INDEPENDENT RESEARCH AT TRINITY WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

Trinity's Biology- 497 (Directed Research) course specializes in teaching motivated women to develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to work in a laboratory environment. This research course provides fundamental skills for a future woman scientists. Here at Trinity we conduct many experiments, which help us enhance our knowledge and skills in the science laboratory. Students are trained in the use of the proper scientific methods and laboratory bench work- including agarose gel electrophoresis, PCR, DNA sequencing, data analysis, primer design using Primer 3, UCSC and Ensembl genome browsers and chromatogram analysis, laboratory safety, creating a laboratory inventory, maintaining a laboratory notebook, learning how to present scientific work, pipetting, buffer and solution preparation, equipment operation and other experimental training, that will benefit students in a laboratory job or internship in the near future. Trinity’s biology department students not only gain understanding laboratory practice but also develop very good reading and comprehension skills, mathematical skills, and excellent communications skills. Students are required to read and interpret scientific journals to demonstrate their understanding of their research. Students will also be writing a scientific review article based on the laboratory project that will be compiled for publication in a scientific journal sometime in the future.