I-Corps L: Social Entrepreneurship to Integrate Education, Research and Training - A University of Houston Model

我们的本科生处于明显的劣势，因为他们缺乏面对生命科学研究中快速变化的实践所需的跨学科技能。因此，迫切需要推进生命科学教育，以反映其所服务的学科。世纪后半叶，生命科学学科和科学教育学科都经历了巨大的变化，然而，生物学教育却没有跟上这一领域的快速变化。该项目的目标是扩展和实施跨学科的研究型课程，以广泛传播和实施创新的S.T.E.M学习实践。在谈到NSF？的愿景和变化，呼吁教生物学，因为它应该在21世纪世纪做，这个项目进一步划定的技能和知识基础，为学生在这个不断增长的跨学科领域。此外，该项目认识到有机会扩大这门课程的范围，以支持和受益于更广泛的教育和研究界，并帮助指导变革的努力，为我们的学生准备的21世纪世纪生物劳动力。这门课程使用农药降解细菌，缺陷短波单胞菌，作为一个锚生物体，以证明一个典型的生物技术产品的生命周期。三套活动模块使用基于指导的探究方法来教授适当的技术和技能，并帮助学生在课程和实际应用中提供的材料之间建立桥梁。模块一是环境取样研究模块，展示了发现过程，包括收集环境土壤样本以分离降解农药的微生物。模块II包含农药降解基因的分离、克隆和转基因表达技术。模块III包括模拟生物技术产品生产的活动，在我们的情况下，活动涉及在生物反应器中培养转化细胞以实现最佳生产，然后使用传统下游工艺纯化重组蛋白。环境采样研究模块（ESRM）的设计，开发，并在过去六年中成功地在休斯敦大学实施将被整合到各种课程在不同的机构，提供本科生的研究经验。学生将找到农药降解活性阳性的地点，并确定新的细菌菌株。通过这项活动，ESRM数据库的广泛扩展将用于提高各种技能，包括写作，批判性思维和定量学习。该课程将影响生命科学教育的以下领域;本科研究，保留STEM和劳动力准备。

Our undergraduate students are at a distinct disadvantage as they lack the interdisciplinary skills required to face the rapidly changing practices present in life sciences research. Therefore, there exists a critical need to advance life sciences education to reflect the discipline it serves. Both the disciplines of life sciences and of science education underwent tremendous changes in the latter half of the 20th century; however, biology education has not kept pace with the rapid changes in the field. The goal of this project is the expansion and implementation of an interdisciplinary research-based curriculum to broadly disseminate and implement innovative S.T.E.M learning practices. In addressing the NSF?s Vision and Change, a call to teach biology as it should be done in the 21st century; this project further delineates the skills and knowledge base for students in this growing interdisciplinary field. Additionally, the project recognizes the opportunity to expand the scope of this curriculum to support and benefit the wider education and research community and help guide the transformative effort to prepare our students for the 21st century biology workforce.This curriculum uses a pesticide degrading bacterium, Brevundimonas diminuta, as an anchor organism to demonstrate the lifecycle of a typical biotechnology product. Three sets of activity modules use a guided inquiry-based method to teach appropriate techniques and skills and help students build a bridge between materials presented in courses and real-life applications. Module I is an environmental sampling research module (ESRM) which demonstrates the discovery process and consists of the collection of environmental soil samples to isolate pesticide-degrading microbes. Module II contains techniques for isolation, cloning, and transgenic expression of the pesticide-degrading gene. Module III consists of activities that emulate production of a biotech product, in our case activities that are related to growing transformed cells in a bioreactor for optimum production which is then followed by purification of the recombinant protein using traditional downstream processes. The environmental sampling research module (ESRM) designed, developed, and successfully implemented at the University of Houston during the past six years will be integrated into a variety of courses across diverse institutions to provide undergraduate research experiences. Students will locate sites positive for pesticide degrading activity, and identify novel strains of bacteria. The wide expansion of the ESRM database through this activity will be used to enhance a variety of skills, including writing, critical thinking, and quantitative learning. This curriculum will impact the following areas in life sciences education; undergraduate research, retention in STEM, and workforce readiness.