From Nature to Lab to Production - Infusing Cutting Edge Research into Undergraduate Biotechnology Curriculum

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Biological Sciences (61)An interdisciplinary curriculum is being developed that introduces concepts of bioprocessing and nanobiotechnology into a "Principles of Biotechnology" course at the University of Houston. The curriculum modifications consist of adding information on industrial and environmental biotechnology. Three modules linked by a common theme of environmental biotechnology are being introduced into this biology majors course and are being made generally available. The modules are based on the soil bacterium Pseudomonas dimunita, a bacteria with the potential to harbor a plasmid containing a gene coding for an enzyme that degrades organophosphorous pesticides. Students are learning the theory and practice of recombinant DNA technology including biocatalysis, bioprocess control, and upstream and downstream processing. The course culminates in a capstone activity in which the students write a business proposal for a biotech start up firm. Approximately 2000 biology majors are affected by this interdisciplinary undergraduate biotechnology program Intellectual Merit: This project based curricula goes beyond introducing students to the basic techniques of molecular biology by integrating bioprocessing, bioinformatics and nanobiotechnology. Through use of investigative and collaborative learning experiences students are challenged to consider the interplay between scientific discovery and society including the importance of scientific methods and ethics. The modular nature of the curriculum makes it very flexible, enabling faculty to integrate it into microbiology, environmental biology, biotechnology, or chemistry. It is serving as a model for other institutions that plan to offer similar interdisciplinary curriculum. Broader Impact: Project modules are being made available through a web portal and publication of a laboratory manual. These can be easily adapted by other institutions and have the potential to reach a large number of students. Dissemination is being conducted at various venues, locally through BioHouston, regionally through Bio-Link (an ATE biotechnology center) meetings, and nationally through articles in relevant journals such as Microbiology News. Information concerning the modules is also being presented at national workshops on best practices in bioprocessing of microbial products at American Society for Microbiology meetings and Chautauqua short courses for faculty development. Since the University of Houston central campus is classified as a minority serving institution, a diverse minority population will directly benefit from the success of this project.