20.109(S17): Spring 2017 schedule

Welcome to 20.109! It is our goal to make this class a useful and fun introduction to experiments and techniques in biological engineering. Though there is not time enough to show you everything needed to do research, after this class you will feel confident and familiar with some fundamental experimental approaches and laboratory 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 scientific writing, notebook keeping, and orally presenting data and your ideas. All of us involved in teaching 20.109 hope you will find it a satisfying challenge and an exciting experience that has lasting value.

Schedule details:
Lecture: T/R 11-12 (4-149)
Laboratory sections: T/R 1-5 or W/F 1-5 (56-322)

MODULE	DAY	DATE	LECTURER	LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS	ASSIGNMENTS
		T/W Feb 7/8	NLL Orientation lecture	Orientation Prelab T/R Prelab W/F
1	1	R/F Feb 9/10	AK Snow day	In silico cloning and induce protein expression Prelab T/R Prelab W/F	Orientation quiz Homework due
1	2	T/W Feb 14/15	AK M1L1	Purify induced protein Prelab T/R Prelab W/F	Homework due
1	3	R/F Feb 16/17	AK M1L2	Evaluate purity and concentration of protein Prelab T/R Prelab W/F	Laboratory quiz Homework due
		T/W Feb 21/22		President's day holiday
1	4	R/F Feb 23/24	AK M1L3	Screen ligand library for FKBP12 binders Prelab T/R Prelab W/F	Homework due
1	5	T/W Feb/Mar 28/1	SD M1L4	Scan slides to identify FKBP12 binders Prelab T/R Prelab W/F	Laboratory quiz Homework due
1	6	R/F Mar 2/3	AK M1L5	Complete data analysis Prelab T/R Prelab W/F	Homework due
1	7	T/W Mar 7/8	AK	Identify chemical structures common in FKBP12 binders Prelab T/R Prelab W/F	Laboratory quiz Homework due
2	1	R/F Mar 9/10	LS M2L1	Confirm cell lines and practice tissue culture techniques	Homework due
2	2	T/W Mar 14/15	LS	Prepare Western blot and induce DNA damage for quantitative PCR assay	Laboratory quiz Homework due Data Summary draft due Mon, Mar 13 at 10 pm
2	3	R/F Mar 16/17	LS	Purify RNA for quantitative PCR assay and treat cells for viability assay	Homework due Mini presentation due Sat, Mar 18 at 10 pm
2	4	T/W Mar 21/22	LS	Complete cell viability assay and examine transcript levels in response to DNA damage	Laboratory quiz Homework due
2	5	R/F Mar 23/24	DC	Journal club I
		T/W Mar 28/29		Spring vacation	Data Summary revision due Mon, Mar 27 at 10 pm
		R/F Mar 30/31		Spring vacation
2	6	T/W Apr 4/5	EF	Practice data analysis methods	Blog post due Mon, Apr 3 at 10 pm Homework due
2	7	R/F Apr 6/7	EF	Analyze RNA-seq data	Homework due
2	8	T/W Apr 11/12	LS	Journal club II
2	9	R/F Apr 13/14	NLL	Examine quantitative PCR results	Laboratory quiz Homework due Blog post due Sat, Apr 15 at 10 pm
		T/W Apr 18/19		Patriot's day holiday
3	1	R/F Apr 20/21	AB	Grow phage active material	Homework due Research article due April 22 at 10 pm Blog post due Sun, Apr 23 at 10 pm
3	2	T/W Apr 25/26	AB	Purify phage active material	Laboratory quiz Homework due
3	3	R/F Apr 27/28		Construct cathode with phage active material	Homework due
3		T/W May 2/3	AB	Lecture, but no laboratory
3	4	R/F May 4/5	AB	Visualize phage nanowires using TEM	Homework due
3	5	T/W May 9/10	AB	Assemble and test battery	Laboratory quiz Homework due
		R/F May 11/12		Research proposal presentations	Blog post due Thu/Fri, May 11/12 at 10 pm
		T/W May 16/17		Open office hours	Mini report due Tue/Wed, May 16/17 at 10 pm
		R May 18		Feedback and celebratory lunch