I. Conceptual Outline of Course

 II. Lab Events

III. Calendar of Events (last updated Mar 24)

A. Introduction / What's the Problem?
B. What's the Solution?
C. The Scientific Basis of Biotechnology

A. Introduction / What's the Problem? (first two or three weeks)

A.1. What are the expectations of the class

A.2. What future do Virginia tobacco farmers face? (Addresses Objective 2)

• General overview (lecture)
• Invited speakers to discuss the sociology and economics of tobacco farming.
  • Carol Wilkinson, Virginia Tech Ag Extension Center
  • Al Glass, Virginia Farm Bureau
  • Jerry Jenkins, Virginia tobacco farmer

A.3. How can complex problems be approached?

• Article search to broaden the scope of the problem
• Exercises in skepticism: Critique of article or presentation with multiple interpretations (Addresses Objective 1)
• Exercises in connecting big to small: after listening to 10 minute presentations on interesting research (not necessarily tobacco-related), make a logical connection between the big question central to the research and the actual experiment performed. (Addresses Objective 2 and 3)
• Introduction to information resources of the Science Library. (Addresses Objective 3)

B. What's the Solution? (Runs parallel to Strand A throughout the semester)
B.1. How can biotechnology help out the tobacco farmer? (Addresses Objectives 2, 3, and 5)

• Invited speaker from biotech company on potential of genetic engineering in plants
• Class discussion: what of biotech presentation do we understand? What don't we understand? What do we need to find out to determine whether genetic engineering can be of any use?

B.2. The world of possibilities (Addresses Objective 1, 2, and 5)

• Lecture/discussion: What has biotechnology achieved in well established systems?
• Library exercise #2: Find an existing application. (also addresses Objectives 3, and 6)
• Lecture/lab: What are the steps in introducing foreign genes into tobacco?
• Discussion: What kind of genes might be useful to put into tobacco?

B.3. The Project (Addresses all objectives)

• Arrange for pairs of like-minded individuals to work together on poster.
• Each pair decides (after consultation with instructor) on topics that would be desirable to learn about in class, for the purpose of understanding the scientific basis of their idea.
• Poster #1: First UR Symposium on Transgenic Tobacco and evaluation of posters of others
• Each pair decides (after consultation with instructor) on what experimental findings are necessary to find to flesh out idea.
• Poster #2: Second UR Symposium on Transgenic Tobacco and evaluation of posters

C. The Scientific Basis of Biotechnology

C.1. What is tobacco?

• Overview of the plant, viewed as biotech factory.

C.2. What is protein? What is an enzyme?

• The relationship between the structure and function of a protein (lecture/discussion)
• The nature of enzymatically catalyzed reactions (lecture/discussion, Lab 3)

C.3. What is DNA?

• The nature of DNA (lecture/discussion, Lab 4 and 5)
• The function of DNA, through the activity of encoded protein (Lecture and Labs 5 and 6)

C.4. The process and limitations of cloning

• What is cloning? (Lecture and Labs 5 and 6)
• Genetic manipulation of plants
• Topics related to cloning suggested by student projects

Lab 1: Why does cold temperature lengthen reaction time?
An exercise designed to help you discover how creative experimentation can help decide between competing hypotheses and to stress reliance on observable phenomenon over preconceived notions.

Lab 2: How do we perceive differences in weights?
A similar exercise as Lab 1.

Lab 3: Characteristics of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction
Find ways of distinguishing by experiment a reaction catalyzed by an enzyme from an uncatalyzed reaction.

Lab 4: Components of a cell
Fractionation of a cell and analysis of protein and nucleic acids components.

Lab 5: Genetic cloning
Isolation of a gene and cloning it into a bacterium.

Lab 6: How can foreign genes be introduced into tobacco?
Isolation of cells from tobacco leaves, introduction of foreign DNA into the cells.