Abstract
Students in our Biochemistry program are required to take a Biochemical Techniques course, which utilizes a semester‐long project focused on the molecular basis of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML). Students learn about and perform a range of techniques in order to over‐express and purify the Abl kinase, a key player in the development of CML. They subsequently use their Abl protein to assay the effectiveness of a variety of kinase inhibitors used clinically for treating CML patients. Students enjoy the real‐world connections of the course but struggle to connect the details of the work they complete in class with both the scientific discoveries that led to the development of these drugs, as well as how this story is relevant to their own development as scientists. For the past two years, the course has incorporated the book, “The Philadelphia Chromosome: A Genetic Mystery, a Lethal Cancer, and the Improbable Invention of a Lifesaving Treatment”. The book, written by science journalist J. Wapner, blends patient stories, interviews with scientists, and summaries of major scientific discoveries to tell the story of the first highly effective treatment for CML patients. Students find the story compelling, and specific assignments help them connect the scientists and experiments described in the book to their own laboratory work. Substantial improvements in the quality of the introductions written for the final research paper (in the style of a primary literature journal article) have also been scaffolded off the readings from the book. Ethics discussions have been richer, as students have real‐world situations to analyze; discussions of major scientific discoveries of the past 60 years have been easily embedded into various assignments in ways that allowed students to connect them to their current studies. The course also includes a core curriculum iteration focused on Vocation, intended to help students “identify their calling(s) and to connect to needs in the world for the purpose of being fully engaged with life”. Embedding this reading into the curriculum has provided new opportunities for student to connect more deeply with science as a vocational path. Overall, utilizing “The Philadelphia Chromosome” as part of a Biochemical Techniques course has led to improved student outcomes in content acquisition, vocational discernment, and student understanding of both scientific ethics and science history.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
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