The Gene Machine

• Generally available once a year
• Three credit hours…two hours of lecture + two hours of lab per week
• The Gene Machine explores the science of inheritance, including fascinating questions about genetic engineering, biotechnology, mutant genes and birth defects, and the so-called “Nature vs. Nurture” debate
• Lecture topic focus on the principles of genetics, particularly those that concern the conversion of DNA gene sequences into the instructions for development of the organism
• The lab exercises are designed to introduce the students to the handling and safe treatment of simple genetic research subjects such as Drosophila fruitflies, E. coli bacteria, and the remarkable C. elegans roundworm

The Gene Machine Links:

• National Institutes of Health, National Center for Biotechnology Information (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/About/primer/genetics_molecular.html)
• Human Genome Project (http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/home.shtml)

The Gene Machine News:

• National Public Radio reports on the 50th Anniversary of the DNA revolution…April 2003 (http://www.npr.org/news/specials/dnaanniversary)
• The FBI reports on DNA and criminal investigations…May 2005 (http://www.fbi.gov/hq/lab/labhome.htm)