Abstract
Statement of Problem There is a great need to conduct research prior to graduate school in order to retain students for graduate research and encourage students toward the biotechnology sector. In a standard undergraduate lab class, students often complete lab reports from a lab manual with expected outcomes and situations prepared similarly each semester. Undergraduate students and particularly, underrepresented minority groups that do not perform novel research, typically do not go into research fields or continue onto graduate level research [22]. Due to lack of interest and laboratory research practice in the field, the state and private sector could be losing a significant number of graduates, including many from diverse backgrounds, who could be exceling in the biotechnology field. California State University Sacramento (CSUS) currently places a greater emphasis on its business administration program, with biological sciences ranking as the 5th preferred major among undergraduates [19]. In order to increase diversity in the academic sciences and to make CSU Sacramento the center of excellence for undergraduate education in the sciences, it is necessary to promote student engagement in science through hands-on laboratory activities, encourage strong mentoring relationships among students and faculty, and demonstrate the opportunities for high-paying careers in the scientific field [9]. Presently, at CSU Sacramento, the approach to include undergraduate biology students in original research is being piloted by various undergraduate courses, including Dr. Nicholas Ewing’s undergraduate Plant Anatomy and Advanced Molecular classes. However, there is a need for resources and funding in order to continue the program and further expand this concept to include multiple courses and to build a sustainable course structure. The funding opportunity that this proposal will target is the California State University Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology (CSUPERB) Programmatic Grant Program. The CSUPERB program funds opportunities that will promote innovative educational practices and garner student interest in biotechnology [18]. With these goals in mind, this grant proposal seeks to engage undergraduate students in novel research that will impart the significance of biotechnology to worldwide food security, demonstrate current molecular techniques, and promote an undergraduate research community. It is hoped that upon completion of an academic year, graduate students are then able to utilize the data generated by the undergraduate classes, incorporate it in their research and publish these results. The primary research focus will be on the characterization of novel H+-ATPase gene isoforms in the tomato plant, Solanum lycopersicum. With the professor’s aid, students will identify key regulatory elements on the genes of the tomato proton pump, develop a hypothesis to predict the regulation and function of the proton pump genes, test these hypotheses using reporter gene constructs, and present their findings to the scientific community. By understanding concepts and developing core competencies in biotechnology, students will be better prepared to address complex biology issues that our society faces.