Integration of Undergraduate Research into the Biomolecular Science Curriculum Using Thematically Linked Laboratory Courses in Biochemistry, Chemical Biology, and Neurobiology

Participation in undergraduate research increases student interest and retention in science, recruits students into scientific careers, and instills greater self‐confidence in research skills. With these measurable benefits, incorporating greater authentic, research‐based learning into undergraduate science education has become a major thrust of undergraduate laboratory education. In this presentation, we will describe the introduction of three thematically connected, research‐based laboratories into the molecular science curriculum at Butler University. In these courses, students first synthesize and characterize novel fluorescent imaging agents, use these imaging agents to catalogue the substrate specificity of serine hydrolases from Mycobacterium tuberculosis , and then perform parallel methodologies to measure neural signaling in Caenorhabitis elegans . These three linked courses expose undergraduate students to a diverse set of modern methodologies, increase the level of student inquiry throughout the semester, and culminate in student led undergraduate research projects. The introduction of open‐ended, hypothesis driven research has increased undergraduate student exposure to and participation in scientific research, challenged students to integrate multiple scientific disciplines within the context of a larger scientific investigation, and benefited faculty scholarship output. We will provide an overview of the experimental design for each course, present students’ experimental results, describe measurable student learning gains, and provide examples of how student‐led independent projects have been transitioned into publishable scientific research. Support or Funding Information Funding provided by an NSF TUES Award (DUE‐1140526).