The Biology faculty at Kalamazoo College is improving the laboratory portion of its Molecular Biology course through the introduction of experiments that employ gel electrophoresis. The biology curriculum includes core courses in Populations and Ecosystems, General Zoology, General Botany, and Cellular Biology, as well as a number of advanced electives. One such elective is an upper-level course in Molecular Biology, which consists of a lecture series based on B. Lewin's textbook Genes II, a journal club based on readings from the primary literature, and a laboratory. The purpose of this project is to improve the laboratory component of this course. A new series of experiments will be introduced based on the lab text Recombinant DNA Techniques: an Introduction by Rodriquez and Tait. These experiments will involve gene cloning in Escherichia coli, and utilize gel electrophoresis at several points. The equipment obtained as part of this project is being used to monitor cleavage and ligation of DNA molecules, as well as to construct a restriction endonuclease map of a cloned DNA fragment. Students completing these experiments are expected to develop a better understanding of the concepts and methods in molecular biology, and to be prepared to do further work in this area.
