COURSE DESCRIPTION:

The primary objective of this course is to prepare students for conducting research towards generating a thesis in Biochemical Engineering. The 'target industry' for biochemical / biomolecular engineering is the pharmaceutical industry. More information about the bioprocess Engineering option in Chemical Engineering can be found on the Departmental web page.

COURSE CONTENT:

The course will consist of two predominant components. One part emphacises laboratory techniques and proceedures with an emphacis on learning to grow organisms in aseptic culture.

Laboratory Techniques:

A check-list of laboratory techniques has been generated and posted outside Dr. Curtis's office. The intention is for you to 'check off' these various activities by first working with either Dr. Curtis or another student in the lab, then carry out these exercises independently to demonstrate that you can 'master' these basic techniques. In the process, you will meet people and become familiarized with the lab with the intention of gaining some confidence towards executing independent research.

Topics include:

1. Review of Lab Training Manual. This manual is available from the password protected area of Dr. Curtis's web page.
2. Safety traing session - Scheduled with office of Enviornmental Health and Safety. This is a required instructional session for ALL personelle that will be working in a research laboratory environment at Penn State. You should schedule this ASAP! - preferably the Jan. 8th or 16th time slot.
3. Media Preparation (liquid) - autoclave use, small laboratory instrumentation.
4. Tissue culture techique - subculture, sterile laminar flow hood use.
5. Media Preparation (solid plates) - 'pouring plates', antibiotic use, pathogen containment.
6. Bacterial culture - plating, Optical density measurements, spiral plater(optional).

Research Instruction:

The intention of this part of the course is to get into the details of conducting research. Rather than teach information in an abstract sense, the idea is to have students choose a research topic that will eventually become a thesis research topic. This way, issues of literature search, experimental design, etc., can be taught using specific examples that students in the class are actively involved with. 'Lectures' may take place in an appropriote location such as the library, in the lab etc. The intention is to meet for a few hours for 6-7 times througout the semester.
Current thesis topics for undergraduates are maintained in the password protected area of Dr. Curtis's web page.

Topics include:

1. Organizational / Perspective: Description of topics, tour of labs and bioprocessing center. Specific Objective is to understand the 'bigger picture' of bioprocessing and to choose a research topic.
2. Research Documentation: Keeping a lab notebook, documenting ideas; Information confidentiality, patent discloser process.
3. Literature review: Understand the logic of searching and specifics of PSU resources in life sciences. Understand laboratory literature database. Specific Objective is to innitiate a literature review on your research topic; start the process of creating a background understanding and literature database.
4. Experimental design / statistics: Rather than the typical abstract instruction, experimental design and analysis will be discussed in the context of progress in projects ongoing in the class. Specific Objective is to understand the design of a specific experiment and the associated statistical analysis of the result; also generate a specific experimental design for your thesis topic.
5. Too Be determined based on class progression. The hope is that things will get going to the point where any additional 'instruction' will be on an individual basis with your project.

COURSE PHILOSOPHY:

The plan is to have fun. I am hoping that some discover a passion for discovery!