Courses
What do crime scene investigations, agriculture, medicine, conservation biology, and manufacturing have in common? They have all been revolutionized by biotechnology! Almost every day, we read about new developments in the rapidly changing fields of genetics and DNA-based biotechnology. In this course, students will first explore classical genetics and then move on to examine the structure and function of DNA and proteins. With state-of-the-art laboratory experiments, students will analyze DNA fingerprints from a crime scene, genetically transform bacteria, and investigate their own DNA!
Finally, they will survey the applications of biotechnology in many diverse fields and discuss in depth how biotechnology is changing our daily lives and our future. With the decline of traditional manufacturing in North Carolina, biotechnology is positioned to become a vital part of North Carolina’s 21st-century economy.
PREREQUISITE(S):
Completion of Biology I with a B or higher and completion of Math III through your local high school or NCVPS.
MATERIALS/TEXTBOOK:
Textbooks must be provided by the partner school. We are transitioning to a new textbook, but if you have older textbooks, you may continue to use them. Old Textbook = Essential Genetics: A Genomics Perspective by Daniel L. Hart l Jones and Bartlett Press 4th or 5th edition ISBN: 0763773646 | ISBN 13: 9780763773649.
If you are working with us for the first time, please purchase our new textbook: Concepts of Genetics, by Klug and Cummings from Pearson Education. The instructor will assign general readings and problem sets from old and new books during the transition.
SITE REQUIREMENTS:
Facilitator assistance will be required to set up labs. Students must have computer access with a stable internet connection and appropriate permissions for web conferencing. Students in shared spaces should have individual audio devices (headphones with microphones).