Children of the Sorghum
The Murphy Research Group at Centenary College of Louisiana
My Courses
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Online Undergraduate Cell Biology Laboratory Resource Curation
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Cell Biology board game day
BIOL 204: Cell Biology
Every fall I teach two sections of Cell Biology and the accompanying lab sections. We work our way from the inside of the cell out, beginning with the resident organelles, and expanding from transport to energy production, gene regulation and cell to cell communication.
Cytological, physiological, molecular, and bioinformatics/modeling are used in labs to reinforce these concepts.
Our students also complete projects that help them learn to communicate their scientific ideas in creative ways, such as making music videos about glycolosis or designing biology themed board games.
Student art on display in the Beautiful Biology exhibit at Meadows Museum.
BIOL 316: Molecular Genetics
Each spring I teach a section of Molecular Genetics and lab. This course serves to introduce the concepts of Mendelian genetics, while building upon them to include the molecular basis for Mendelian observations.
In lab, students learn molecular techniques including site-directed mutagenesis, marker amplification, and techniques for genetic modification of plants. The also pair their bench work with computational tools by mining publicly available RNAseq data using the RMTA and Evolinc apps from Cyverse. These techniques are also used as tools for opening discussions about science with the public, such as our Beautiful Biology exhibit at Meadows Museum and interdisciplinary forum on GMO safety and labeling.
Gotta catch 'em all! This depiction of Pikachu was created by a student "drawing" with E.coli expressing YFP, RFP, CFP, BFP, and EGFP on IPTG-AMP-LB agar.
BIOL 336: Biotechnology
In spring of even years, I teach a section of a course in Biotechnology. The goal of this course is to provide a sound scientific basis for mainstream "pop science" topics that are encountered in present day media, equiping students with the information to express informed opinions about such discussions.
Topics include: First and second generation biofuels, algal biodiesel, medicinal plants, drug discovery and delivery, genetically modified organisms, personalized medicine, and stem cells.
Students also pursue their own interests, which culminate in a the development of an original science outreach activity presented at SciPort: Louisiana's Science Center.
Students in Advanced Cell Biology produced an instructional video to teach the principles of gel electrophoresis with the help of documentary film maker Peter Frumkin :)
BIOL 405: Advanced Cell Biology
In spring of odd years, I teach a course in advanced cell biology. This course delves deeper into concepts discussed in BIOL 204.
Topics include: Nuclear transport, protein translocation, vesicle trafficking, apoptosis, and DNA repair, with emphasis on organelle based diseases and cancer.
Students also perform their own research experiments, designing all aspects of the project including choosing protocols, reagents, and budgeting. They produce posters with their results and the project culminates in the preparation of a mock grant application using their experiments as preliminary data.
Students in BIOL 298 learning to perform PCR!
BIOL 298: Research Techniques
This class, an 18-day immersion course offered only in May, is designed to give students finishing their freshmen year a chance to get a head start on basic laboratory skills needed for research.
Students who enroll in this course learn pipetting skills, electrophoresis (agarose and acrylamide), protein purification, PCR, DNA extractions, and cloning. Students also focus on the principles underlying these techniques in order to gain experience in experimental design, and develop their own poster to showcase their results. They also code their own biology related games using Scratch!
Though 18 days is a short time, having an immersed experience in the lab allows introductory students to gain confidence in their skills and gather momentum for REUs, LBRNs, or other research opportunities that they will participate in later in the summer.