This award will provide funds to equip a laboratory course in recombinant DNA techniques for undergraduate students at the University of Wisconsin. The purpose of this course is to provide "hands-on" experience in common molecular research techniques used in the plant biotechnology industry. Experiments to be covered include creating "recombinant" plants using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, and basic biochemical procedures for extracting and analyzing proteins and nucleic acids. The horticulture undergraduate curriculum has historically not included such techniques. With the increasing use such techniques in horticulture graduate research and with the increased incorporation of biotechnology techniques into the horticulture industry, it is now important to provide horticulture undergraduates with hands-on familiarity of these techniques. In the long-term, these students become our leaders in their respective industries. Therefore, by providing better- educated future leaders, the proposed project may help to dispel myths and fear concerning the role and safety of biotechnology procedures. The grantee institution is matching this NSF award with funds from non-Federal sources.
