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Articulating clear and achievable expectations is fundamental to both education and organizational management. In this article, we provide a simple intervention for clarifying expectations--and establishing that these expectations have been understood--which proved beneficial both to community college interns and to their internship mentors in biotech-related undergraduate research experiences. Internship mentors were asked to utilize a simple Expectation Clarity Tool to outline the expectations, success metrics, baseline assessments, and training strategy and support that would be foundational to their intern's project. These included expectations around conceptual, technical, performance, and professional skills and behaviors. Concurrently, but independently, community college interns were asked to complete the same type of exercise as a way of identifying gaps in their knowledge and understanding of their mentor's expectations and their internship project. The mentor's completed Expectation Clarity Tool was then shared with their intern. As a result of completing this relatively simple intervention, the majority of mentors reported that it increased their confidence as a mentor, taught them a new mentoring skill, changed how they will mentor trainees moving forward, and positively impacted their relationship with their trainee. On the intern side, the majority of interns reported that engaging in this intervention, both as an independent exercise and in obtaining their mentor's completed Expectation Clarity Tool, increased their confidence as an intern and positively impacted the success of their internship.

Growing concerns about the employability of science graduates has led most Australian higher education providers to incorporate work-integrated learning (WIL) into their science curricula. Project-based learning (PjBL) is a student-centred approach to learning that focuses on the application of discipline specific skills and knowledge in real-world contexts. While a large body of research exists exploring PjBL frameworks and theories related to student experience, research into industry perspectives and viewpoints is limited. This study aimed to determine the views of industry professionals on PjBL as a form of WIL, and to ascertain whether industry professionals consider PjBL effective for the development of desirable graduate skills. The perspectives of industry partners were canvased through a mixed-methods approach comprising surveys and interviews. Participants (n=18) were asked to indicate their opinions regarding development of graduate skills through PjBL generally and in relation to two authentic examples of PjBL in WIL. The results of this study indicate that industry partners preferred longer-term, workplace-integrated industry projects for developing graduate skills and preparing graduates for the workforce. Industry partners interviewed generally exhibited positive views of PjBL, identifying students' attitudes and communication skills as beneficial factors. Some industry partners indicated current graduate programs where insufficient in preparing students for employment. These results highlight the importance workplace integration in successful implementation of PjBL as a form of WIL, and the need for stronger collaboration between employers and academia to correct the current misalignment between graduate skills and industry requirements.

Biotechnology has great importance as a socioscientific issue in STEM education. This study aimed to explore the knowledge and attitudes of college students toward biotechnology. A total of 236 university students participated in the study. Questionnaires on knowledge and attitudes towards biotechnology were used for data collection. The results revealed that participants had inadequate knowledge about several basic concepts related to genetics and biotechnology, particularly those concerning genetically modified organisms. The results regarding the attitudes revealed more neutral results. The participants had a neutral attitude towards biotechnology, with mean scores ranging from 2.71 to 3.55. They were generally against buying genetically modified products but supported biotechnology for medical purposes and strongly desired to increase their knowledge about genetically modified products. The participants did not have a negative opinion of biotechnology in general but were critical of its purpose and use. The correlation analysis between knowledge and attitudes produced weak correlations. Offering supplementary resources on biotechnology can enhance students' and individual's understanding and attitudes of this topic.

Pre-service science teachers need to be aware of eco-literacy and biotechnology as they will teach science subjects to students from the perspectives of 21st-century skills. This study aimed to develop a web-based module on biotechnology and examine preservice science teachers' eco-literacy skills after using the developed module. The study used a research and development design adopting Molenda's product development model (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation/ADDIE). There were 60 students majoring in science education as the research participants. The data were collected using a needs analysis questionnaire, a curriculum analysis form, a validation sheet, tests, and a response questionnaire. The obtained quantitative data were analyzed using IBM SPSS 25 with descriptive statistical tests with Swanson's quantifications. Results showed that the web-based module on biotechnology could be developed through ADDIE stages with experts' high validity results (M = 4.59, valid with revision). The module significantly improved the teachers' eco-literacy skills on biotechnology topics (F = 14.053, p = 0.000, N = 60). This result implies that the web-based module on biotechnology can assist preservice science teachers in improving their eco-literacy skills.

A comprehensive teaching experiment plan tailored forthird-yearundergraduates has been developed. Initially, instructors synthesize(E)-2-(4-((4-(2-hydroxyethoxy)-3-methylphenyl)­diazenyl)­phenoxy)-ethan-1-ol­(M-Azo-2)monomer as part of the preclass preparation. Subsequently, studentsperform an acylation reaction experiment to prepare an azobenzenederivative containing cross-linking points on both sides. This derivativeis then combined with poly­(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate in theabsence of external solvent under conditions conducive to radicalpolymerization, resulting in a thin film that exhibits light-wet dual-stimulationresponsiveness. This process enables students to comprehend both thechemical reactivity and photoisomerization propensity of azobenzeneto effectively bridge elements of organic chemistry and polymer chemistry.The experiment demonstrates three vivid and novel biomimetic phenomena:"color-changing flowers", "phototropic seedlings",and "mimosa", which display photochromic, light-induceddeformation, and humidity-responsive behavior of the film, respectively.This experiment enhances students' appreciation for the applicationpotential of biomimetic materials and fosters innovative scientificthinking.

