Collaborative research is central to solving real problems in contemporary biology. Such experiences, however, are typically not part of undergraduate curricula. Accordingly, this project is centered around the purchase of state-of-the-art instrumentation to be used in a comprehensive 2-semester undergraduate laboratory course for upper-level biology majors. The course is designed to illustrate the collaborative, interdisciplinary nature of modern day research by having 6 teams of 8 to 10 students investigate a problem of biomedical significance using contemporary techniques from various subspecialties of biology. The student teams rotate through different laboratory settings as they follow the steps necessary to isolate, purify, characterize, clone, and mass produce a product of therapeutic value. Each team of students is mentored by a faculty Team Leader who is an expert in each particular methodology. The goals of this course are to instill critical thinking skills by expecting the students to apply to a real-world problem the concepts and lab techniques they have so far encountered only in isolated, unrelated laboratory exercises, i.e., to learn to think like scientists; to familiarize students with state-of-the-art instrumentation that they are likely to encounter in a graduate research lab or an industrial setting; to emphasize the importance of teamwork and the fostering of strong collaborative relationships; and to encourage students to pursue graduate studies. Students are being evaluated throughout the course by the Team Leaders. Critical thinking skills are tested with practical problem-solving exercises. The success of the course can be evaluated by feedback from student participants and a panel of academic and industrial scientists. The resulting course workbook can be published and posted on-line for world-wide access.
