Summer Biotechnology Course for Science Teachers

MBBE 461 Biotechnology for Science Teachers (credits: 2): Modern biotechnology is often called as molecular biotechnology, which is relatively a new technology based on genetic engineering for producing useful products and services. This emerging technology is going to have a major impact on our lives in this century and beyond. With the completion of the human genome project, a new generation of recombinant drugs and vaccines will soon be available for treatment and prevention of illness. New crop plants such as “Golden Rice” producing vitamin A in rice grain will revolutionize agriculture. It is important that we teach this technology now at schools. Science teachers of Hawaii can immensely benefit from this course, which will be taught by Professor Dulal Borthakur. The two-week summer curriculum will include lectures, discussions and some laboratory demonstrations on recombinant DNA technology. The topics for discussion include: classical examples in biotechnology, concept of a gene, cDNA, gene regulation, methods in creating recombinant DNA molecules, plasmids, gene library, expression vectors, genetic transformation, conjugation, transfection, PCR, isolation of cloned genes, mutagenesis, production of commercial products in bacteria, plants and animals, transgenic fishes, cloning animals, and recombinant vaccines.