Improvement in Undergraduate Student Comprehension of Molecular Biology

生物与环境科学系正在发展本科生分子生物学实验室，以提高本科生对分子生物学的理解。实验室发展所需的设备包括8个学生工作站，由3个微型移液器和机架、250伏电源、卧式海底凝胶盒、水浴和涡流混合器和1台地板模型制冷低速离心机和转子组成，1台集成真空离心机/凝胶干燥系统，4台微型离心机，1台摇水浴，1台摇台孵化器，1台37℃孵化器，1台紫外线分光光度计，1台紫外线透光仪和摄影记录系统，1台微型平板阅读器和数据采集/分析软件。该实验室将是一个创新的学习环境，学生将在利用现代技术的练习中获得实践经验。这些经验可以提高学生对分子生物学和科学过程的理解，并使学生发展解决问题和人际交往的能力。该实验室将改进系的课程，包括最先进的设备和仪器，以教授现代生物学方法论，并向学生演示分子生物学的概念。这个实验室主要用于教授两门课程：生物技术和生物化学实验技术。该实验室还可以与其他实验室共享设备，在各自的课程中增加分子生物学实验活动，包括生物学原理、遗传学和细胞生物学。该实验室可以帮助该部门的本科生为健康科学、研究、教学和其他专业的职业生涯做准备。

The Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences is developing the Undergraduate Molecular Biology Laboratory to improve undergraduate comprehension of molecular biology. The equipment needed to develop the lab includes eight student workstations composed of three micropipettors and rack, 250-volt power supply, horizontal submarine gel box, water bath, and vortex mixer and a floor model refrigerated low-speed centrifuge and rotors, an integrated vacuum centrifuge/gel drying system, four microcentrifuges, a shaking water bath, a shaking platform incubator, a 37 C incubator, an ultraviolet spectrophotometer, an ultraviolet transilluminator and photodocumentation system, and a microplate reader and data capture/analysis software. The lab will be an innovative learning environment in which students will gain hands-on experience in exercises that utilize modern technologies. These experiences can improve student comprehension of molecular biology and the process of science and enable students to develop problem-solving and interpersonal skills. The lab will improve the department's curriculum by including state-of-the-art equipment and instrumentation to teach modern biological methodologies and demonstrate to students the concepts of molecular biology. This laboratory can be used primarily to teach two courses: Biotechnology and Laboratory Techniques in Biochemistry. The laboratory can also share equipment with other laboratories to add molecular biology laboratory activities to their respective courses, including Principles of Biology, Genetics, and Cell Biology. The laboratory can help the department prepare undergraduate students for careers in the health sciences, research, teaching, and other professions.