CAREER: Project Lab, A Research-Intensive Laboratory Course

9600864米勒基金用于开发、实施和评估圣克拉拉大学的一门创新实验课程，本科生将在该课程中参与一项受监督的研究项目。该研究项目与首席研究员实验室正在进行的研究直接相关。这门课程将被命名为“项目实验室”，每年授课一个季度。每年，该课程将侧重于适合研究项目特定阶段的研究活动。本课程的增加将通过提供动手实验经验和接触实际研究问题来加强圣克拉拉大学本科生的科学教育。具体来说，学生将学习细胞如何在土壤线虫中选择它们的命运，秀丽隐杆线虫。在任何一年，学生将接触到几种不同类型的实验技术和程序。此外，该提案所要求的设备将加强SCU的科学设施，使学生能够接触到最先进的技术。学生将参与设计、实施和数据分析每一个实验包括在当年的项目实验室课程。此外，将分配和讨论与研究项目直接相关的主要文献的论文。在本季度结束时，学生将吸收并将他们的数据作为海报展示给班上其他同学。每年，几名学生将在当地的本科生研究会议上展示他们的海报，一些学生将在地区或国际秀丽隐杆线虫会议上参加海报会议。最后，在本学年的剩余时间和夏季，两到三名参加过该课程的本科生将在PI的指导下继续他们的研究。这些扩展的研究经验将为高度积极的学生提供深入的研究机会，除了磨练他们的批判性思维技能之外。他的项目目标是：1)为SCU的大量本科生提供直接的研究经验；2)激励、吸引和留住合格的学生（特别是女性和少数族裔）攻读生物科学研究生；3)促进批判性思维；4)加强SCU的科学设施，以支持现代技术；5)了解秀丽隐杆线虫的细胞命运

9600864 Miller Funds are requested to develop, implement, and evaluate an innovative laboratory course at Santa Clara University in which undergraduate students will participate in a supervised reserach project. This research project is directly related to ongoing research in the laboratory of the principal investigator. The course will be named "Project Lab" and will be taught for one quarter each year. Each year, the course will focus on research activities appropriate for that particular stage of the research project. The addition of this course will enhance the science education of undergraduate students at Santa Clara University by providing hands-on laboratory experience and exposure to real research problems. Specifically, students will study how cells choose their fates in the soil nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans. In any particular year, students will be exposed to several different types of experimental techniques and procedures. Furthermore, equipment requested in this proposal will enhance SCU science facilities to allow students access to state-of-the-art technologies. Students will participate in the design, implementation, and data analysis of each experiment included in that year's Project Lab course. In addition, papers from the primary literature on topics directly related to the research project will be assigned and discussed. At the end of the quarter, students will assimilate and present their data as a poster presentation to the rest of the class. Each year, several students will present their posters at a local undergraduate research conference and some will paricipate in a poster session at a regional or international C. elegans conference. Finally, during the rest of the academic year and summer, two or three undergraduate students who have participated in the course will continue their research under the supervision of the PI. These extended research experiences will provide intensive research exposure to highly motivated students, in addition to sharpe ning their critical thinking skills. The goals of his project are: 1) to provide direct research experience to a significant number of undergraduate students at SCU 2) to motivate, attract, and retain qualified students (particularly women and underrepresented minorities) to pursue graduate studies in the biological sciences 3) to promot critical thinking 4) to enhance SCU science facilities to support modern technologies 5) to understand how cell fates are specified in C. elegans