The use of digital media among student community has increased their level of distraction during classroom teaching. Capturing their attention in classrooms, has become a cumbersome task for teaching faculty. Therefore, most of the academic institutions have resorted to the use of activity-based learning for science and engineering students that were originally used for teaching school students. This paper presents a comparative study on the effectiveness of different teaching learning methods applied to three groups of engineering students in Computer Science and Bio-Technology, evaluated by conducting tests and feedbacks. Also, a comparative study was performed to assess the effectiveness of conventional and modern evaluation tools. The results show that the subject understanding level of the students increased by 67-76% when any of the activity-based learning method was used. The study confirms the potential use of activity-based method for teaching learning and ICT tools for performance evaluation, for engineering students.

Investigating and understanding novel antibacterial agents is a necessary task as there is a constant increase in the number of multidrug-resistant bacterial species. The use of nanotechnology to combat drug-resistant bacteria is an important research area. The laboratory experiment described herein demonstrates that changes in the nanostructure of a material lead to significantly different antibacterial efficacies. Silver has been known to be an effective antibacterial agent throughout history, but its therapeutic uses are limited when present as either the bulk material or cations in solution. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs)and DNA-templated silver nanoclusters (DNA-AgNCs) are both nanostructured silver materials that show vastly different antibacterial activities when incubated with "E. coli" in liquid culture. This work aims to provide students with hands-on experience in the synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials and basic microbiology skills; moreover, it is applicable to undergraduate and graduate curricula.

Historically, research disciplines have successfully operated independently. However, the emergence of transdisciplinary research has led to convergence methodologies, resulting in groundbreaking discoveries. Despite the benefits, graduate programs face challenges in implementing transdisciplinary research and preparing students for real-world collaboration across diverse disciplines and experience levels. We propose a convergence training framework integrating project-based learning, training modules, and collaborative teaming to address this. This approach, tested in a multi-institutional workshop, proved effective in bridging expertise gaps and fostering successful convergence learning experiences in computational biointerface (material-biology interface) research. Here, biointerface research focuses on control of biomolecular interactions with technologically relevant material surfaces, which is a critical component of biotechnology and engineering applications. Positive outcomes, including conference presentations and published models, endorse the framework's application in graduate curricula, particularly for students engaging in transdisciplinary collaboration.

Alcohol consumption has profound effects on behavior, such as impaired judgment, addiction or even death. It is estimated that alcohol contributes to around three million deaths worldwide, 13.5% of them in young people with ages between 20 and 39 years. Consequently, it is necessary to raise awareness among college and high school students of the risk related to alcohol drinking. The small nematode "Caenorhabditis elegans" is an animal widely used as a model organism to study nearly all aspects of Biochemistry. It is a powerful tool to test the potential bioactivity and molecular mechanisms of natural compounds and drugs "in vivo." Therefore, it is an interesting topic to include in an undergraduate course of Biotechnology, Biochemistry or Biology students among other scientific vocations. "C. elegans" is also used as a neurobiological model to evaluate substances' neurotoxicity and behavioral effects. The proposed experiment introduces students to the handling of this preclinical model and to the evaluation of behavioral alterations induced by chemicals in scientific research. The effects of different doses of ethanol on "C. elegans" behavior are studied using a versatile chemotaxis assay. This laboratory experiment is suitable for an undergraduate course. The practical session can be used in the global strategies of information and awareness of educational centres to mitigate the impact of alcohol abuse among students, both in formal courses or in Science fairs or exhibitions.

The adoption of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Ghana has raised a lot of public concerns and mixed feelings among some Ghanaians. Our present study, therefore, explored the current knowledge of the general public on GMOs, their perceptions, and factors that influence their understanding of GMOs. A total of 200 Ghanaians were interviewed using an online semi-structured questionnaire to solicit information on their knowledge of GMOs. The findings of the study showed that most Ghanaians (183 out of 200) are aware of GMOs. Age and level of education significantly influenced consumers' awareness of GMOs. The results also revealed that most of the participants have a medium to a high level of knowledge of GMOs; however, limited information about GMOs is available to the public. About 61% of the respondents are willing to consume GMOs when made available in Ghana. Also, the findings of the study showed that the respondents would prefer GM-labelled products. The educational level of the respondents significantly influenced their knowledge and understanding of GMOs. The study recommends that scientists and various media platforms provide a platform to address the concerns of the public on GMOs and occasionally engage them in GMO-related issues and their role in addressing food insecurity and malnutrition.

This study aims to examine the unique educational films prepared by science teacher candidates about biotechnology applications and getting their perceptions on the process/the educational films they have prepared. The phenomenology method was used. The study group consists of 30 sophomore teacher candidates. Teacher candidates prepared educational films. Then, the perceptions of the teacher candidates about this process were taken. According to the results of the study educational movies were prepared by teacher candidates by way of their writings about stem cells, genetically modified organisms, nanotechnology and cloning. The educational films focused on the positive and negative aspects of these biotechnology subjects, on the basis of daily life scenarios. Even though the short movies contained both negative and positive references, they mostly had a positive note.

Biotechnology students entering the workforce often struggle in their application of textbook knowledge to build the solutions that we see in science and health fields today. Some students may be naive to what a job in the biotechnology industry can encompass. Students should graduate having a firm grasp of the prospects of their field and have the confidence to begin contributing to the growth of the industry. For this, it is necessary for students to be able to start practising applications in their coursework before they graduate. A competition titled "Biotech BioBrawl" was incorporated in the University of Central Florida's Methods in Biotechnology (MCB4721C/MCB5722C) course agenda during the semester of Fall 2021. This competition challenged students to harness innovation and applied science in a group setting that led to the development and pitch of an original idea to a panel of judges with various biotechnology industry experiences.

