Biotechnology

CTY Course Syllabus

Introduction
Like all CTY science experiences, this inquiry-driven course is designed to develop your critical
thinking and analytical reasoning skills in the specific context of Biotechnology and its 21st
century applications. In order to maintain fidelity to CTY general objectives, we will explore a
plethora of technologies used in the fields of genetic engineering, forensics, agriculture,
bioremediation and medicine in order to give you a basic but fundamental experimental skill set
which can be applied in future secondary and post-secondary laboratory experiences or real-
world scenarios. Furthermore, we will emphasize key practical skills in order to fully round your
summer research experience including exercising the appropriate: application of scientific
methodologies; selection of objective primary literature; presentation or interpretation of
quantitative and qualitative data sets; synthesis, presentation or communication of scientific
knowledge. Together, these objectives will provide you with new insights and skills on which to
base your future studies and scientific endeavors.

Essential Questions
As we learn about biotechnology, keep these questions in mind; maybe your thoughts will
change as you learn more about biotechnology:
1. What are the benefits of biotechnology for humans and the environment?
2. How are basic principles in molecular biology exploited to create powerful tools in
biotechnology?
3. What ethical issues arise from advances in biotechnology and how are they mitigated?

Expectations
Throughout this course, you are expected to demonstrate your understanding of biotechnology in
addition to maintaining general classroom decorum by:
• Actively engaging in classroom discussions, classroom activities, and laboratory
investigations;
• Interacting and independently meeting with your peers and collaborative learning groups
in a consistently professional and productive manner;
• Maintaining an organized notebook with clearly labeled sections (Syllabus, Lecture
Notes, Recitation Notes, Experiment Supplements, Worksheets and Assessments) and an
appropriately formatted science journal with clearly labeled primary data, discussion and
conclusion sections;
• Demonstrating mastery of biotechnology content by completing summative and
formative assessments including: collaborative activity worksheets, reading assignments,
and laboratory reports;
• Completing all assignments and course deliverables promptly;
• Refraining from using electronic devices unless instructed to do so (this includes
preventing your phone from ringing/buzzing during class or laboratories);
 • Respecting host institution facilities and equipment during all classroom and laboratory
sessions;
• Communicating with your instructor or teaching assistant if any problems or obstacles
arise during any academic portion of your experience.

Academic Honesty
CTY takes academic honesty seriously! You need to make sure all of your work comes from
your thoughts and ideas; if not, you need to cite the work correctly to give credit to the author
who influenced your thoughts. This will be critical for the projects where you write a scientific
journal lab report and/or debate a topic in biotechnology.

Academic dishonesty, which includes plagiarism, copying answers (knowingly or unknowingly)

from a colleague, changing answers on assessments, or other breaches of trust, will be addressed
immediately and without warning. You will be referred to the administrators on site
immediately.

Resources
The texts for this course are:

1. Skloot, Rebecca. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Waterville, Me.: Gale Cengage
Learning, 2011. ISBN-13: 978-1594134326

2. Thieman, William J., and Michael Angelo. Palladino. Introduction to Biotechnology. San
Francisco: Pearson/Benjamin Cummings, 2004. ISBN-13: 9780805348255

Your textbook is meant to be a reference for this course. The textbook is a good place to start if
you are learning about a new subject and you need some basic information. Most of our learning
will take place in the classroom, recitation and during lab exercises but you should also feel
comfortable consulting the textbook as a reliable reference that may help you expound upon
topics discussed during the course. You will also need to maintain an organized science
notebook and journal. There should be no doodles or class notes in your science journal!

Science Journal Format

Your science journal (composition notebook) should follow the format below:

1. Count out 5 pages (a page is a single side of paper; each piece of paper is two pages);
2. These first 5 pages are your Table of Contents. All experiment titles should be updated
in your table of contents;
3. At the top of the very first page, make three columns: date (small column); title (large
column); page # (small column);
4. For your first entry write: “7/15/13 – Experimental Design and Techniques – page 1”);
5. On page 6, number the page 1 in the upper right hand corner;
6. You need to number every page consecutively and include the page numbers in your
table of contents;
 7. Each lab report (write up) should be dated & titled on each page. Additionally, it should
include the following headings: Background/Objective, Hypothesis, Materials,
Procedure, Data, Analysis and Discussion, Conclusions);
8. All entries in the lab journal should be conserved and errors, typos or modifications
should simply be crossed out with a single line-this preserves the authenticity and
actuality of your lab experience.

