ERIC Number: EJ1180792
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1470-8175
EISSN: N/A
The Beer and Biofuels Laboratory: A Report on Implementing and Supporting A Large, Interdisciplinary, Yeast-Focused Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience
Pedwell, Rhianna K.; Fraser, James A.; Wang, Jack T. H.; Clegg, Jack K.; Chartres, Jy D.; Rowland, Susan L.
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, v46 n3 p213-222 May-Jun 2018
Course-integrated Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) involve large numbers of students in real research. We describe a late-year microbiology CURE in which students use yeast to address a research question around beer brewing or synthesizing biofuel; the interdisciplinary student-designed project incorporates genetics, bioinformatics, biochemistry, analytical chemistry, and microbiology. Students perceived significant learning gains around multiple technical and "becoming a scientist" aspects of the project. The project is demanding for both the students and the academic implementers. We examine the rich landscape of support and interaction that this CURE both encourages and requires while also considering how we can support the exercise better and more sustainably. The findings from this study provide a picture of a CURE implementation that has begun to reach the limits of both the students' and the academics' capacities to complete it.
Descriptors: Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Undergraduate Students, Microbiology, Student Projects, Student Research, Program Implementation, Fuels, Interdisciplinary Approach, Genetics, Achievement Gains, Teaching Methods, Science Activities
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A