START

It is the start of your first semester at university, you enter the lab and meet your laboratory instructor, Professor Jones. The lab is bustling with activity as students settle in, and the smell of fresh lab coats and disinfectant fills the air.

Professor Jones: ‘Good morning, everyone and welcome to the Biology Laboratory module. I will be your laboratory instructor for the rest of these practical classes. Please take a sit by the benches you see in front of you.’

You sit next to your friend, Michael who had already sat on the front bench. Michael is flipping through his lab manual, looking slightly nervous but excited.

Professor Jones: ‘So… what do you think should be the topic of the first lab class?’

You: ‘Start with our first lab practical, Professor. As I saw in our schedule, the first lab is about Microscopy… Will we be using big microscopes? How exciting!!’

Professor Jones: ‘I like your enthusiasm! Indeed our first lab is about microscopes, but this will have to wait until next week…..’ Professor Jones pauses, glancing at the safety posters on the wall.

What do you think should be the first topic of discussion in your biology lab?