Instrumentation of Microscale Techniques for Biochemistry Teaching at FES Zaragoza, UNAM

Biochemistry teaching requires many laboratory sessions where theoretical knowledge may be put on test. At the same time, there is always some risk due to exposure to toxic materials, dangerous chemicals storage and waste disposal. Compliance with new regulations to prevent environmental contaminati...

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Main Authors: Araceli García-del Valle, María Teresa Corona-Ortega, Margarita Cruz-Millán, Antonia Guillermina Rojas-Fernández, Miguel Aguilar-Santelises, Leonor Aguila-Santelises
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universitat Politècnica de València 2015-02-01
Series:Multidisciplinary Journal for Education, Social and Technological Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:http://polipapers.upv.es/index.php/MUSE/article/view/2205
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author Araceli García-del Valle
María Teresa Corona-Ortega
Margarita Cruz-Millán
Antonia Guillermina Rojas-Fernández
Miguel Aguilar-Santelises
Leonor Aguila-Santelises
author_facet Araceli García-del Valle
María Teresa Corona-Ortega
Margarita Cruz-Millán
Antonia Guillermina Rojas-Fernández
Miguel Aguilar-Santelises
Leonor Aguila-Santelises
author_sort Araceli García-del Valle
collection DOAJ
description Biochemistry teaching requires many laboratory sessions where theoretical knowledge may be put on test. At the same time, there is always some risk due to exposure to toxic materials, dangerous chemicals storage and waste disposal. Compliance with new regulations to prevent environmental contamination may also constitute a real hindrance for biochemistry teaching as experimental science. Therefore, we have designed microscale techniques, in order to reduce costs as well as the negative impact of laboratory practical sessions due to risk and environmental contamination. To develop microscale techniques does not only mean to reduce equipment size and amount of the reagents that are required for the usual experiments. Microscale techniques serve particularly well as a motivating approach to experimental biochemistry teaching that produces highly motivated students at the same time that requires minor costs, decreases working time, laboratory space, reagents volume and diminishes the generation of dangerous waste. We have demonstrated all these positive effects in biochemistry teaching and prompted the formal implementation of microscale techniques into the formal activities from the Cell and Tissue Biochemistry Laboratory I (BCT-I) from the Chemistry, Pharmacy and Biology (QFB) curricula at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). First, we reviewed the BCT-I manual, choosing all the laboratory practices that might be microscaled. Then, we elaborated and validated all necessary protocols to analyse linearity, accuracy and reproducibility of the determinations, demonstrating that microscale techniques allow truthful results, comparable to full scale techniques.
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spelling doaj.art-e701c74cd8f347b5a85ab659bd0bbb7e2025-01-02T00:07:11ZengUniversitat Politècnica de ValènciaMultidisciplinary Journal for Education, Social and Technological Sciences2341-25932015-02-0121789110.4995/muse.2015.22052829Instrumentation of Microscale Techniques for Biochemistry Teaching at FES Zaragoza, UNAMAraceli García-del Valle0María Teresa Corona-Ortega1Margarita Cruz-Millán2Antonia Guillermina Rojas-Fernández3Miguel Aguilar-Santelises4Leonor Aguila-Santelises5Universidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoInstituto Politécnico NacionalUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoBiochemistry teaching requires many laboratory sessions where theoretical knowledge may be put on test. At the same time, there is always some risk due to exposure to toxic materials, dangerous chemicals storage and waste disposal. Compliance with new regulations to prevent environmental contamination may also constitute a real hindrance for biochemistry teaching as experimental science. Therefore, we have designed microscale techniques, in order to reduce costs as well as the negative impact of laboratory practical sessions due to risk and environmental contamination. To develop microscale techniques does not only mean to reduce equipment size and amount of the reagents that are required for the usual experiments. Microscale techniques serve particularly well as a motivating approach to experimental biochemistry teaching that produces highly motivated students at the same time that requires minor costs, decreases working time, laboratory space, reagents volume and diminishes the generation of dangerous waste. We have demonstrated all these positive effects in biochemistry teaching and prompted the formal implementation of microscale techniques into the formal activities from the Cell and Tissue Biochemistry Laboratory I (BCT-I) from the Chemistry, Pharmacy and Biology (QFB) curricula at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). First, we reviewed the BCT-I manual, choosing all the laboratory practices that might be microscaled. Then, we elaborated and validated all necessary protocols to analyse linearity, accuracy and reproducibility of the determinations, demonstrating that microscale techniques allow truthful results, comparable to full scale techniques.http://polipapers.upv.es/index.php/MUSE/article/view/2205Biochemistry teachingMicroscale techniquesExperimental biochemistryEnvironment protection
spellingShingle Araceli García-del Valle
María Teresa Corona-Ortega
Margarita Cruz-Millán
Antonia Guillermina Rojas-Fernández
Miguel Aguilar-Santelises
Leonor Aguila-Santelises
Instrumentation of Microscale Techniques for Biochemistry Teaching at FES Zaragoza, UNAM
Multidisciplinary Journal for Education, Social and Technological Sciences
Biochemistry teaching
Microscale techniques
Experimental biochemistry
Environment protection
title Instrumentation of Microscale Techniques for Biochemistry Teaching at FES Zaragoza, UNAM
title_full Instrumentation of Microscale Techniques for Biochemistry Teaching at FES Zaragoza, UNAM
title_fullStr Instrumentation of Microscale Techniques for Biochemistry Teaching at FES Zaragoza, UNAM
title_full_unstemmed Instrumentation of Microscale Techniques for Biochemistry Teaching at FES Zaragoza, UNAM
title_short Instrumentation of Microscale Techniques for Biochemistry Teaching at FES Zaragoza, UNAM
title_sort instrumentation of microscale techniques for biochemistry teaching at fes zaragoza unam
topic Biochemistry teaching
Microscale techniques
Experimental biochemistry
Environment protection
url http://polipapers.upv.es/index.php/MUSE/article/view/2205
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