This study aimed at designing instructional material named Biotechnology Instruction Module (BIM) which is enriched with active learning methods to enhance the 8th grade students' learning of the topic. The development of the teaching materials proceeded within the stages of the ADDIE instructional design model. The final form of the instructional module comprised active learning materials of DNA Isolation Experiment, Bulletin Boards, 4x2 Biotechnology Learning Station, Case Studies Text, and "What Would You Do If You Were…?" activities. Instructional module covers the topics such as genetically modified organisms (GMO), gene therapy, cloning and bioremediation. The "Biotechnology Instruction Module" is expected to help students to learn in a meaningful way the rapidly changing and renewed biotechnology issues, to foster knowledge and understanding of key issues, to promote socioscientific discourse in class, and to encourage higher order thinking skills. All the data show that the instructional module applied in the real classroom environment is successful in realizing the learning objectives of the subject of biotechnology.

In biotechnology education, practical laboratory courses are vital. In having these practical courses, a lot of time and monetary resources are needed, it also requires the presence of the teacher and students and all the necessary equipment, which is currently not allowed in the Philippines due to the pandemic restrictions. Biotech virtual laboratries are useful in this time but what are the different research studies that has been done regarding this tool and what elements are important in terms of instructional design and technology? In this review, different types of technology and instructional design were examined, and overview of the previous research were highlighted in this paper. The study revealed that virtual laboratory simulations can be equally effective or better than hands on activity and said to be more effective compared to traditional teaching method. It was also found out that when the traditional teaching methods and virtual simulation laboratories yields better results in terms of performance. The included studies in this review utilized 2D, 3D, and VR technologies in having the virtual laboratory for the past few years. The review paper also identified different designs for instructions such as scaffolding and IBL (inquiry-based learnings). Biotech Virtual labs can be used as an effective alternative or complementary tool to an actual or physical conduct of laboratory experiment.

This study aims to investigate the influence of teaching via educational films on science teacher candidates' perceptions of biotechnology applications. This is a mixed-methods study aiming to investigate the influence of teaching with educational films on science teacher candidates' perceptions of biotechnology applications. In the quantitative data collection process of the research, a single group pre-test / post-test experimental design was used. And the phenomenology method was used, on the other hand, to collect the qualitative data of the study. For this research, which aims to investigate the influence of teaching with educational films on science teacher candidates' perceptions of biotechnology applications, 32 second-year science teacher candidates at a state university in Ankara were recruited. Two data collection tools were used in the study. The perception scale for biotechnology applications developed by the researchers was used to collect the quantitative data of the study. While the interview form was used to collect the qualitative data of the study. According to the results the study found that teaching with educational films increased the perceptions of science teacher candidates about biotechnology applications. within the scope of the research, the question of whether teaching a lesson with educational films has an effect on changing their perceptions about the subject, and if so, how this change occurs, was asked during the interview stage, and it was found that the majority of the teacher candidates perceived a meaningful change. [The publication year (2022) shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct publication year is 2023.]

The world is changing: both a conventional and a vaccine passport are now needed to travel internationally. Mask mandates, and social distancing are the new norm in a rapidly changing society. These measures were put in place to control the spread of the highly infectious and often fatal COVID-19, caused by a viral agent, a microorganism, a zoonosis, and the cause of death for over 6 million people around the world. Considering this, maintaining biosecurity is important around the world to ensure public health. Biosecurity in New Zealand supposes that people including young people understand different pests and diseases that can harm public health. This qualitative study was conducted to gauge the biosecurity knowledge of 171 young people (14-15-year-olds). Young people were tested on their knowledge about biosecurity related plants, animals, and microorganisms. This paper reports specifically on the results of knowledge of microorganisms of young people. Results show that negative anthropocentric views dominate adolescents understanding of microorganisms and anthropomorphism is widely used to explain microorganism activity. An educational programme, targeted at developing a conceptual understanding about microorganisms starting at primary education may help develop a more educated global citizen, one versed in understanding the biology of microorganisms.

This case study is based on a digital storytelling project conducted with first year Biotechnology with French students at National University of Ireland, Galway. Working in small groups, the students created digital stories in French based on forensic cases in which DNA profiling was used. The study was conducted while they were learning about DNA forensics in their mainstream programme. This study provides a practical example of how Digital Storytelling (DST) can be integrated as a teaching and learning tool into the Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) classroom within a higher education context. It highlights the potential of DST to develop students' language skills within this specialised context and facilitate the acquisition of the transferable skills needed to communicate effectively in an increasingly globalised society.

This descriptive study explored the science literacy of secondary agricultural education students in the context of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO). Forty-nine students from Oklahoma were asked of their opinion of GMO products and were then asked to provide a description of how genetic modification occurred. The interviews were recorded and then observed in order to determine students' dimension of scientific literacy as defined by Bybee (1997). A criterion-referenced exam was also administered to assess student's knowledge of GMOs. It was found that students had very little knowledge in both the agriculture and science of GMOs. The overwhelming majority expressed they would consume GMO products, but had an invalid, or no, theory to support that decision. These results are concerning when viewed in relation to the multitude of research indicating that agriculture, as the context for science, leads to critical thinking and depth of understanding. It was recommended that teachers of both science and agriculture focus more on the application of key concepts to develop critical thinking and scientific literacy.

