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A unique large‐scale undergraduate research experience in molecular systems biology for non‐mathematics majors
Author(s) -
Kappler Ulrike,
Rowland Susan L.,
Pedwell Rhianna K.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
biochemistry and molecular biology education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.34
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1539-3429
pISSN - 1470-8175
DOI - 10.1002/bmb.21033
Subject(s) - systems biology , scale (ratio) , mathematics education , undergraduate research , variety (cybernetics) , computer science , biology , computational biology , mathematics , artificial intelligence , medical education , physics , medicine , quantum mechanics
Systems biology is frequently taught with an emphasis on mathematical modeling approaches. This focus effectively excludes most biology, biochemistry, and molecular biology students, who are not mathematics majors. The mathematical focus can also present a misleading picture of systems biology, which is a multi‐disciplinary pursuit requiring collaboration between biochemists, bioinformaticians, and mathematicians. This article describes an authentic large‐scale undergraduate research experience (ALURE) in systems biology that incorporates proteomics, bacterial genomics, and bioinformatics in the one exercise. This project is designed to engage students who have a basic grounding in protein chemistry and metabolism and no mathematical modeling skills. The pedagogy around the research experience is designed to help students attack complex datasets and use their emergent metabolic knowledge to make meaning from large amounts of raw data. On completing the ALURE, participants reported a significant increase in their confidence around analyzing large datasets, while the majority of the cohort reported good or great gains in a variety of skills including “analysing data for patterns” and “conducting database or internet searches.” An environmental scan shows that this ALURE is the only undergraduate‐level system‐biology research project offered on a large‐scale in Australia; this speaks to the perceived difficulty of implementing such an opportunity for students. We argue however, that based on the student feedback, allowing undergraduate students to complete a systems‐biology project is both feasible and desirable, even if the students are not maths and computing majors. © 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(3):235–248, 2017.