ABSTRACT

Gaining research experience early on is instrumental for undergraduate students, motivating them and improving their comprehension of science. Here, we present an experimental setup that does not require access to state-of-the-art research laboratories and that provides hands-on conceptual and experimental insights into biophysical research. Due to time constraints, such research-oriented hands-on skills are commonly less in focus during undergraduate studies. With our experiment, students can simultaneously record force–strain curves and measure the diameter of micrometer-diameter fibers (such as hair) to examine elongation, stiffness, dissipated energy, and the Poisson ratio. To study these properties, the students familiarize themselves with different data analysis tools, including image processing and data fitting, and compare the results to those in the literature. The data analysis includes challenges typical for biophysics such as sample-to-sample variations, signal fluctuations, and a limited number of available samples. The students accompany the entire process of experimental development, analysis, interpretation, and discussion of data. We furthermore provide instructions and code for automating the experiment. Our experiment thus narrows the gap between didactic aims and current practice in undergraduate experimental courses in biophysics.