Fundamental Laboratory Approaches for Biochemistry and Biotechnology

Book excerpt: Ninfa/Ballou/Benore is a solid biochemistry lab manual, dedicated to developing research skills, allowing students to learn techniques and develop the the critical thinking and organizational approaches necessary to conduct laboratory research. Ninfa/Ballou/Benore focuses on basic biochemistry laboratory techniques but also includes molecular biology exercises, a reflection of most courses which concentrate on traditional biochemistry experiments and techniques. The experiments are designed so that theory and technique are learned as fundamental research tools, and the biochemistry and molecular biology applications are seamlessly integrated throughout the manual. The manual also includes an introduction to ethics in the laboratory, uncommon in similar manuals. Most importantly, perhaps, is the authors’ three-pronged approach to encouraging students to think like a research scientist: first, the authors introduce the scientific method and the hypothesis as a framework for developing conclusive experiments; second, the manual’s experiments are designed to become increasingly complex in order to teach more advanced techniques and analysis; finally, gradually, the students are required to devise their own protocols. In this way, students and instructors are able to break away from a “cookbook” approach and to think and investigate for themselves. Suitable for lower-level and upper-level courses; Ninfa spans these courses and can also be used for some first-year graduate work.