Biological Investigations Laboratory

(1 Credit Hour) · Undergraduate

This course provides an opportunity to develop fundamental research skills used in the study of biological systems. The overall goal of this course is to help students learn to "think like a biologist", while developing a "toolbox" of techniques that can be applied to current research questions in biology. In this course, students acquire specific technical skills, including field insect collection; light microscopy; DNA isolation, PCR, and electrophoresis; bacterial transformation; and data analysis and graphing. Across the semester the students apply these skills in the context of open-ended biological problems and communicate the results of their experiments. Most students enroll concurrently in BIOS 10171 Biology I: Big Questions (3 CREDITS).