Integrated Genomics – A Discovery–Based Laboratory Course

Integrated Genomics: A Discovery-Based Laboratory Course introduces the excitement of discovery to the basic molecular biology laboratory. Utilizing up-to-date molecular biology protocols and a basic experimental design, this text offers experience with three different model systems. Students will become familiar with the simplicity and power of single-celled organisms, Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as they search for genes that interact and function within the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.

Incorporated throughout the course are exercises designed to offer students familiarity with the wealth of bioinformatics data that can be accessed on the World Wide Web. Following completion of interaction studies within the yeast, the course is designed to allow students to examine the functional consequences of reducing a gene’s function within the multicellular worm that is both simple and inexpensive to maintain within a laboratory. The inclusion of alternative experiments allow for flexibility in determining the ending date or goal of the laboratory, as well as working within the available budget and resources of most any classroom environment.

Further striking features of this title are:

• An accompanying Web site providing PowerPoint slides, plus links to the internet, and regular updates as bioinformatics databases evolve and methods improve. www.wiley.com/go/caldwell
• Inclusion of modern genomic/proteomic technologies such as the yeast two-hybrid system and RNAi
• Detailed experimental protocols and easy access to instructional materials

This discovery-based laboratory course provides excellent practical training for those pursuing career paths in biomedicine, pharmacy, and biotechnology.

Guy A. Caldwell, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, where since 1999, he has held an undergraduate professorial appointment from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.  In 2001, Dr. Caldwell was named a Basil O'Connor Scholar of The March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation for his research into the molecular basis of childhood birth defects of the brain. Dr. Caldwell is a recipient of grants from The March of Dimes, National Institutes of Health, the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation, American Parkinson’s Disease Association, Parkinson's Disease Foundation, and the National Parkinson Foundation. In January 2003, The Caldwell lab was selected as one of only 11 worldwide to represent the research goals of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in their Protein Degradation Grant Initiative. For his combined teaching and research efforts, Dr. Caldwell was also chosen as the recipient of a 2003 CAREER award from the National Science Foundation, the most prestigious honor for young faculty bestowed by that organization. He is the author of 2 editions of a widely adopted textbook in biotechnology sold worldwide in 3 languages by Harcourt. He currently teaches courses in Molecular Genomics, Neuronal Signaling Mechanisms, General Biology, and an acclaimed seminar on the societal impact of the Human Genome Project.

Shelli N. Williams, B.Sc., is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Biological Sciences at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, where she has attended the university as an undergraduate and graduate student since 1997.  Following her early graduation magna cum laude from the university, Ms. Williams began her graduate work in the laboratory of Dr. Guy A. Caldwell.  She has experience teaching introductory biology courses to both major and non-major students and has served as teaching assistant for a senior level discovery-based genomics course funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. 

Kim A. Caldwell, Ph.D. is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at The University of Alabama Dr. Caldwell serves as an administrative liaison for a 1.8 million dollar grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to the Department of Biological Sciences at Alabama and is Director of the HHMI Rural Science Scholars program at Alabama.   She has designed and taught courses in General Biology, a seminar on the societal impact of the Human Genome Project, and course is a entitled “The Language of Research” which she teaches jointly for Howard Hughes Research Interns at both Stillman College and The University of Alabama.