This project is designed to upgrade significantly the scientific equipment available for teaching five laboratories in Eastern Washington University's new Biotechnology Program -- Hybridomas and Monoclonal Antibodies, Plant Tissue Culture and Differentiation, Recombinant DNA, Biochemistry and Fermentation, and Metabolism. The award will effectively put the 1-1/2-year-old experimental program onto sound footing as a permanent offering of the department. The requested equipment includes state-of-the-art microscopes, ultracentrifuges, an enzyme-linked immunoassay reader, fermentation apparatus, incubator, and a biohazard safety cabinet. During its first eighteen months, the program has attracted 20 majors and 178 other students. While still on a trial footing, it has placed more than a dozen graduates into positions in the local bio-technology industry.
