Capstone Laboratory I: Experimental Microbiology and Molecular Biology

Catalog description

This course is designated for junior biology majors to provide theoretical knowledge and practical laboratory skills across several biological disciplines including microbiology, biotechnology, biochemistry, cell biology, and molecular biology. Course content and credit is divided evenly between two modules: microbiology and molecular biology. The microbiology module includes techniques for the isolation and culture of bacteria, the examination of bacterial growth and morphology, and the identification of unknown microorganisms using biochemical techniques. Skills obtained in the first module are applied in the molecular biology module which uses bacteria in techniques such as DNA purification and quantification, molecular cloning, and protein purification and detection. This course is laboratory-focused (6 lab hours and 1 lecture hour per week) and emphasizes the scientific method as well as the development of practical research skills, which includes maintaining a scientific notebook and communicating results through written reports and oral presentations. Prerequisites: C or better in BIOL 212. Laboratory. University Core Writing Intensive. Offered Fall only.