Use of a Personal Densitometer for the Mini-Project Approachto Curriculum Enrichment in the Undergraduate Biochemistry and Physiology Laboratories

化学和生物系致力于继续开发本科实验室课程，使我们的学生能够成功地接受在当代科学界竞争所必需的当前方法方面的培训。因此，我们正在评估高级生物、生物化学和化学实验室的微型研究项目方法，这种方法将使学生在必要的适当监督下发展自己的解决问题的技能，以确保他们接触到各种研究和工具方法。通过购买个人密度计，我们将把新的经验引入我们的本科生物化学和生理学实验室，这将扩展和加强微型研究项目的概念。目前，不能进行需要对电泳斑或放射自显影进行定量的实验。密度计量学在生物和生化研究中的广泛应用使得我们的本科生必须认识到这项技术的敏感性和多功能性。个人密度计还将用于化学和生物系目前正在进行的本科生研究项目。在生物化学和生理学实验室实施微型项目办法，以及为个人密度计设计的新实验，将在一个专业论坛内与同事们分享。总而言之，个人密度计在我们的本科实验室课程中的影响不能低估。在以项目为导向的实验室框架内，使用个人密度计将显著提高我们的本科生物化学和生物学课程。它将使我们的学生，其中许多是代表不足的少数族裔和妇女，在生物化学和生理学方面奠定坚实的基础，以追求他们的目标和高级专业就业。

The Chemistry and Biology faculty are dedicated to the continued development of an undergraduate laboratory curriculum that enables our students to be successfully trained in the current methodologies necessary to compete within the contemporary scientific community. Thus, we are evaluating a mini-research project approach in upper-level biology, biochemistry and chemistry laboratories which will allow students to develop their own problem-solving skills with the proper supervision necessary to ensure that they are exposed to a wide variety of research and instrumental approaches. Through the acquisition of a personal densitometer new experiences will be introduced into our undergraduate biochemistry and physiology laboratories which will extend and strengthen the mini-research project concept. At present, experiments requiring the quantitation of electrophoretic blots or autoradiograms cannot be performed. The wide use of densitometry in biological and biochemical research makes it imperative that our undergraduates appreciate the sensitivity and versatility of this technique. The personal densitometer will also be used in undergraduate research projects that are currently underway in the chemistry and biology departments. Implementation of the mini-project approach to the biochemistry and physiology laboratories, as well as the new experiments designed for the personal densitometer, will be shared with colleagues within a professional forum. In summary, the impact of a personal densitometer in our undergraduate laboratory curriculum cannot be understated. Use of the personal densitometer, within the framework of the project-orientated laboratory, will significantly enhance our undergraduate biochemistry and biology programs. It will allow us to provide our students, many of whom are under-represented minorities and women, the strong foundation in biochemistry and physiology necessary to pursue their goals of and advanced degree of professional employment.