All students who work in the lab must clean up after themselves, participate in community chores, and maintain an environment conducive to experimentation and learning for all who use the learning lab.

The hours for the open learning lab:

Monday - Thursday, 10am - 8pm

Friday, 10am - 4pm

Saturday, 8am - 2pm

The lab is closed for semester breaks and College holidays.

To ensure space is available in the open lab, you must reserve your selected time through biotech.youcanbook.me

Instructions for booking are available in the Youcanbook instructions.

Always be sure to get an instructor's signature on your Lab Log Book page in order to receive credit for your lab work.

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The activities that must be completed in the lab are:

1) Learning to use micropipettes. I suggest you spend 2 hours working on this in one session, so that you can get a good basis for using them throughout the semester. (If you're experienced with them already, you may be able to skip or reduce this practice session).

2) Bacterial transformation with pGLO: two days. The first day's procedure will take you approximately two hours. Then, the bacteria need to grow overnight in the incubator. Staff will move your plates to the refrigerator the next day, so you can wait if necessary to do the second day. Allow an hour on the second day to review your results.

3) Purification of GFP: two days. There are multiple possible stopping points, noted in the protocol. If you do four days, each day is about an hour. The first day will take less than one hour: you'll start bacterial cultures. Day two could take three hours if you're finishing the rest of the lab.

4) Testing your own DNA: one ~6 hour day, or up to four short days. See below.

1. Isolate DNA by saline mouthwash - takes approximately 45 minutes; can freeze samples or continue (continuing is suggested).
2. Amplify DNA by PCR - 20 minutes of hands-on work, then about 1.5 hour wait during thermal cycling. You can start your thermal cycling (PCR reaction) and ask staff to put it on the freezer for you when it's done by leaving a note on the "Help, please!" board, or you can continue the same day.
3. Digest PCR products with HaeIII - 15 minutes of hands-on work, then 30 minute wait while the restriction enzyme works. Can freeze after or continue.
4. Analyze PCR products by gel electrophoresis - approximately 2 hours.

Occasionally experiments fail, so it's possible you may need to repeat one or more of these labs. Also keep in mind that you can do more than just lab work in the lab; this is where you can ask faculty questions, and talk about the online course materials.