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Cochise College

Cochise College is Arizona's largest rural community college, providing education services to residents of Cochise and Santa Cruz Counties. Programs are delivered at campuses in Douglas and Sierra Vista, Arizona; at centers in Benson, Wilcox, Nogales, and Fort Huachuca; and online through our Virtual Campus. Cochise College faculty and staff have received both regional and national recognition for their efforts in meeting a diverse student population and local community needs (College fact sheet, 2010/11).

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Our Faculty in the Physical and Biological Sciences are committed to excellence in teaching and are in the process of developing a strong undergraduate research effort in the STEM disciplines. Our initial effort under the CCURI project includes a research methods course that will introduce promising undergraduate students at the College to the roles of a scientist in academic research. In this course, we will train students to think critically, analyze chemical literature, present their findings in journal and poster format, and to perform basic research techniques. After the course, students will work on an independent research project with a Faculty mentor of their choosing.

Visit the Cochise College Undergraduate Research Website.

Genomic and proteomics studies can reveal multi-dimensional aspects of biological model organisms. DNA sequencing, short tandem repeats are utilized to characterize organism’s phylogenetic relationships; another approach is to study the various proteins. Many genomic studies utilize extraction of the nucleic acids and amplification to help making detection more straightforward.  There is no proteomic procedure similar to PCR which would identify proteins at the concentration at which they exist naturally and in the presence of a great many other proteins for any comparative studies.  Most methods for studying proteins revolve around running 1D, 2D, or 3D gels and comparing and identifying similar proteins.The proteomics approach is valuable when there is very little known about the genome of an organism.  The gene is a blue print for making proteins; hence, a study of proteins can give an insight to the expression of the genes.

In order to identify proteins using various electrophoresis techniques, the proteins must be extracted. The significance of the extracted protein concentration is essential for loading an equal amount of protein for the Vertical Gel SDS Page Electrophoresis for identifying these proteins. To accomplish this task, various methods of protein extraction were developed and tested to determine which would produce the highest concentration of protein in the sample. In this study we developed the superlative protocol for protein extraction from Bean Beetles (Callosobruchus maculatus).

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Participating Faculty

Tasneem Ashraf, Biology

Eric Brooks, Biology

Edmund Priddis, Biology

Feng Yang, Physics and Engineering

Kari Durham, Biology

Hannah Jones, Science Lab Manager

Contact us:

For questions, please contact Tasneem Ashraf.

Vision and Change Implementation

 

Integrate Core Concepts and Competencies throughout the Curriculum

  • Introduce the scientific process to students early, and integrate it into all undergraduate biology courses

  • Relate abstract concepts in biology to real ­world examples on a regular basis, and make biology content relevant by presenting problems in a real ­life context 

  • Stimulate the curiosity students have for learning about the natural world

  • Demonstrate both the passion scientists have for their discipline and their delight in sharing their understanding of the world with students

 

Focus on Student ­Centered Learning

  • Engage students as active participants, not passive recipients, in all undergraduate biology courses

  • Use multiple modes of instruction in addition to the traditional lecture

  • Introduce research experiences as an integral component of biology education for all students, regardless of their major

  • Integrate multiple forms of assessment to track student learning

 

Promote a Campus wide Commitment to Change

  • Mobilize all stakeholders, from students to administrators, to commit to improving the quality of undergraduate biology education

  • Support the development of a true community of scholars dedicated to advancing the life sciences and the science of teaching

  • Advocate for increased status, recognition, and rewards for innovation in teaching, student success, and other educational outcome

 

Engage the Biology Community in the Implementation of Change

  • Promote more concept­ oriented undergraduate biology courses, and help all students learn how to integrate facts into larger conceptual contexts 

  • Provide all biology faculty with access to the teaching and learning research referenced throughout this report, and encourage its application when developing courses 

  • Create active ­learning environments for all students, even those in first ­year biology courses

High Impact Practices Implementation

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Collaborative Assignments and Projects

Undergraduate Research

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