This project integrates molecular biology into all levels of the biology curriculum. Molecular biology is not a field by itself; instead, it is a means by which almost all aspects of life can be studied. This project stresses inquiry-based learning and exposes students to investigative approaches to exploring life at the molecular level. The number of students actively exploring biology at a molecular level is expected to increase fivefold (from 80 per year to 400 per year). Approximately 145 of the students exposed to molecular biology each year are nonmajors. As a result of this project, 100 percent of the college's biology majors can use molecular approaches to enhance their understanding of critical biological concepts in at least three courses and in as many as eight courses. This innovation allows students to engage essential concepts in biology using techniques such as DNA isolation, restriction analysis, southern, northern, and western blotting, PCR, cell culture work, and subcellular fractionation. Such exposures in several courses help students have a richer understanding of life and how it is studied; appreciate the interconnections between subdisciplines of biology; more fully understand the ethical and social dimensions of modern biology; and make career decisions in a more informed manner. The success of the project can be assessed using surveys (including postgraduation surveys of alumni) and course evaluations. Results can be widely disseminated through science education journals and forums such as Project Kaleidoscope. *
