This project deals with modern methods of recombinant DNA and protein analysis, procedures that underlie much of current research and development in biotechnology. This field has evolved rapidly over the past dozen years, a situation that has left many bioscience teachers, trained in an earlier period, with little or no immediate relevant experience. The project addresses this gulf by providing college faculty with the expertise necessary to introduce these elements into their undergraduate programs. An intense six-week practicum is at the core of the project, in which each of the 20 participants masters the fundamental techniques. To provide the teachers with an authoritative base of experience the work is conducted using equipment and procedures consistent with research standards. Recognizing that college faculty must operate within financial and time constraints in presenting undergraduate courses, the workshop also investigates low-cost and time-efficient experimental modes that are appropriate to the teaching setting. In addition to developing technical skills, the work focuses on principles underlying the methods and their extension to problems at the forefront of research through group discussions held daily. To make the connection with current research in the field more tangible, one day per week will be set aside for seminars and laboratory visits conducted by faculty associates, who will discuss the research work as it illustrates applications in biotechnology.
