button in the Stay Connected sidebar.

Good luck!