Undergraduate Laboratory
Undergraduate Laboratory - Related Videos
14:13
Detecting Estrogenic Ligands in Personal Care Products using a Yeast Estrogen Screen Optimized for the Undergraduate Teaching Laboratory
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Cited by 1 •
2018
This article presents an optimized yeast estrogen screen for quantifying ligands in Personal Care Products (PCPs) that bind estrogen receptors alpha (ERα) and/or beta (ERβ). The method incorporates two colorimetric substrate options, a six-day refrigerated incubation for use in undergraduate courses, and statistical tools for data analysis.
09:48
Employing Pressurized Hot Water Extraction (PHWE) to Explore Natural Products Chemistry in the Undergraduate Laboratory
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Cited by 13 •
2018
Here, we employ a pressurized hot water extraction (PHWE) method, which utilizes an unmodified household espresso machine to introduce undergraduates to natural products chemistry in the laboratory. Two experiments are presented: PHWE of eugenol and acetyleugenol from cloves and PHWE of seselin and (+)-epoxysuberosin from the Australian plant Correa reflexa.
07:32
Use of Galvanic Skin Responses, Salivary Biomarkers, and Self-reports to Assess Undergraduate Student Performance During a Laboratory Exam Activity
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Cited by 21 •
2016
Research on undergraduate students' academic achievement emotions have primarily relied on self-reports in laboratory settings. Studies rarely include bio-physiological measures to these self-reports. This protocol will describe a methodology that integrates self-reports with and bio-physiological measures to assess student response and performance during a laboratory examination activity.
08:02
Benchtop Immobilized Metal Affinity Chromatography, Reconstitution and Assay of a Polyhistidine Tagged Metalloenzyme for the Undergraduate Laboratory
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Cited by 1 •
2018
Here we present a protocol for the benchtop immobilized metal affinity chromatography purification and subsequent reconstitution of a polyhistidine tagged, non-heme iron binding dioxygenase suitable for the undergraduate teaching laboratory.
06:19
Decontamination for Laboratory Biosafety
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2023
Robert M. Rioux and Zhifeng Chen, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA Decontamination is essential for laboratory biosafety, as the accumulation of microbial contamination in the laboratory can lead to the transmission of disease. The degree of decontamination can be classified as either disinfection or sterilization. Disinfection aims to eliminate all pathogenic microorganisms, with the exception of bacterial spores on lab surfaces or equipment. Sterilization, on the other hand,...
FAQs
By fixing relevant conditions and changing or examining defined factors, students can connect an observed biochemical change to a specific experimental question. Comparisons made under the same protocol make measurements easier to interpret as evidence rather than isolated observations. This approach helps link molecular explanations with quantitative results.
Calibrated instruments and accurate pipetting are important because biochemical measurements depend on the amount of sample and the conditions used for a reaction. In an undergraduate laboratory, practicing these operations teaches students to prepare samples consistently and generate measurements that can be analyzed alongside the relevant protocol and reaction.
Enzyme-catalyzed changes provide a direct way to connect protein function with measurable biochemical behavior. Students can examine how a reaction changes under defined conditions, then interpret the resulting measurements in relation to enzyme activity and molecular interactions. The exercise turns an abstract mechanism into evidence that can be evaluated quantitatively.
A typical exercise begins with following a protocol and preparing the required samples, continues with measurements from calibrated instruments, and ends with analysis of the collected data. Students then interpret the reaction or other biochemical result and communicate their findings. Keeping these stages connected helps relate practical actions to scientific conclusions.
Data analysis allows students to do more than list observed values. They can examine quantitative results, relate them to the biochemical reaction or molecular interaction being studied, and decide what the evidence supports. Communicating that interpretation further develops scientific reasoning because students must connect experimental observations, analytical conclusions, and the concepts that motivated the exercise.
Safety is part of technical competence, not a separate concern from experimental work. As students handle samples, instruments, and reactions, safety practices provide the framework for carrying out protocols responsibly. Learning these practices alongside pipetting, measurement, and analysis helps prepare students for research, quality control, biotechnology, and continued life-science training.
The practical foundation developed through laboratory exercises transfers to research, quality control, biotechnology, and further training in the life sciences. Students gain experience with protocols, sample preparation, calibrated measurement, data interpretation, and scientific communication. These connected skills help them approach later laboratory work with a clearer understanding of both molecular concepts and experimental evidence.