In a typical undergraduate biochemistry course, two main educational objectives include (1) understanding and applying how genetic mutations can influence protein structure and function, and (2) examining metabolic pathways of biomolecules to study cellular storage and fuel. Many times, these topics can seem disparate to students; therefore, we…

Apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP or abasic) sites are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) lesions that result from the loss of a nucleobase by hydrolysis of the "N"-glycosyl bond. AP sites are the most frequent lesions in cells and are caused by environmental and cancer therapeutic genotoxins. Herein, the bicinchoninic colorimetric assay, typically…

Graduates in biology or genetics learn Mendel's laws and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium as students, and they know, use, and sometimes teach these concepts. However, it is unusual to learn about stochastic processes during the graduate studies of these topics, although the applications of Markov chains in the fields of genetics or biology are…

Raman scattering spectroscopies are important analytical tools in modern chemistry. Here, we describe the construction of the unamplified Raman scattering analysis (URSA) instrument: an inexpensive, open-table Raman spectrometer that uses a 532 nm diode-pumped laser as a light source. Upon application of this spectrometer to DNA extracted from…

Structure--activity relationships are foundational concepts in biochemistry and drug design. Despite their importance, it can be difficult to create and execute laboratory activities that allow students to directly observe the interactions between small-molecule drugs and their biomolecular targets. Here, we report an activity that investigates…

Rising tuition rates across colleges and universities contribute to the mounting financial strain on students. In response to rising costs, literature details that students seek to bolster their financial security by working additional hours per week, consequently leading to less available time. Previous studies have focused on the negative…

As a universal and extensively adopted technique, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) can be used to detect and quantify small molecules in many applications both clinical and analytical. However, generally, students experiment mechanically using commercial ELISA kits according to the instructions and eventually produce a standard curve to…

In theory, there is broad agreement among science education stakeholders that supporting the achievement of scientific literacy is crucial for citizens to make informed and critical decisions about socioscientific issues (SSI). Likewise, it is widely held that argumentation is an important component of scientific literacy. In practice, however,…

We present a course-embedded undergraduate research module that involves real-time polymerase chain reaction testing for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in environmental samples. A positive control RNA was constructed and two RNA extraction methods were compared and a range of primers were available to compare. Using a combination of published…

Analogies are used to make abstract topics meaningful and more easily comprehensible to learners. Incorporating simple analogies into STEM classrooms is a fairly common practice, but the analogies are typically generated and explained by the instructor for the learners. We hypothesize that challenging learners to create complex, extended analogies…

Learning synthetic biology is often seen as a far distant possibility, restricted to those who have the privilege of an academic career. We propose a student-centered discussion group around synthetic biology, aimed at people from high school onwards with different backgrounds to interact and learn about synthetic biology. We developed a 14-week…

CRISPR-cas technology is being incorporated into undergraduate biology curriculum through lab experiences to immerse students in modern technology that is rapidly changing the landscape of science, medicine and agriculture. We developed and implemented an educational module that introduces students to CRISPR-cas technology in a Genetic course and…

Recent emphasis on learning biology through scientific investigations has focused instruction on understanding and using scientific evidence. To unpack the complexities of evidentiary reasoning, here we present a novel laboratory investigation for teaching the Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE) in an introductory biology laboratory course that was…

Nowadays, novel Biochemistry lab techniques are being introduced at a very fast pace in scientific research. This requires development of new labs for undergraduate Biochemistry courses to equip the students with up-to-date techniques. However, the time limit of Biochemistry labs for undergraduate students represents a major obstacle. This article…

The idea of the interaction between genes and environment in the formation of traits is an important component of genetic literacy, because it explains the plastic nature of phenotypes. However, most studies in genetics education characterize challenges in understanding and reasoning about genetic phenomena that do not involve modulation by the…