This study investigates the question of how Engineering education in the Nordic region responds to the challenge of educating future engineers who are ready for professional practice in a digital world. Particular interest is put on identifying who is responsible for the implementation of digital knowledge and what and how subject content is addressed. Our study draws on Bernstein's pedagogical device model (Bernstein, B. 2002. "Editorial: Basil Bernstein's Theory of Social Class, Educational Codes and Social Control." "British Journal of Sociology of Education" 23 (4): 525-526). The study focuses on the questions of if/how digital transformation leads to change of engineering education content and/or pedagogical approaches. Narratives of 20 university teachers have been collected and analysed. Findings reveal three areas of consideration; there is a connection between how digital knowledge is valued and how the subject is introduced in engineering education, differences in digital knowledge can be linked to the generation gap and, universities are seldom seen as the driving force for digital innovation. It is concluded that education must reflect on the purpose for which digitalisation takes place, continuous training targeting digital transformation should be offered to senior teachers and, universities need to provide increased focus and dedicated time for educational development.

Academic literacy skills are universally considered as a valuable and integral part of academic development in higher education, yet they often remain peripheral to or are completely absent from many qualifications. At the presently selected institution, there is little consensus on the most effective model to design for and implement as far as academic literacy is concerned, and whether this should be embedded within core curricula, or as a stand-alone, credit-bearing subject. Conspicuously absent in conversations on this matter however, is the student voice, which is what the present study seeks to draw on. An analysis of students' reflections on an integrated model of learning and teaching of academic literacy was evaluated, where the skills are taught within the context of an academic discipline. The academic literacy component was embedded within a single course taught in a Biotechnology qualification. Upon completion of the learning activities, ten students were interviewed, and a questionnaire was administered to a further fifteen students, to gauge feedback on the usefulness of the integrated model of academic literacy. We report that the pedagogy improved and enriched the overall learning experience. Students reflected that the approach enabled better access to Biotechnology content and made the discourse of the discipline more explicit, as they unlocked academic literacy skills, compared to if an academic literacy course was taken alone. More broadly, the study highlights the need to draw on student reflection and experiences in the design and implementation of pedagogies and the value of remaining responsive to student voices.

Purpose: This study aims to diagnose the perception, knowledge, awareness and position of the bioeconomy in university education and research. Design/methodology/approach: This study is based on a questionnaire survey conducted at universities in Poland, the Czech Republic, Spain and Portugal (n = 464). The questionnaire consisted of open-ended, dichotomous and Likert-type questions. Variable frequency distribution methods and the non-parametric chi-square test were used to test the independence of the characteristics. The Cramer's V contingency coefficient was used to determine the degree of dependence between the variables. Findings: The researched academic community is dominated by a traditional approach to the bioeconomy, which relates to agriculture and ecological aspects. Respondents believe in the positive environmental impacts of the bioeconomy, while less often being aware of its importance from a socio-economic perspective. Insufficient teaching and research in the field of the bioeconomy can be widely observed. The presumed link between the existence of a bioeconomy strategy at national level and awareness of the bioeconomy was not confirmed. Research limitations/implications: The limited sample, the narrow geographical scope of the study does not allow for a comprehensive analysis of the topic. Another limitation is the lack of representativeness of the results in relation to all university representatives in the countries studied and the uneven composition of the samples. Originality/value: This study fills the knowledge gap about the status of the bioeconomy in European academic communities by analysing its perception among both teachers and students of social, natural and applied sciences.

Entrepreneurship skills are part of the essential skills in facing 21st-century challenges and demands. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the extent to which the empowerment of the creative entrepreneurship learning-based discovery skills (CEL-BaDiS Up) learning model can improve university students' science-based entrepreneurship (SciPreneur) skills on the topic of food biotechnology. This quasi-experimental research study employed a pretest-posttest control group design at a public university in Surakarta, Indonesia, in the 2020/2021 academic year, in which one class was as an experimental class using the CEL-BaDiS Up model, while the other class was an existing class utilizing a project-based learning (PjBL) model. Data were obtained through test instruments in the form of a performance assessment to measure SciPreneur skills, which had gone through expert validation, encompassing validation from education and evaluation experts, biotechnology experts, and certified natural science lecturers, and empirical validation tests had also been carried out. The results revealed that the effectiveness test score utilizing SEM from PLS software showed the effect of CEL-BaDiS Up (X1) on the SciPreneur skills (Y) variable of 2.105 > T-table (1.976). In addition, the original sample estimate value exhibited a positive value of 0.199, signifying the direction of the relationship between the CEL-BaDiS Up (X1) variable and the SciPreneur Skills (Y) variable was positive. Based on this study's results, it could be denoted that SciPreneur skills in the aspects of critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, communication skills, collaborative skills, observational skills, and creativity and innovation could be improved effectively through the CEL-BaDiS Up model activities.

This report presents an interdisciplinary approach used in undergraduate laboratory classes to bridge the gap between scientific advances, engineering efforts, and practical applications in daily life. The field of biointegrated electronics is highlighted as an excellent opportunity for building interdisciplinary learning models, leveraging expertise from multiple research areas. Wearable glucose sensors are presented as a promising application that requires knowledge of chemistry, materials science, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering. The laboratory experiment module provides students with hands-on experience in designing, fabricating, integrating, and testing wearable glucose sensors. This lab class serves as an example of how interdisciplinary research can be integrated into undergraduate education and offers values, skills, and experiences for future careers.

