Microbiology and Molecular Biology Laboratory Skills: Post-Pandemic Hands-On Learning

This five-week winter course will provide students with hands-on advanced biology laboratory experiences students may have lost during WA state’s “Stay home Stay safe” Covid-19 policy. Students will work through five laboratory sessions covering microbiology, molecular biology, and biotechnology techniques. Specifically: aseptic technique, culturing microorganisms, plate and liquid cultures, growth curves, effects of antibiotics and respiratory poisons; plasmid miniprep, UV DNA quantification, and gel electrophoresis; making competent cells and transformation; diauxic growth, gene induction and enzyme assays. Students will attend laboratory sessions and submit pre and post lab assignments.