Course-based research experiences can increase the level of inquiry in laboratory courses, but in this presentation, we demonstrate how they can also be used to promote cross-disciplinary thinking. A research theme of metal containing anticancer drugs was used to develop authentic research experiences linking 100- and 300-level courses in both biology and chemistry. Across four courses, developmentally appropriate strategies were used to investigate the metal complex KP1019 (indazolium trans-[tetrachlorobis(1H-indazole)ruthenate(III)]). In chemistry courses, students synthesized the drug and quantitatively analyzed how novel environmental variables alter its hydrolysis and redox properties. In biology courses, students used the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism for characterizing how environmental variables affect KP1019 bioactivity, and performed a partial phenomic screen to identify essential yeast genes that influence drug sensitivity. To promote cross-talk between courses, the undergraduate researchers uploaded their findings to a project wiki, so that future students can use existing work to drive the design of novel experiments. Results from student surveys suggest that the revised laboratory experiments successfully promoted the integration of concepts from biology and chemistry.

Linking chemistry and biology through course-based undergraduate research on anticancer ruthenium complexes

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.