The science curriculum in the Turkish education system includes socioscientific issues (SSI) as a context for developing students' reasoning skills, scientific thinking habits, and decision-making skills from an early age. Conducting activities on real problems with teachers and pre-service teachers based on SSI and making decisions considering different dimensions in SSI can provide a better explanation and transfer of the content dimension of the subject. It was found that SSI studies are conducted with science teachers and pre-service science teachers in Türkiye. In this study, activities with different SSIs were organized with pre-service primary teachers, and the decisions of pre-service primary teachers on various socioscientific issues were evaluated considering different dimensions (sociology/culture, environment, economy, science, ethics/morality, and policy) using the SEE-SEP model. Nine different SSI scenarios were presented to 60 pre-service primary teachers in the Central Anatolian region of Türkiye, and they were asked to make a decision in dilemma situations and justify it. It was found that hydroelectric power plants (HEPP), mining, and electric vehicles are highly favored by pre-service primary teachers, while GMOs, cloning, and the establishment of industrial zones are not highly favoured, and they are undecided about biotechnology. It is concluded that the pre-service primary teachers' decisions to support various SSI are mainly economic and scientific, while the environmental and ethical/moral dimensions lead mainly to non-support and indecision.

Textbooks can have a fundamental and positive effect on both learning and teaching. As such, in order to understand how students structure concepts in their minds, it is necessary to analyze the structure in which those concepts presented in textbooks are described. This study examined a network of concepts used in the domain of biotechnology in the Iranian 12th grade biology textbook and investigated the alignment of science concepts used in its sub-domains. The findings of this study suggest that too many concepts, as well as unconnected ones, were used in biotechnology domain, which led to a complicated conceptual network. Therefore, this paper recommends that the number of biology concepts described in the later text books in the biotechnology domain at Iranian high schools should be reduced in order to facilitate a better formation of connections between concepts and their descriptions.

The rapid developments in biotechnology and its implications raise moral dilemmas for individuals and society. Therefore, bioethics education at all levels is necessary. Science teachers should inculcate moral values and ethics among students. However, studies on various aspects of curriculum-oriented moral education remain lacking, despite the growing focus on the prosocial and moral development of students. Moreover, most existing studies have not evaluated the effectiveness of moral education curricula in terms of both students' learning experiences and their learning results. In this light, the present study examined the growth of students' moral reasoning on the moral dilemmas of modern biotechnology applications. A total of 206 high school students participated in the study. They were randomly assigned to a bioethical enrichment module (n1 = 87) and an ordinary case-based module (n2 = 119). We compared the mean of moral reasoning scores before and after implementing the interventions between the two groups. The results showed that the means of the intervention group were higher than those of the ordinary group. Our intervention which integrated not only SSI-based teaching but also synthesized essential features of teaching bioethics explicitly could improve students' moral reasoning scores. The pedagogical implications were also discussed.

In this paper, we altered an in-person high school tissue engineering program to create a virtual course. Through this alteration, we aimed to show that online programs can still be engaging and at the same time provide greater accessibility and flexibility to students. This was achieved through utilizing Google classroom as a virtual platform for students to engage with course modules and assessments. After analyzing pre- and post-program survey responses in both the in-person and online offerings of the CardioStart program, it was found that students improved in their understanding of all of the tissue engineering topics that were introduced in the programs. Furthermore, when comparing the results from the in-person versus online offerings of the program, it was found that the level of student understanding and learning of these topics was similar across the in-person and online programs. We were also able to engage five times the number of students online as compared to the in-person program, which was conducted yearly for six summers. However, many students indicated that their experience would have been better if hands-on activities were included to supplement their knowledge of cell culture techniques after completing the course. The online program improved accessibility and scalability of the program compared to in-person workshops. Future work will consist of bridging this virtual course and the hands-on experiments performed during the in-person program to provide interested students access to laboratory experiences.

Instead of seeking the slick aesthetics of consumer-friendly creative stories, this paper ventures to the sublime of the incomprehensible and invites us to look into the abyss of education's possibilities. Drawing inspiration from Jeff Vandermeer's 2017 novel, "Borne," and filmmaker David Cronenberg's aesthetic, this paper aims to tell a story that unfetters easily compartmentalized notions of creativity in education. "Borne" tells the story of a young female scavenger who finds and proceeds to care for a sentient--and quite vocally curious--experimental biotech remain, while Cronenberg's films famously bridge science fiction and body horror. Popular culture, in identifying this aesthetic, developed the slang term "to Cronenberg," meaning to affectively highlight exaggerated mutations. To this end, this paper explores specific questions for educational futures: what does creativity mean for a Cronenberg pedagogy and how does the ethics of creativity inform future educational policy directions?

This paper explores a possible future of postdigital education in 2050 using the means of social science fiction. The first part of the paper introduces the shift from 20th century primacy of physics to 21st century primacy of biology with an accent to new postdigital--biodigital reconfigurations and challenges in and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The second part of the paper presents a fictional speech at the graduation ceremony of a fictional military academy in a fictional East Asian country in 2050. This fictional world is marked by global warfare and militarization, and addressed graduates are the first generation of artificially evolved graduates in human history. The third part of the paper interprets the fictional narrative, contextualizes it into educational challenges of today, and argues for a dialogical, humanistic conception of new postdigital education in a biotech future.

In theory, there is broad agreement among science education stakeholders that supporting the achievement of scientific literacy is crucial for citizens to make informed and critical decisions about socioscientific issues (SSI). Likewise, it is widely held that argumentation is an important component of scientific literacy. In practice, however, university science courses give undergraduates limited opportunities to strengthen their argumentation skills. The purpose of this study was to provide evidence to explore the use of drama to enrich students' argumentation about genetically modified (GM) foods. This study was conducted in Colombia where an eventual banning of GM crops is the subject of discussion in Congress. Data include the oral and written arguments produced by seventy-five students (55 females and 20 males, 18-24 years old) in a university science course during a complete drama-based teaching-learning sequence. Coding of students' responses to open-ended questions, Cohen's d effect size, and chi-square tests were performed. The outcomes suggest that the sequence effectively provided participants with explicit opportunities to enrich their GM food argumentation, producing arguments about their viewpoints and anticipating counterarguments. The evidence provided in this study contributes to the exploration of an emergent possibility in science education, namely, the use of drama as a platform for enriching students' argumentation about SSI.

