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Education of algae biofuels and phylogenetic trees for undergraduate students in a laboratory setting
Author(s) -
Larson Sabreena,
Jensen Travis,
Keller Bryant,
Patel Niraj,
Bailey Cheryl
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.612.6
Subject(s) - phylogenetic tree , algae , set (abstract data type) , tree (set theory) , biological sciences , sequence (biology) , biology , mathematics education , computer science , ecology , computational biology , psychology , mathematics , genetics , mathematical analysis , gene , programming language
As alternative fuel research continues it is important to educate students as to be an active part of the scientific community. By integrating a new and interesting research area, such as algae biofuels, with a basic concept it is possible to have more student involvement and interaction. Here we use interactive worksheets combining basic knowledge of algae, DNA, and our basic concept: phylogenetic trees. The worksheets are supported by laboratory experiments where the students extract algal DNA, amplify a specific region, obtain the sequence and then build a phylogenetic tree with their obtained sequence and other sequences provided to identify the algal species. The laboratory module is being implemented at three different universities in Nebraska: Creighton University, University of Nebraska‐Kearney, and University of Nebraska‐Lincoln. The laboratory module is set up to cover multiple skills and education requirements so that it may fit in to a multitude of classes. Currently it is being implemented in a microbiology lab course, biochemistry lab course, and cellular biology lab course. This research is funded by: NSF EPSCoR‐ 1004–094