Instrumentation for a Tissue Culture Laboratory

This project involves the acquisition of essential equipment to upgraded a departmental tissue culture laboratory. As a result, the undergraduate neuroscience program has been enhanced and there is a significant impact on other undergraduate courses, including general biology, cell biology, and special problems courses in biology, and undergraduate independent study research. The core of the neuroscience program consists of lecture and laboratory-oriented courses that emphasize cellular and molecular aspects of neurobiology. Laboratory exercises complement the principles and techniques being discussed in lectures by providing students with hands-on experience in tissue culture and other commonly used techniques in biological research. Our urban area is currently one of the most economically depressed in the nation. Therefore, the project is also striving to increase the appeal of biological careers to economically disadvantaged minority students from the city and surrounding areas.