Tentative schedule

Day Classroom Laboratory Text (chapter)

1 Cell Biology I Experimental design The Biotechnology Century

(eukaryotes)
2 Cell Biology II Culturing Microbes Henrietta Lacks begins
(prokaryotes)
3 Central Dogma DNA Extraction Intro to Genes/Genomes

4 Cell Cycle I (mitosis) DNA Forensics DNA Fingerprinting & Forensics

5 Cell Cycle II (meiosis) Cancer Gene Detection Recombinant DNA technology

6 Genetics I (inheritance) Cholesterol Diagnostic Medical Biotechnology

7 Genetics II (molecular) GMO Detection Agricultural Biotechnology

8 Genomes I (eukaryotes) pGLO Transformation History of Gene Manipulation

9 Genomes II (prokaryotes) Water Quality Test Microbial Biotechnology

10 GMOs Bioremediation Bioremediation

11 From Genes to Protein Single ELISA Proteins and Products

12 DNA Technologies I Blood Typing Proteins and Products

13 DNA Technologies II Western Blot analysis Ethics and Biotechnology

14 Biotech & food Transformations Animal Biotechnology

15 Debates/Biotech Careers Henrietta Lacks closure

Biotechnology Calendar (6 hrs lab/week)
Week 1

Day Morning (3 hrs) Afternoon (2 hrs) Evening (2 hrs)

Sunday - (35 min) Introduction

- (30 min) Immortal
Life of Henrietta
Lacks – Interview
with Author
- (45 min) Should gene
patents be allowed?

Monday - (55 min): Course - (55 min): Cholesterol - (55 min): Pedigree
Introductions: Gene Detection Lab and Punnett Square
Syllabus; Practice
Performance Tasks; - (55 min): Gene
Lab Safety; Course Detection practice - (55 min): Gene
Resources exercises Detection Lab Report
Due, Discuss findings
- (55 min): Pre-
assessment
- (55 min): Lecture:
Tour of Cells

Tuesday - (55 min): Lecture: - (55 min): Identifying - (55 min):

Molecular Basis of GMO Crops Lab COMPUTER LAB
Inheritance - (55 min): DNA - (55 min):
- (55 min): Biotech forensics skill check COMPUTER LAB
Correlations:
Agricultural
Biotechnology
- (55 min):
Explorations: The
FDA & screening
Agriculture

Wednesday - (55 min): Lecture: - (55 min): Modeling - (55 min): Discuss
Eukaryotic Genomes Concepts (play-doh Lecture Objective
- (55 min): Biotech constructs) Questions
Correlations: - (55 min): pGLO - (55 min): Henrietta
Restriction enzymes Transformation Lab I Lacks chapter
& Genetic discussion
Engineering
- (55 min):
Explorations: Paper
& play- doh plasmids
(introduction)
Day Morning (3 hrs) Afternoon (2 hrs) Evening (2 hrs)

Thursday - (55 min): Lecture: - (55 min): Water - (35 min): Discuss
Genetics of Viruses Quality Testing Lab I Lecture Objective
and Bacteria - (55 min): QUIZ!!! & Questions
- (55 min): Biotech peer grading - (55 min): “The
Correlations: Quality Biotech Revolution”
Assurance in Society (July 4)
- (55 min): - (20 min): Movie
Explorations: Paper Discussion
& play- doh plasmids
(problem solving)

Friday - (55 min): Lecture: - (55 min): Water

GMOs I Quality Testing Lab II
- (55 min): Biotech - (55 min):
Correlations: Bioremediation Lab I
Bioremediation (25
min): Lecture GMOs
II
- (30 min): Course
Discussion: “Should
GMOs be regulated?”

