Will we be learning these methods down to the biochemical level?

Yes and no… In this course we emphasize practical molecular biology. This means that you will learn the underlying biochemistry (which is essential for troubleshooting problems) at the conceptual level, but we will not cover it at the quantitative level. For example, you’ll need to know that a restriction enzyme needs specific reaction conditions and has an optimal operating temperature, but not how to calculate enzyme kinetics.

Is writing up a lab protocol before lab part of the pre-lab assignment or separate?

You’ll never need to write a protocol from scratch. You will need to locate the correct protocols for the lab session, read them, and if necessary run any calculations necessary to actually DO the protocol

Will this course be bacteria/mammalian based – will there be plants involved?

It is molecular biology-based… the skills you learn here are transferable to many model systems, whether you will be working with tomatoes or cichlids. For the convenience of lab logistics, we will be working with E.coli and CHO cells. If you have questions about how to apply the course material to your particular research model system, let’s chat about it. I’m always interested in learning about other systems!

Will there be any coverage of how these techniques can address large-scale ecology concepts?

Not directly, no… however, large scale ecology problems can theoretically be addressed by judicious application of biotechnology. For example, if you can find a gene that reduces iron requirements for planktonic photosynthesis, you could increase CO2 uptake into the oceanic sink.

Who do you work with for the group parts of the tests?

Your lab bay of 4 students (2 pairs of lab partners). We do not require you to meet in person, but it can be helpful. I recommend using video conferencing tools ( Zoom, Google Hangouts, Skype etc..) for virtual face-to-face time when discussing your answers.

How much time per would do you expect us to spend on 410 work outside of class?

As a general guideline, you should expect to spend 2 hours outside of class for each course credit hour. In practice, the amount of time you spend will vary based on your study techniques, background knowledge, and other limitations. The best way to study for this course is to look over the lecture slides before lecture (~20 minutes, cursory overview), attend lecture and ask questions, review the lecture notes on the same day (~30 minutes), then work through any practice problems that we provide (~30 minutes). We require you to do a similar study practice for lab via the pre-lab outline and discussion questions.

Are the worksheet problems and lecture example problems the type of problems we would see on the exams?

In general, yes, though the individual exams will also have multiple-choice questions. There is a study guide posted on Moodle (General -> Exam Study Guides) that summarizes the learning objectives we expect you to have achieved for each exam.

Undergrad research opportunities in the biotech program?

Opportunities involve working with individual instructors either on a volunteer basis, through the BIT SURE program, or as an independent study for course credit. https://biotech.ncsu.edu/research-training/ .

The time investment for this course is really high and there needs to be more background information. Why is it like this?

In this course, we are trying to instill in you a discipline-specific skill set with sufficient breadth and depth that you can walk out of this class and confidently plan, troubleshoot, and execute a range of molecular biology experiments. We try to do this efficiently, and with respect for your time – I know it’s not easy, and I appreciate that you are putting a lot of effort into the course. Sometimes, small changes to study techniques can improve your learning efficiency. Please set up a time to chat with me and/or read up a bit on the science of learning if you’re interested in other study skills. As for background information, our students come from a variety of academic backgrounds, and we try to make as few assumptions as possible about previous exposure. If you ever feel lost on pre-req fundamentals, let me know so I can point you towards clear and concise (free) resources that will help!