Improvement in Instrumentation and Equipment for Teaching Cellular and Molecular Biology at Saddleback College

项目摘要：现代生物学课程应该让学生熟悉细胞和分子生物学的概念和方法。目前在马鞍峰学院，学生们有机会使用标准的复合显微镜和解剖显微镜探索原核和真核细胞结构，以及使用扫描和透射电子显微镜观察细胞结构。我们希望通过使用离心法、蛋白质凝胶电泳法、核酸凝胶电泳法和紫外光谱法对细胞进行分离和分析，从而加强细胞结构和功能的教学。该设备将使我们能够在我们的细胞生物学、微生物学和生物学入门实验室课程中分离细胞器和大分子，并进行重组DNA技术的简单练习。通过购买冷藏高速离心机、台式微型离心机、蛋白质和核酸凝胶电泳盒、电泳电源和紫外线分光光度计附件，我们认为我们将加强和更新我们的细胞生物学和微生物学实验室课程。由于许多细胞生物学和微生物学课程的学生转到四年制学院和大学完成学士学位，他们接触现代细胞和分子生物学技术将增强他们未来的学术成功，特别是对那些转到研究型大学的学生来说。此外，我们计划将这些技巧的某些方面引入普通生物学入门课程和非主修生物课程，以努力提高这些学生在现代分子生物学领域的科学素养。

Project Summary: The modern biology curriculum should acquaint students with concepts and methodologies derived from cellular and molecular biology. Currently at Saddleback College, students have the opportunity to explore prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell structure using standard compound and dissecting microscopes, as well as viewing cell structures using scanning and transmission electron microscopes. We would like to augment the teaching of cell structure and function through the fractionation and analysis of cells using centrifugation, protein gel electrophoresis, nucleic acid gel electrophoresis, and ultraviolet spectroscopy. This equipment will allow us to isolate cellular organelles and macromolecules in our cell biology, microbiology and introductory biology laboratory courses, and to perform simple exercises in recombinant DNA technology. With the purchase of a refrigerated high speed centrifuge, tabletop mini-centrifuges, protein and nucleic acid electrophoresis gel boxes, electrophoresis power supplies, and ultraviolet spectrophotometer attachments, we feel that we will strengthen and update our laboratory curriculum in cell biology and microbiology. Since many of the students in cell biology and microbiology courses transfer to four year colleges and universities to complete their baccalaureate degrees, their exposure to the techniques of modern cellular and molecular biology will enhance their future for academic success, particularly for those students who transfer to research-oriented universities. Furthermore, we plan to introduce some aspects of these techniques to introductory general biology courses and non-majors biology courses in an effort to increase the scientific literacy of these students in the areas of modern molecular biology.