" The course, which spans two thirds of a semester, provides students with a research-inspired laboratory experience that introduces standard biochemical techniques in the context of investigating a current and exciting research topic, acquired resistance to the cancer drug Gleevec. Techniques include protein expression, purification, and gel analysis, PCR, site-directed mutagenesis, kinase activity assays, and protein structure viewing. This class is part of the new laboratory curriculum in the MIT Department of Chemistry. Undergraduate Research-Inspired Experimental Chemistry Alternatives (URIECA) introduces students to cutting edge research topics in a modular format. Acknowledgments Development of this course was funded through an HHMI Professors grant to Professor Catherine L. Drennan."

This subject deals primarily with kinetic and equilibrium mathematical models of biomolecular interactions, as well as the application of these quantitative analyses to biological problems across a wide range of levels of organization, from individual molecular interactions to populations of cells.

This subject deals primarily with kinetic and equilibrium mathematical models of biomolecular interactions, as well as the application of these quantitative analyses to biological problems across a wide range of levels of organization, from individual molecular interactions to populations of cells.

Cellular responses to DNA damage constitute one of the most important fields in cancer biology. In this class we will analyze classical and recent papers from the primary research literature to gain a profound understand of cell cycle regulation and DNA damage checkpoints that act as powerful emergency brakes to prevent cancer. This course is one of many Advanced Undergraduate Seminars offered by the Biology Department at MIT. These seminars are tailored for students with an interest in using primary research literature to discuss and learn about current biological research in a highly interactive setting. Many instructors of the Advanced Undergraduate Seminars are postdoctoral scientists with a strong interest in teaching.

In this article, Dr. Eric Lander of the Human Genome Project comments on the use of DNA as an identification tool -- the theoretical versus the practical results.

Enzymes, nature's catalysts, are remarkable biomolecules capable of extraordinary specificity and selectivity. Directed evolution has been used to produce enzymes with many unique properties, including altered substrate specificity, thermal stability, organic solvent resistance, and enantioselectivity--selectivity of one stereoisomer over another. The technique of directed evolution comprises two essential steps: mutagenesis of the gene encoding the enzyme to produce a library of variants, and selection of a particular variant based on its desirable catalytic properties. In this course we will examine what kinds of enzymes are worth evolving and the strategies used for library generation and enzyme selection. We will focus on those enzymes that are used in the synthesis of drugs and in biotechnological applications. This course is one of many Advanced Undergraduate Seminars offered by the Biology Department at MIT. These seminars are tailored for students with an interest in using primary research literature to discuss and learn about current biological research in a highly interactive setting. Many instructors of the Advanced Undergraduate Seminars are postdoctoral scientists with a strong interest in teaching.

In this article by An Meeker-O'Connell, discover how DNA evidence is processed before it goes to court.

" This seminar has three purposes. One, it inquires into the causes of military innovation by examining a number of the most outstanding historical cases. Two, it views military innovations through the lens of organization theory to develop generalizations about the innovation process within militaries. Three, it uses the empirical study of military innovations as a way to examine the strength and credibility of hypotheses that organization theorists have generated about innovation in non-military organizations."

" This seminar is designed to be an experimental and hands-on approach to applied chemistry (as seen in cooking). Cooking may be the oldest and most widespread application of chemistry and recipes may be the oldest practical result of chemical research. We shall do some cooking experiments to illustrate some chemical principles, including extraction, denaturation, and phase changes."

Honeybees provide a convenient source of insect flight muscle, a tissue especially rich in mitochondria. These organelles are easily isolated using simple laboratory equipment and their metabolic activity readily measured colorimetrically with the dye 2,6-dichloroindophenol, which changes from blue to colorless when reduced by the electrons produced during respiration. This system is well-suited for studying cell fractionation, experimental isolation of the major subcellular components responsible for glycolysis and the Krebs cycle, and the role of oxygen in respiration. It can also be used for simple enzymology experiments using the Krebs cycle enzyme succinic dehydrogenase.

In this video segment from An Introduction to the Living Cell, explore the inner workings of a cell, including some of its most important organelles.

This exercise will allow students to actively learn about enzyme assays by performing two types that have relevance to the students interests, radial diffusion assay and spectrophotometry, and by using an enzyme, lysozyme, that is easily understandable and is applicable to their studies outside of this lab.

This investigation introduces students to the structure and function of the proteolytic enzyme, bromelain, which is present in large quantities in the fruit, leaves, and stems of pineapple. In this lab exercise, students study the rate at which bromelain catalyzes the hydrolysis of gelatin (substrate) at different temperatures and pHs. Strips of developed black and white photographic film are placed in freshly squeezed pineapple juice under different experimental conditions. The time it takes for the film to clear is used as an indicator of the rate at which bromelain catalyzes the hydrolysis of the substrate (gelatin), which binds the black silver grains to the plastic backing of the film. This lab exercise has been used in traditional non-majors and mixed majors/non-majors General Biology labs and can easily be adapted to an investigative approach.