Pathways for New Laboratory Modules in Undergraduate Genetics and Cell Physiology Education: Characterization of Puerto Rican Cassava

本科遗传学和细胞生理学教育新实验室模块的途径：波多黎各木薯的表征

• 批准号: 0736727
• 负责人: Dimuth Siritunga
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-04-01 至 2011-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0736727&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Pathways; New; Laboratory; Modules; Undergraduate

(Biological Sciences 61) In this project students in upper division genetics and cell biology courses are contributing to an ongoing research project on cassava lineage and nutrient components by assessing the genetic diversity within the cassava varieties found in Puerto Rico. The students are using germplasm derived from sites around the island and from specimens in the Corozal Agriculture Experiment station in Puerto Rico and relating these findings to those already reported for African, Asian, South and Central American varieties. Since students in this course live in widely scattered spots on the island, making the students responsible for providing plant tissue from cassavas found close to their homes increases the varieties the course is likely to assay and is giving the students experience in record keeping, in gathering material from the field, and in properly storing freshly gathered materials to minimize deterioration prior to extraction and assay. Students in the Genetics course, are using material extracted from leaves they have gathered, quantifying the DNA and then using polymerase chain reaction based simple sequence repeat markers to assess the diversity of their samples and the relationship of the varieties discovered to those found in Africa, Asia, and South and Central America. Students in the Cell Physiology course are characterizing the structure of root cells of the cassava varieties found in the Corozal station as well as analyzing the protein and starch contents of the roots using a combination of cellular and biochemical techniques. The broader impact of these research-based education activities is the exposure of approximately 700 Hispanic undergraduate students per year to modern molecular and cellular technologies while allowing them to be part of a research project focusing on a food crop that is widely consumed by them. The described research activities are leading to the sustainable management of the cassava Puerto Rican genetic resources while providing undergraduate students hands-on experience in conducting molecular and cellular experiments which provide them the confidence to trust in their abilities to learn, understand and implement techniques in modern science. The major intellectual merit of this project is the introduction of community relevant research-based plant specific laboratory activities into upper division Genetics and Cell Physiology courses. Furthermore, the synergistic nature of the activities (between plant molecular biology and cell biology) serves as a model for the development of collaborative research-base education modules.

在这个项目中，高年级遗传学和细胞生物学课程的学生通过评估波多黎各发现的木薯品种的遗传多样性，为正在进行的木薯谱系和营养成分研究项目做出贡献。学生们正在使用来自岛上各地和波多黎各科罗萨尔农业实验站标本的种质资源，并将这些发现与已经报道的非洲、亚洲、南美和中美洲品种联系起来。由于本课程的学生生活在岛上广泛分散的地方，让学生负责提供在他们家附近发现的木薯植物组织，增加了本课程可能进行分析的品种，并为学生提供了记录保存，从现场收集材料以及正确储存新收集的材料以减少提取和分析前变质的经验。遗传学课程的学生正在使用从他们收集的叶子中提取的物质，定量DNA，然后使用基于简单序列重复标记的聚合酶链反应来评估样本的多样性，以及发现的品种与非洲，亚洲，南美和中美洲发现的品种之间的关系。细胞生理学课程的学生描述了在科罗萨尔站发现的木薯品种的根细胞结构，并结合细胞和生化技术分析了根中的蛋白质和淀粉含量。这些以研究为基础的教育活动的更广泛影响是，每年约有700名西班牙裔本科生接触到现代分子和细胞技术，同时使他们成为研究项目的一部分，重点关注他们广泛消费的粮食作物。所描述的研究活动正在导致波多黎各木薯遗传资源的可持续管理，同时为本科生提供进行分子和细胞实验的实践经验，使他们有信心相信自己学习、理解和实施现代科学技术的能力。这个项目的主要智力价值是将社区相关的基于研究的植物特定实验室活动引入高年级遗传学和细胞生理学课程。此外，这些活动（植物分子生物学和细胞生物学之间）的协同性质可以作为合作研究型教育模块发展的典范。