Other laboratory courses have successfully implemented a continuous lab format, such as utilizing the various features of GFP to create a set of linked laboratory experiments for students to follow. This course, Quantitative Biological Methods, provides students with the opportunity to follow a directed path through molecular biology techniques, presented to emulate the realistic nature of biomedical research by incorporating sequential laboratory protocols. Various sets of laboratory skills may be field‐specific or selectively utilized, and the incorporation of a wide array of foundational research techniques (such as recombinant DNA technology and protein quantification) into a single course provide undergraduate students with the opportunity to learn a broad set of research skills. Undergraduate STEM courses are a fundamental step in the education of future scientists, in a growing pool of interdisciplinary fields. Importance of teaching a molecular biology laboratory The lab methods described herein aim to emphasize the core molecular biology principles and techniques, prepare students for work in a biomedical research laboratory, and introduce students to both GST and GFP, two versatile laboratory proteins.ġ.1. Students write laboratory reports to demonstrate an understanding of the principles of the laboratory methods, and they must present and critically analyze their data. coli cells, blue/white screening, DNA purification via a miniprep, PCR, DNA quantification, restriction enzyme digestion, and agarose gel electrophoresis. Students then learn recombinant DNA technology using the GST‐GFP vector that was the source of the fusion protein in the prior labs, and perform ligation, transformation of E. Students study this GST‐GFP fusion protein and perform protein quantification, enzyme assays, chromatography, fluorescent detection, normalization, SDS‐PAGE, and western blotting. Next, the lab focuses on the purification and analysis of glutathione S‐transferase (GST) fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP) from an Escherichia coli lysate. The course begins with an introduction to laboratory safety, pipetting, centrifugation, spectrophotometry, and other basic laboratory techniques. Students attend a lecture where they are taught the essential principles of biomedical research, and a lab where they learn to use laboratory equipment, perform experiments, and purify and quantify DNA and proteins. This course, Quantitative Biological Methods, provides a unique approach to teaching molecular biology research techniques to students, in a laboratory that is delivered in a sequence that parallels standard biomedical research laboratory protocols. Undergraduate laboratory courses are essential to teaching core principles in STEM.
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