Integrating genomics and bioinformatics into an ecology and evolution-based undergraduate curriculum

(生物科学)南阿拉巴马大学的生物学家正在将尖端科学研究整合到两门本科课程中，目的是将这种方法推广到其他课程。这个项目的具体目标是：通过开发两门以分子生态学和细菌基因组学为基础的高级实验室课程，将现代分子方法纳入本科实验室课程，分别以基因组学和生物信息学为特色；通过跨学科同行评审练习，培养学生理解科学写作和产生新的科学假设和推理的能力。对于每门课程，前半学期的重点是技术和基础理论，而后半学期则致力于合作的学生研究。对于同时参加这两门课程的学生，我们鼓励他们就学生项目进行跨课程协作。专门设计的博客软件为学生提供了一个舒适的平台，在上面讨论相关文献和他们自己的项目。正在对所有努力进行评估，以帮助调整未来的课程设置。智力价值：这个项目的智力价值在于学生有机会使用他们正在学习的科学中新引入的技术来参与正在进行的研究项目。它建立在南阿拉巴马大学研究团队的研究专业知识基础上。此外，正在使用的新颖的基于网络的方法帮助学生发展他们的科学阅读和写作技能。更广泛的影响：这两门课程为其他中等规模或较小的机构提供了榜样，特别是那些拥有不同学术人员的机构。正在开发的在线材料正在向其他对这种科学本科教育方法感兴趣的人提供。

(Biological Sciences 61) Biologists at the University of South Alabama are integrating cutting-edge scientific research into two undergraduate courses with the intent to expand this approach into other courses. The specific objectives of this project are: to integrate modern molecular approaches into undergraduate laboratory courses by developing two upper-level project-based lab courses in molecular ecology and bacterial genomics each featuring genomics and bioinformatics; and to foster students' abilities to comprehend scientific writing and generate novel scientific hypotheses and inferences through inter-disciplinary peer-review exercises. For each course the first half of the semester focuses on techniques and basic theory, while the second half of the semester is dedicated to collaborative student research. Cross-course collaboration for student projects is encouraged for students co-enrolled in the two courses. Specifically designed blogging software provides students with a comfortable platform on which to discuss relevant literature as well as their own projects. All efforts are being evaluated to aid in adjustments to future course offerings. Intellectual merit: The intellectual merit of this project lies in the opportunity students are receiving to engage in on-going research projects using techniques newly introduced into the science they are studying. It builds on the research expertise of the team of investigators at the University of Southern Alabama. In addition the novel web-based approaches being used help students develop their scientific reading and writing skills. Broader impacts: These two courses serve as a model for other mid-sized or smaller institutions, particularly those with academically diverse faculty. The online materials being developed are being made available to others interested in this approach to undergraduate education in the sciences.