NSF Award
0088702
Biological Sciences (61) Because of the significant advances in biology now being made at the biochemical level we have created a Biochemistry Major, which has been enhanced recently with the addition of a developmental biologist who studies developmentally-driven changes in gene expression. The courses within the biochemistry major are designed so that as students progress through the major they become less dependent on their textbooks and more comfortable with primary literature sources. Gradually, students become genuine participants, not just consumers, in the classroom until finally, in their capstone seminar course, students and faculty are cooperative learners together. This course has brought a new level of excitement for both students and faculty. The current project aims to change the laboratory design and instrumentation available to Biochemistry majors so that these students achieve a similar high level of curiosity, independence, and confidence in the laboratory. We are incorporating three project-based laboratory experiences that allow students to investigate the same questions in the laboratory that they find exciting in the classroom. One project extends through several courses and demonstrates how several disciplines collectively contribute to the understanding of a single biological process. Another project reveals how new biochemical tools are being employed to answer age-old questions in developmental biology. A third project demonstrates how organic chemistry has become increasingly important to our understanding of regulatory processes in organisms. Highly sensitive non-radioactive assays are being widely used in basic research. These are being adapted and being introduced into new areas of investigation for undergraduate laboratories in biochemistry. Access to state of the art research and committed faculty enables students to develop communication and teamwork skills that will be highly valued in their postgraduate careers.
