A grant has been awarded to Minnesota State University, Moorhead to expand and strengthen collaborative research programs, and to incorporate faculty research into research training courses for undergraduates. Funds from this award will be used to purchase two instruments necessary for molecular biology research. The instruments, a gel visualization system and tissue homogenizer, are integral to a variety of research projects ranging from elucidation of evolutionary relationships among the very earliest of land plants to understanding environmental impacts on population genetics of migratory dragonflies. Undergraduate students will use these molecular biology instruments as they learn to isolate DNA, and gather and analyze molecular data that will be used in larger projects. In particular, the instrumentation will stimulate a collaboration between two universities working on a segment of the ?tree of life? project and thus, provide undergraduates and their mentors an opportunity to contribute to the understanding of the evolution of life on earth.
Incorporation of these instruments into the undergraduate science curriculum will provide more students with molecular research experience and maximize integration of faculty research with science education. The importance of integrating molecular skills into a research-infused curriculum cannot be overstated, especially in an age when DNA is used not only to discern evolutionary relationships but to convict or exonerate criminals. Importantly, students will graduate with real-world research experience and a skill set that will make them competitive in the global marketplace.
