LS50 - Integrated Science
A research-focused course for first-year undergraduates covering experimental design, museum imaging techniques, data analysis, and figure generation through hands-on work with insect specimens.
Instructor: Samuel V. Arsenault (with Buck Trible)
Term: Spring
Location: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Course Overview
In collaboration with Buck Trible, we developed a novel section of a research-focused course for Harvard University first-year undergraduates. Students were instructed on the preparation, care, and handling of insect specimens from the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. They were then mentored through the process of developing and implementing a comparative morphological experiment using a phylogenetic independent contrasts approach.
As an instructor of this course, I gave multiple lectures throughout the semester and taught students museum imaging techniques, data analysis, and figure generation. At the end of the semester, students presented their findings on the morphology of invasive ants, color pattern mimicry, and polyandry at a departmental symposium.