The purpose of this study is to develop a framework for analyzing classroom argumentation that includes a process of rebutting. A most commonly used framework to analyze argument in science education is Toulmin's Argumentation Pattern. It is useful for analyzing argumentation but it cannot represent the complexity of students' rebuttals during argumentations in the lessons. The study was conducted in three science stream classes of grade twelve students. The number of students in each class ranged from 39 to 40 students with a total of 119 students. The topics of the lessons were three biology contents that are closely related to socio-scientific issues, i.e., genetics, evolution, and biotechnology. Analyses of students' rebuttals show that the newly developed Rebuttal Analysis Framework generated a better picture of classroom argumentation. In terms of the level of students' argumentation, this study shows that argumentation-oriented lessons do not necessarily lead to the improvement of students' argumentation competence. The study also identifies four types of argumentation changes, namely inert, contrary, under two positions, and impartial.

According to national labor market information study, access to talent is the greatest business challenge Canadian biotech companies are facing. We, therefore, developed, implemented, and assessed a pharma industry-inspired, medicinal research laboratory module in an experiential capstone biotechnology laboratory course. This involves developing a 12-week semester-long graduate laboratory module, introducing the students to the biotechniques in microbiomics, genomics, proteomics, enzyme kinetics, drug screening, and bioinformatics, with accompanying class and lab participation (discussion forum), lab reports, and team-based assignments. The course was taught both as interactive in-person and as synchronous virtual classroom sessions. The success of the offered pedagogy was established by the laboratory exit survey and the evaluation of students' performance in various course elements and activities. The survey responses and students' performance in the course imply that the course furthered an in-depth knowledge of both industry-focused techniques and the theory behind them, as well as a genuine excitement for medical research. The skillsets honed by these laboratories will better prepare biotechnology graduates in undertaking scientific investigation for their careers in a field where there is a chronic biotech skill shortage. Students performed well and had a high overall perception of the course.

In the course of combining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the science education curriculum, the relevance of the micro- and macroalgae in education is based on the biotechnological future-oriented significance and the ever-growing trend toward plant-based nutrition. So, the micro- and macroalgae are finding their way onto the food shelves and creating biotechnological solutions with regard to climate change (SDG4; SDG13). Their colored photopigments and phycobiliproteins are already established as important natural dyes in the food and textile industries. In addition to being essential in photosynthesis, photopigments have a variety of functions and effects that influence almost all aspects of our lives. The article presents experimental protocols developed based on the established methods for the extraction of photopigments from plants and optimized for the use of phototrophic micro- and macroalgae ("Chlorella vulgaris", "Arthrospira platensis", and "Palmaria palmata"). Besides the green chlorophylls and yellow-orange carotenoids in plants, cyanobacteria and red algae developed additional light antenna complexes, so-called phycobilisomes, consisting of different phycobiliproteins. For this purpose, experiments that are simple to execute have been developed to make the colorful world of photopigments visible to the students from the upper secondary level and can be used in both university and school educational settings. Furthermore, a column chromatography was developed, which allows the preparation of the pigment and phycobiliprotein extracts from "A. platensis." This procedure is based on the established "supermarket column" and was optimized according to the use of powdered amounts of "A. platensis." Additionally, results from a first implementation in a classroom setting will be discussed.

This study examined Saudi secondary students' and science teachers' knowledge of, and attitudes towards, biotechnology. A mixed methodology approach (i.e., incorporating semi-structured interviews and questionnaires) was utilised. A questionnaire was provided to 138 Saudi students (44 grade 10 students, 45 grade 11 students, and 49 grade 12 students) and 75 Saudi science teachers; in addition, a semi-structured interview was carried out with 10 of these science teachers to explore their opinions on biotechnology. The questionnaire was a Likert scale survey comprising 43 questions. Fifteen of these questions (i.e., the Biotechnology Knowledge Questionnaire, BKQ) were linked to biotechnological knowledge as a way to determine the extent of the secondary students' and science teachers' knowledge about biotechnology and how it is used; a further 28 questions were added to fulfil the above objective. The findings from this research indicate a limited awareness of biotechnology among Saudi students and science teachers. Furthermore, most of the interviewed educators agree that the Saudi science curriculum insufficiently addresses the most important issues in biotechnology. In order to increase their awareness, students need to be introduced to the subject of biotechnology within an overarching Saudi science education curriculum.

Teaching biomedical technology is critical for the success of research of both domestic and international postgraduate students (DPSs and IPSs). However, difference in the learning characteristics between the two cohorts as well as appropriate teaching modality remains largely unexplored. In the present work, we studied these issues by recruiting 33 IPSs and 32 DPSs who selected the course of 'Patch-Clamp Technique and Its Application in Life Science Research' at Harbin Medical University in China in 2019. Questionnaires were performed to investigate their learning obstacles and style preferences. Correspondingly, we designed a new teaching modality, i.e. lecture enriched with practicum, research proposal and post-course advice (LEPPA in brief) and tested its effect. This modality was positively evaluated by all the IPSs and 90% of the DPSs. The LEPPA can efficiently resolve the concerns of both IPSs and DPSs while promoting their transition from undergraduates to research students.

