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、技术和应用方面打下坚实的基础，有使用计算机和互联网作为研究工具的经验，以及在研究团队中发挥作用的解决问题和沟通技巧。为了培养这些技能，实验室需要足够的设备和计算机来全面支持反映现实世界分子生物学研究的调查。本计划旨在以专题为基础，教授应用分子生物学，培养学生在DNA研究方面的电脑知识，并培养学生解决问题的能力、团队合作能力和沟通技巧。计算、细胞培养和分子生物学设备将用于顶点分子生物学和生物技术课程及其先决条件细胞生物学和遗传学课程。分子生物学和生物技术课程要求学生团队计划并进行一个综合项目，包括分子克隆、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。杆状病毒感染的昆虫细胞为真核细胞培养和蛋白表达提供了经验。计算机通过虚拟克隆和DNA序列分析软件，在若干课程中促进分子遗传学的学习，并提供对万维网生物计算资源、电子邮件和新闻组的在线访问。资助的设备支持建立基于杆状病毒模型的分子克隆、面向本科生的蛋白质表达和纯化研究，以及利用计算机和互联网资源编写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.