Students from the Biotech Lab have won awards in the several regional Tri Beta Meetings. This includes the sweep of the 1998 conference at the Air Force Academy of the first two places in both Undergraduate and Graduate Divisions.
Students have also won the Eli Lilly award at SACNAS (1998) and the MAC undergraduate award at the American Society for Cell Biology meeting (1999)
The Biotechnology Laboratory is set up for all basic and many advanced application of Molecular and Cellular Biology all performed by undergraduate students.
Facilities available allow undergraduate and graduates students as well as faculty to use:
Molecular Biology techniques available and equipment for use
Equipment:
- Refrigerated centrifuge [One clinical refrigerated centrifuge and one medium speed (Fisher 13K Marathon)
- Beckmann Ultra Centrifuge (in basement)
- Microfuges
- Micropipettes (including electronic and syringe multidispensing pipettes)
- Heating blocks
- UV/VIS Spectrophotometer (Genosys system)
- Hybridization oven for blots
- Thermocyclers for PCR
- Incubators (both walkin (37oC) and bench top (currently 30oC and 37oC)]
- Walk-in cold room (4oC)
- Shaking incubators (currently 30oC and 37oC)
- Shaking platforms
- Electrophoresis chambers for both Nucleic Acid and Protein Gels
- Transblotter for transfer of Proteins or Nucleic acids for blots
Electroporators
- Vortexes
- Sonicator for cell disruption
- Refrigerators (4o), Frost Free (-20oC) Freezer, and (-80oC) Freezer
- Epi-Fluorescence microscope with digital imaging system (Zeiss Axioskop with cooled CCD Spot Camera)
- Yeast Genetics Disecting Microscope (with micromanipulator)
- Digital Gel Documentation system (Kodak 1D EDAS system)
- CO2 incubator and Clean Hood for Mammalian Cell Culture
- Flow cytometer (Epics PROFILE II)
Techniques that are routinely done in the laboratory:
- DNA, RNA, and Protein Isolation
- Nucleic Acid and Protein Gel electrophoresis
- DNA, RNA, and Protein Blots (Southerns, northerns, and westerns)
- Epi-Fluorescence Microscopy
- Enzyme assays
- Polymerase Chain Reaction
- UV/VIS spectrophotometer
- Flow Cytometry
- Bacterial and Fungal Culture Analysis
- Mammalian Cell Culture (in the Cell Biology Teaching Laboratory)
- Fluorescence Microscope
Several projects have used these facilities including:
- Development of yeast wtih gene deletions in specific aminopeptidase genes, Cell cycle analysis, microarray analysis of gene regulation
- Analysis of genomic differences in Frankia nodulating plants
- Analysis of DNA damage due to psoralen exposure
- DNA typing of Rainbow and Cut-throat trout
- solation and Characterization of Acid Phosphatase from Penicillium
- Isolation and detection of DNA of pathogens in water supplies