Student-designed research projects in the biochemistry laboratory

CHED 1802

Darren G. Stoub, dstoub@rollins.edu, Department of Chemistry, Rollins College, 1000 Holt Ave, Box 2743, Winter Park, FL 32789-4499
Undergraduate, collaborative research projects have a profound impact on all participants; however, not all students are able to participate in these projects. Despite this, we must make efforts to provide all students with laboratory experiences that assist students in becoming independent scientists. The complexity of this process can be developed using student-directed research projects in laboratory courses. In this presentation, we will discuss the pros and cons of using and designing student-initiated research projects in the biochemistry laboratory. Two such projects will be discussed: Purification of an unknown protein from various tissues; and, Investigation of Michaelis Menton rate constants on cAMP-dependent Protein Kinase mutants (PKA).