W3050 - Project Lab in Protein Biochemistry

John F. Hunt
702 Fairchild
854-5443
jfh21@columbia.edu
Office Hours: TBA

Location: 700 Fairchild / 753 Mudd
Tuesday & Thursday: 1:10 pm - 6:00 pm
Course Website: https://www1.columbia.edu/sec/cu/biology/courses/w3050/class/index.html

Prerequisite: 1 year of biology (C2005-C2006) plus 1 upper-level course recommended.

Enrollment is not restricted as long as total is no more than 14. Seniors will be given preference in the unlikely event that restriction is necessary. Students with specific questions should e-mail the instructor. The course provides an introduction to professional biomedical laboratory research. Students conduct a portion of an ongoing biochemical research project and write-up their results in a format suitable for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific research journal. Techniques in molecular biology and protein biochemistry are used to address a problem in mechanistic biochemistry or molecular pharmacology. Students are exposed to the full spectrum of techniques used in contemporary protein biochemistry including molecular sequence analysis of genomic databases, molecular cloning and manipulation of recombinant DNA, protein expression in E. coli, protein purification, and biophysical characterization. The course emphasizes the use of critical thinking skills in scientific research while giving students the opportunity to apply the basic knowledge learned in a wide variety of lecture courses in biology and chemistry.