Modern, research quality instrumentation will provide the foundation for the development and implementation of new laboratory courses in biochemistry, advanced microbiology, advanced medical microbiology, and cell and developmental biology. These new courses each incorporate several separate laboratories, reducing redundancy and providing a more research-like approach by not artificially separating disciplines. The requested equipment will complement recent acquisitions to provide meaningful laboratory experiences utilizing current technologies for students planning careers as scientists or technicians. For example, Biochemistry Lab I emphasizes protein purification and characterization. As is typically done in research, students will isolate proteins by a combination of conventional chromatography, HPLC and electrophoresis. Biochemistry Lab II will emphasize recombinant DNA techniques and will use the techniques learned in Biochemistry Lab I to characterize the resulting recombinant proteins. The equipment requested will facilitate incorporation of modern techniques in HPLC, microassays, protein analysis and macrophotography into the undergraduate curriculum. Computers with Internet access will be used to design experiments, to analyze data and to prepare classroom and research presentations. Laboratory manuals will be created for each course and will be made available for distribution. The amount of equipment requested will encourage students to work in groups, promoting development of the communication, teamwork and leadership skills highly valued in many work settings.
