This course taught molecular biology by specifically studying the lux operon, which is the gene that allows for bioluminescence in some organisms. Through various protocols, I was able to carry out lab procedures effectively. The lab focused on these skills: chromosomal isolation, restriction digestion, ligation, transformation, plasmid mini-prep, PCR, sequence analysis, RNA extraction, RT-PCR, and qPCR. With my group members, I was able to write scientific lab reports that demonstrated my understanding of the goals of each lab and explained the methods and results for each. By the end of the course, my lab group and I were finally able to grow bioluminescent bacteria after a couple of tries.