Human ageing and age-associated diseases are among the greatest challenges and financial burdens faced by developed countries. Unfortunately, undergraduate students often do not experience any laboratory training in ageing research in the current laboratory curriculum of majors in biology, biotechnology, or medicine. In this study, we developed and implemented a 12-week laboratory course for biotechnology undergraduates in which "Drosophila melanogaster" is used as the model organism to scaffold the understanding of the basic concept and process of ageing research. Students worked in teams of three to conduct lifespan analyses based on the use of selected dietary supplements on "Drosophila melanogaster." By integrating abstract knowledge and practice in the process of scientific research, students gained hands-on experience in lab techniques while learning about the principle and process of ageing research. The learning outcomes demonstrated that students substantially enhanced their understanding of how lifespan assays could be used to evaluate whether a certain dietary supplement has an anti-ageing effect. Overall, the course was very effective for helping biotechnology undergraduates learn the theory and application of basic ageing research, while also yielding positive effects in developing confidence and scientific skills for future work in research.

As a universal and extensively adopted technique, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) can be used to detect and quantify small molecules in many applications both clinical and analytical. However, generally, students experiment mechanically using commercial ELISA kits according to the instructions and eventually produce a standard curve to calculate the concentration of the sample to be measured, cannot understand the critical factors and process of method establishment. This study systematically introduced undergraduates to using the pathogen-specific antigen and establishing an indirect ELISA method to detect the diagnostic target pathogen "Burkholderia pseudomallei." This course aimed to develop the experimental skills of the students and improve their scientific research knowledge, which fully embody the organic combination of scientific research and teaching. Students independently selected the diagnostic antigen target of interest, obtained the antigen proteins using genetic engineering techniques, and established an ELISA method through a series of conditional optimization experiments. In addition, typical student-generated data, experimental methods, and a student feedback interpretation are presented in this study. Overall, the students were able to combine abstract knowledge with practice and understand the principles and applications of antigen--antibody interactions, thus enabling them to gain practical experience in molecular biology techniques, and learn how to use this principle to establish an ELISA method for detecting infectious diseases.

Purpose: Amidst continued calls for the democratization of access to higher education for historically underrepresented populations alongside the first global health crisis in a century lies the opportunity to address persistent societal needs: increasing access for underrepresented minority students to educational pathways that lead to careers in lucrative fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Design/methodology/approach: Student participants enrolled in the biotechnology pathway Associates, Bachelors and Masters programs share programmatic experience in an accelerated biotechnology program through a bi-annual survey grounded in the central tenets of social-cognitive career theory aimed at understanding requisite academic, social and financial support for student success. Findings: The pathway program described in this paper emerged to address the need to support underrepresented students in degree attainment and taking on roles in the growing field of biotechnology through a novel, multi-degree, multi-institutional pathway to STEM degree attainment and career success. Social implications: This work has advanced understanding about how to effectively align higher education institutions with each other and with evolving STEM labor market demands while documenting the impact of essential academic, career and social supports recognized in the literature as high impact practices in broadening participation and increasing retention of underrepresented minority students in lucrative STEM careers. Originality/value: Pathway programs which best support student success include robust mentoring, experiential learning and robust student scholarship support, part of the design of this unique pathway program. The authors share how this program utilizes high impact practices to provide low-income, underrepresented minority students with supportive, accelerated biotechnology degrees in preparation for success in the job market. What's more, of all our BS-level graduates thus far, 100% are employed and 93% within the biotechnology field. For many, the opportunity to raise their family out of poverty via a stable, high paying job is directly tied to their successes within this program.

This article describes a comprehensive practical laboratory method for developing an enzyme to more easily measure glyphosate levels in solution. Through this article, undergraduate students of biology majors can conduct research experiments in critical fields by utilizing various techniques, such as chemiluminescence (CL) biosensors with engineered enzymes and are guided in molecular biology laboratories. A glyphosate oxidase mutant library was constructed by DNA shuffling, and a glyphosate oxidase variant with increased glyphosate degradation activity was selected by using a high-throughput screening assay. Following protein overexpression in "Escherichia coli" (DE3) and purification by affinity chromatography, the glyphosate oxidase variant protein combined with luminol-H[subscript 2]O[subscript 2] reaction was constructed as a new CL biosensor for detecting glyphosate in soils.

Multiple choice results are inherently probabilistic outcomes, as correct responses reflect a combination of knowledge and guessing, while incorrect responses additionally reflect blunder, a confidently committed mistake. To objectively resolve knowledge from responses in an MC test structure, we evaluated probabilistic models that explicitly account for guessing, knowledge, and blunder using eight assessments (>9,000 responses) from an undergraduate biotechnology curriculum. A Bayesian implementation of the models, aimed at assessing their robustness to prior beliefs in examinee knowledge, showed that explicit estimators of knowledge are markedly sensitive to prior beliefs with scores as sole input. To overcome this limitation, we examined self-ranked confidence as a proxy knowledge indicator. For our test set, three levels of confidence resolved test performance. Responses rated as least confident were correct more frequently than expected from random selection, reflecting partial knowledge, but were balanced by blunder among the most confident responses. By translating evidence-based guessing and blunder rates to pass marks that statistically qualify a desired level of examinee knowledge, our approach finds practical utility in test analysis and design.

This study describes student interest in the agricultural content pathways established by the National Council for Agricultural Education. Differences exist between male and female students concerning curriculum choices in agriculture, food, and natural resources. Male students were most interested in food products and processing systems, while females averaged the highest interest in animal systems. Females were significantly more interested in animal systems. Males were more interested in power, structural, and technical systems, biotechnology, food products and processing, and agribusiness systems. When considering the students' race and ethnic background, Native Americans or Alaska Natives reported the most interest in animal systems. Asian students reported the highest interest in natural resource systems. African American students averaged the highest interest in power, structural and technical systems. White Non-Hispanic students reported the highest interest in animal systems. White Hispanic students reported the highest average interest in natural resources. White Non-Hispanic students were significantly more interested in agribusiness systems, animal systems, food products, and processing systems than were African American students. Native American or Alaskan Native students were significantly more interested in animal systems than African American students. This study concluded that male and female students value agricultural curriculum content differently and that the differences were significant in most agricultural content pathways. Students of different races and ethnic backgrounds value agricultural content pathways differently, but most of these differences were insignificant.

