Building Bridges to Connect Genetics Classroom, Lab Lessons

What role does gene expression play in predicting whether someone prefers salty over sweet snacks, or tends to be more of a night owl than an early riser? That is just one of the topics students explore in Jelena Kraft's Biology 3130(L): Principles of Genetics class and lab. Kraft (GDCB) has taught the course and lab for several years. During the past year, she modified her sections thanks to funding received through participation in the CALS Innovation and Entrepreneurship Faculty Fellows program. Now, students in Kraft's lab section collect their DNA data (among other hands-on activities), which is then used for discussions in class related to molecular genetics, genomics-based approaches to analyzing DNA, population genetics and more. (Photo by Whitney Baxter, CALS Communications)