An Interdisciplinary Approach to Molecular Bioscience Content in the Undergraduate Curriculum. Alexis Nagengast^1,3, Shirley Fischer-Drowos^1,3, Robert W. Morris^1,2, Hemlata Mistry^1,2. 1) Dept Biochemistry; 2) Dept Biology; 3) Dept Chemistry, Widener University, Chester, PA.

   Often undergraduate students do not recognize the related content in their science courses. Traditional departmental boundaries can emphasize the focus on one subject, further distracting students from the interdisciplinary nature of science. Like many Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs), Widener University offers small classes that integrate research experiences into science coursework. We recognized that a small group of students taking overlapping courses including Cell Physiology, Developmental Neurobiology, Molecular Biology, Analytical Chemistry and Biochemistry II, retained greater content knowledge than previous classes and were better able to relate that content between classes. Furthermore, students who had participated in independent research projects were better prepared to understand the primary literature. These observations motivated us to integrate molecular bioscience courses in our curriculum thereby allowing students to design and conduct multiple experiments to address one overarching experimental problem throughout multiple courses. We introduced a biomedical research problem during the sophomore year and continued the study through the upper-division electives in the junior and senior years. Continued investigation of a question enabled students to use different approaches to address a research topic. We initially addressed the control of lipid metabolism by alternative RNA splicing mechanisms and currently are examining the role of Dis3 during Drosophila development. This integrated method overcomes the apparent disjointed nature of undergraduate laboratory experiences, increases content knowledge and promotes greater recognition of the interdisciplinary nature of molecular bioscience.