The call to increase student interest in science and related careers continues to receive national attention in the United States. While many current efforts have focused on infrastructure support and innovative pedagogies to better reach and engage students, research suggests that having a career role model can influence adolescents' interest in and choices of science courses and career pathways. This exploratory study investigated the impact of a week-long online biotechnology program called Biotech in Action (BIA) that featured career role modeling and authentic science learning. Students were engaged in career modeling sessions with multiple professionals working in related STEM fields while learning life sciences within authentic biotechnology research contexts. In total, over 400 high school students participated in BIA. The results showed that students felt they developed a better understanding of the biotechnology field and became more cognizant about steps to achieve their future career goals after BIA. Many students reported that the interactions with career role models and learning about their educational and professional pathways helped demystify science career fields. Overall, this research provides new insights to curriculum designers and researchers on integrating career role modeling and authentic learning to spark and sustain student interest in science.

Collaboration between industry and universities is a driving force for scientific and technological advancements. Due to the role of AstraZeneca (AZ), a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, an analysis of the collaboration between the company and universities in the UK is of importance. Here, the collaboration of AZ with top UK universities, namely the University of Cambridge (UoC), the University of Oxford (UoO), Imperial College London (ICL) and University College London (UCL), is investigated. The investigation is based on two different measures: the well-developed Salton's measure and the scientific impact of collaboration (SIC). The former considers the scientific articles published by each party as well as the joint articles published in the period 2010-2021. The SIC, which is introduced for the first time in this article, involves the number of joint articles and citations to them in the same period. An unprecedented increase in the value of the Salton's measure for the collaboration between AZ and UoO is observed in 2021, and this is discussed with regard to the development of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. The findings support the argument that strategic alliances are more important than co-location in drug discovery and development.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic brought about several challenges in both learning and instructive styles. Chief among these was engagement in classrooms that were remote, in-person or switched between the two due to quarantine periods. In a content centric biomaterials core course, here we describe an 'inclusive engagement toolkit' that combines peer-supported learning with a structured reflection of learning objectives that allowed learners to be engaged at high levels and take responsibility for their own learning and course progression.

This paper analyses evidence of innovation in the joint work of a company, a university and government in creating a professional Master's degree program in Biotechnology and Innovation Management at the Centro Universitário de Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais, Brazil. It presents a new perspective by combining two fields of knowledge: biotechnology and innovation management. The conceptual scheme of Triple Helix spaces is still not well analyzed from an empirical viewpoint. This paper identifies the development of knowledge, consensus and innovation spaces through an examination of this professional Master's course. A qualitative approach was used for the conducting of 20 semi-structured interviews with representatives of the Triple Helix: two directors of Embrapa, a Brazilian agriculture and livestock research company; the President of FAPEMIG, the Minas Gerais Research Support Foundation; nine teachers; and eight students. In addition, data were analyzed from the databases of CAPES (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel). The results show that the proximity between the knowledge areas of biotechnology and innovation management strengthened this new program, created only 7 years ago, which has already impacted socio-economic regional development.

This paper analyzes the role of the university research laboratory in university-industry interactions for technology transfer. Specifically, it examines how the laboratory research infrastructure, team qualification and local incentives influence knowledge and technology transfer in biotechnology. Despite the importance of the research laboratory for an entrepreneurial university and the development of new technologies, few studies have focused on this level of analysis. This research addresses this literature gap with data from two leading laboratories in a highly-ranked Brazilian university. Data were collected through questionnaires on laboratory infrastructure and channels of collaboration with firms, interviews with laboratory leaders and key post-doc fellows, and documentary research. The results show that physical infrastructure, biological samples and qualified teams enabled technology transfer to firms. The main channel of interaction between these laboratories and firms is the generation of spin-offs, which perform the bilateral hybrid function of disseminating university research results and brokering patent licensing to larger firms. Spin-offs also contribute to the absorptive capacity of larger firms and, above all, allow laboratories to disclose results to the community and potential end-users. The findings present a new perspective on spin-off technology transfer in Brazil and open new research avenues for other developing countries.

Growth in the biomedical and biotechnology sectors requires a highly trained and highly skilled workforce to answer the next great scientific questions. Undergraduate laboratory courses incorporating hands-on training based in authentic research position soon-to-be graduates to learn in environments that mirror those of academic, industrial, and government laboratories. Mass spectrometry is one of the most broadly applied analyses carried out in the biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences, and thus, it is essential that upper-division students gain hands-on experience in techniques and analytical workflows in mass spectrometry. Our precourse assessments identified weaknesses in student experience and knowledge in the fundamentals of mass spectrometry, supporting that it was a necessary area for improvement. We incorporated a laboratory experiment focused on tandem mass spectrometry and database searching into a pre-existing mini-semester project devoted to identifying metabolites from medicinal plants. Implementation of the experiment allowed students to make more confident metabolite identifications, introduced them to a cutting-edge database analysis platform (GNPS: Global Natural Products Social Molecular Networking), and increased student experience and knowledge of mass spectrometry in addition to the principle of dereplication of samples derived from nature.