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Curricula

BABEC supports the following curricula with professional development, reagents and some equipment. Extensive equipment support is available through the local partnerships. Developed and tested in-house, these curricula meet and, in some cases, exceed the recommendations of the National Science Education Standards and the State of California Science Standards. Students model the scientific method: they hypothesize, experiment, collect and analyze their data, and support their conclusions with evidence, all in the context of contemporary issues in biotechnology.

To read more about any of our curricula or download student PDF files, please select from the menu on the left or click on a link below. Registered and authenticated teachers are allowed downloads of teacher files upon login.

PCR-based lab activities

  • Alu PV92 PCR* - Introduces students to PCR, issues of identity and issues of privacy.

  • D1S80 VNTR PCR* - Students use the VNTR locus D1S80 for human identification.
  • GMO PCR* - Students test their food or plants for genetically modified elements.

  • Lambda PCR* - PCR amplification of a segment of bacteriophage Lambda DNA.

  • MtDNA PCR/Sequencing* - Students use mitochondrial DNA and sequencing as a molecular clock.

  • PCR Optimization* - Students learn how experimental variables affect the polymerase chain reaction.

Fluorescent protein-based lab activities

  • AMGEN/ Bruce Wallace Lab - Use recombinant DNA technology to create plasmids containing the gene for red fluorescent protein, then express and purify the protein
  • BioBridge Fluorescent Proteins Lab - Tranform bacteria with "fruit-colored" fluorescent proteins, express, and then purify the proteins using a column. Curriculum created by BioBridge (UCSD) with assistance from the EBBEP partnership.
  • pGLO Transformation - Insert the plasmid with the jellyfish green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene into E.coli to create green glowing bacteria.

Forensic Science

  • Forensic Science - This group of labs and resources investigates how to assess and scientifically evaluate the evidence at a crime scene.

*Curricula marked with an asterisk are available for download in PDF file format.