Resource Links:

1. Rebecca Skloot Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP4q461AKNk

2. TEDTALK: http://www.ted.com/talks/james_watson_on_how_he_discovered_dna.html
Week 2

Day Morning (3 hrs) Afternoon (2 hrs) Evening (2 hrs)

Sunday - (35 min): Henrietta

Lacks chapter
discussion
- (35 min): Discuss
Lecture Objective
Questions
- (45 min): Peer Review
Lab report Draft

Monday - (55 min): Lecture: - (55 min): Cholesterol - (55 min): Pedigree
Chromosomal Basis Gene Detection Lab and Punnett Square
of Inheritance - (55 min): Gene Practice
- (55 min): Detection practice - (55 min): Gene
Explorations: exercises Detection Lab Report
Interpreting Pedigrees Due, discuss findings
- (55 min): Clinical
Correlations:
Medical
Biotechnology

Tuesday - (55 min): Lecture: - (55 min): Identifying - (55 min):

Molecular Basis of GMO Crops Lab COMPUTER LAB
Inheritance - (55 min): DNA - (55 min):
- (55 min): Biotech forensics skill check COMPUTER LAB
Correlations:
Agricultural
Biotechnology
- (55 min):
Explorations: The
FDA & screening
Agriculture

Wednesday - (55 min): Lecture: - (55 min): Modeling - (55 min): Discuss
Eukaryotic Genomes Concepts (play-doh Lecture Objective
- (55 min): Biotech constructs) Questions
Correlations: - (55 min): pGLO - (55 min): Henrietta
Restriction enzymes Transformation Lab I Lacks chapter
& Genetic discussion
Engineering
- (55 min):
Explorations: Paper
& play- doh plasmids
(introduction)
Day Morning (3 hrs) Afternoon (2 hrs) Evening (2 hrs)

Thursday - (55 min): Lecture: - (55 min): Water - (35 min): Discuss
Genetics of Viruses Quality Testing Lab I Lecture Objective
and Bacteria - (55 min): QUIZ!!! & Questions
- (55 min): Biotech peer grading - (55 min): “The
Correlations: Quality Biotech Revolution”
Assurance in Society (July 4)
- (55 min): - (20 min): Movie
Explorations: Paper Discussion
& play- doh plasmids
(problem solving)

Friday - (55 min): Lecture: - (55 min): Water

GMOs I Quality Testing Lab II
- (55 min): Biotech - (55 min):
Correlations: Bioremediation Lab I
Bioremediation
- (25 min): Lecture:
GMOs II
- (30 min): Course
Discussion: “Should
GMOs be regulated?”

Resource Links:

1. The Biotech Revolution: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bukTqyWgaM8

Week 3

Day Morning (3 hrs) Afternoon (2 hrs) Evening (2 hrs)

Sunday - (35 min): Overview of

Ligation & Gene
Expression
- (35 min): Henrietta
Lacks chapter
discussion
- (40 min): Peer Review
Lab report Draft

Monday - (55 min): Lecture: - (55 min): Gene - (55 min):

From Genes to Product Screening COMPUTER LAB
Proteins Lab (ELISA) - (55 min): Gene
- (55 min): Online - (55 min): Lab Retrials Product detection lab
Tutorial: report due; discuss
“Repressible vs. findings.
Inducible genes”
- (55 min): Biotech
Correlations:
Detecting Gene
Products

Tuesday - (55 min): Lecture: - (55 min): Blood - (55 min):

DNA Technology I Typing Lab COMPUTER LAB
- (55 min): Biotech - (55 min): Western - (55 min): CTY
Correlations: Blood Blot Analysis I Presents drafts Due &
Typing and Western Peer/Instructor
Blots Review
- (55 min): Biotech
Correlations: History
of PCR analysis

Wednesday - (55 min): Lecture: - (55 min): - (55 min): Course

DNA Technology II Bioremediation Lab II Content Review
- (55 min): Clinical - (55 min): Western - (55 min): Henrietta
Correlations: Blot Analysis II Lacks chapter
Medical Gene discussion
Therapy case study at
UPenn-Hopkins
- (55 min): Debates:
“When is Gene
Therapy appropriate?”
Day Morning (3 hrs) Afternoon (2 hrs) Evening (2 hrs)

Thursday - (55 min): Post- - (55 min): - (55 min): Final Lab
assessment Transformation II reports due; discuss
- (55 min): Lecture: - (55 min): CTY findings
Biotech Presents Recitation - (55 min):
Frontiers/Careers in COMPUTER LAB
Biotechnology
- (55 min): Discussion:
Q & A about Biotech
Seminar Series

Friday - (25 min): CTY

Presents: Biotech
Seminar Series (BSS)
Group I
- (25 min): CTY
Presents: BSS Group
II
- (25 min): CTY
Presents: BSS Group
III
- (25 min): CTY
Presents: BSS Group
IV
- (30 min): Pathway to
Biotech
- (30 min): Summary of
Learning