Bench to Blackboard, from Scitable by Nature Education

Bench to Blackboard is a joint initiative of Scitable by Nature Education and the Center for Educational Outreach at Baylor College of Medicine. Each Bench to Blackboard course module provides the learner with an in-depth, guided exploration of a selected topic, access to key journal articles and opportunities for self assessment. Recommended for educator professional development and all life-long learners. Certificate for contact hours may be printed upon completion of each Bench to Blackboard course module.

Seminal Experiments in Genetics

: This course guides you through 15 discoveries that have advanced and shaped our understanding of genetics over the past 150 years. We begin with a review of Gregor Mendel’s groundbreaking 19th Century research on pea plants, which provided the foundation of modern genetics. Next, you will learn about two groups of experiments conducted during early 20th Century. The first group of experiments focused on breeding and the inheritance of traits; the second focused on the role of chromosomes in inheritance. The resulting advances in knowledge led to the first comprehensive, research-based understanding of how traits are passed from generation to generation. Available for 6 contact hours.

Key Advances in Genetics

: This course guides you through a number of key advances that have taken place in the field of genetics over the last twenty years. Advances in genomics, the study of genes and how they operate within a system of other genes, permitted large scale genetic analyses of organisms and populations. This large scale study of multiple genes inspired other "omics" disciplines, such as proteomics and transcriptomics. You will begin this course by learning about the sequencing of the human genome, a project that ushered in the modern era of genetics. Next, you will examine the related fields of proteomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, and behavioral genomics. As scientists in these fields learn more about the interactions among genes and proteins, they apply this knowledge to problems in health and medicine; therefore, you will also explore the role of genetics in disease. Finally, you will review some of the moral, ethical, and societal implications of our growing ability to manipulate genes. Available for 6 contact hours.


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