20.109

Spring 2007

Instructors: Angela Belcher, Drew Endy, Alan Jasanoff and Natalie Kuldell

Writing Instructor: Harlan Breindel
Oral Presentation Instructor: Atissa Banuazizi

TAs: Sean Clarke, Yoon Sung Nam, Andrea Tentner, Chandni Valiathan

Lecture: T/R 11-12 (13-3101) Lab: T/R 1-5 or W/F 1-5 (13-3095)

Welcome to 20.109! For many of you this will be the first time in a research lab and for others it will not, but it is our goal to make this class a useful and fun introduction to experiments and techniques in biological engineering. There is not time enough to show you everything you’ll need to know if you go on to do research, but after taking this class you should feel confident and familiar with some fundamental experimental approaches and lab protocols. You will develop good habits at the bench, ones that will increase the likelihood of success in your work and ensure the health and safety of you and those around you. By the end of the semester, you should also be aware of good scientific practice, having had some experience with report writing, notebook keeping and publicly presenting your data. All of us involved in teaching 20.109 hope you will find it a satisfying challenge and an exciting experience that has lasting value.

Announcements

• On the reagants list for Day 3, the reverse primer that most of you used (anneals to part of URA3 sequence) was labeled incorrectly. The primer name is still misleading (because that is the name it was ordered under, it will not be changed on the wiki either), BUT the description of where the primer anneals (all the way to the right in the table!) has been updated and is correct. The primer is 30 bases long and anneals to URA3 sequence 191-220 after ATG. Hope that clarification helps!

• Check the discussion tab on the M3D4 page to see images of the PCR products from the reactions that we set up on Day 3, to check for proper insert of the URA3 gene marker in place of the SAGA subunit you chose to delete

• Check the discussion tab on the M3D1 page to see the image of your PCR products from the Day 1 reaction (+template and negative control) run out on a gel, and for a quick summary of what we did!

• PDFs of M3 lecture slides available from Schedule link

• Welcome back from Spring Break! If you want to resubmit the Mod 1 essay, please email your revision to NK and DE before you arrive for lab on 4.3 or 4.4.

• You can find the latest changes to the 20.109 wiki at Recent changes for 20.109

• You can find old announcements here

• Phage Biomaterials Module here