Using Computers and the Internet in a Project-Based Undergraduate Laboratory Course in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology

未来的生物学家需要在分子和细胞生物学的概念，技术和应用，在使用计算机和互联网作为研究工具的经验，以及解决问题和沟通技巧，在研究团队中发挥作用的坚实基础。为了培养这些技能，实验室需要足够的设备和计算机来充分支持反映现实世界分子生物学研究的调查。该项目旨在使用基于项目的方法来教授应用分子生物学，在DNA研究中建立计算机素养，并培养学生解决问题，团队合作和沟通技巧。计算，细胞培养和分子生物学设备正在获得的顶点分子生物学和生物技术课程及其先决条件的细胞生物学和遗传学课程。分子生物学和生物技术课程挑战学生团队计划和进行分子克隆，重组蛋白在原核和真核细胞中的表达以及工程蛋白的纯化的综合项目。杆状病毒感染的昆虫细胞提供了真核细胞培养和蛋白质表达的经验。计算机通过虚拟克隆和DNA序列分析软件促进了几门课程中分子遗传学的学习，并提供了对万维网生物计算资源、电子邮件和新闻组的在线访问。获得资助的设备支持创建基于杆状病毒的分子克隆模型，为本科生进行蛋白质表达和纯化研究，并使用计算机和互联网资源制作DNA科学教材。课程材料和协议可以在一组课程网页中在线发布和描述。

Tomorrow's biologists need a firm foundation in the concepts, techniques, and applications of molecular and cell biology, experience in the use of computers and the Internet as research tools, and the problem-solving and communication skills to function within research teams. For these skills to be developed, labs require adequate equipment and computers to fully support investigations that reflect real-world molecular biology studies. This project is designed to use a project-based approach to teach applied molecular biology, build computer literacy in DNA research, and develop students' problem-solving, teamwork, and communications skills. Computing, cell culture, and molecular biology equipment are being obtained for a capstone Molecular Biology and Biotechnology course and its prerequisite courses in Cell Biology and Genetics. The Molecular Biology and Biotechnology course challenges student teams to plan and conduct an integrated project of molecular cloning, expression of recombinant proteins in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, and purification of engineered proteins. Baculovirus-infected insect cells provide experience in eukaryotic cell culture and protein expression. Computers promote learning of molecular genetics in several courses through virtual cloning and DNA sequence analysis software and provide on-line access to World Wide Web biocomputing resources, e-mail, and newsgroups. The funded equipment supports the creation of model baculovirus-based molecular cloning, protein expression and purification investigations for undergraduates, and DNA science teaching materials using computers and Internet resources. Course materials and protocols can be published and described on-line in a set of course Web pages.