BOT 402/502 PLANT ANATOMY FIRST EXAM

You have one week in which to write your response to this examination.  You can use any resources at your disposal, EXCEPT other people.  What this means is I expect you to refrain from discussing any aspect of this examination with any other person.  In this age of internet information, it is tempting to “borrow” things from readily available sources.  Your exams can be run through anti-plagiarism software, so if you yield to this temptation, there’s high probability that you will be discovered, and tossed out of the garden (or at least receive a failing grade for this exam).  It is valid and acceptable to utilize reference sources, just make sure that you properly cite these sources.

An electronic copy of this exam in either pdf or rtf format is due to me by the beginning of next Monday’s class (1:00 PM, February 23, 2009).  An escalating penalty equal to -1 point per minute will be assessed after 1:00 PM, with the penalty time determined by the time stamp associated with my receipt of your email containing your attached examination.  Bottom line here, is plan ahead, and don’t be late!

Provide a concise and comprehensive solution to the following situation:

You are assigned the task of developing a large scale general public science museum exhibit that is both interactive and educational and that meets the following objectives:

1.  Educate the public on the different types of microscopy that are or have been utilized to advance our knowledge of plant cells.

2.  Educate the public on the structure and function of all the different components of plant cells.  This aspect of the exhibit should include both the cytoplasmic and extracellular matrix components, as well as the interface between these components and between adjacent cells.

Objectives 1 and 2 needn’t be separate parts of your proposed exhibit, as a matter of fact it would probably be most effective if they were integrated together, but that is for you to decide.

You can assume for the purposes of this examination that you have an unlimited budget when it comes to both space and money!  However, whatever you propose for the exhibit, must be able to be built with currently available resources - so don’t base your response on some hypothetical futuristic concept that doesn’t currently exist.

Have Fun!  Be Creative!  I look forward to reading your exams!