New Problem-Based Learning Laboratories on

Chemicals from Biorenewables

Surya Mallapragada, Balaji Narasimhan, Charles Glatz, Peter Reilly and Jacqueline Shanks

Department of Chemical EngineeringIowa State University, Ames, IA 50011-2230

Vision We have developed four 1-credit open-ended

multidisciplinary laboratory courses involving “Chemicals from Biorenewables”. These problem-based learning laboratories have been integrated with existing and new bioengineering-related ChE classes

Target audience: – undergraduate (seniors) and graduate students in Chemical

Engineering – undergraduate and graduate students in Biochemistry and

Biophysics, Biology and Food Science.

Motivation: Topic ChE evolving from a petrochemical-based to a

biorenewables-based discipline. Examples:Product Species used Company

Indigo Microbial Genencor

(Poly)lactic acid Microbial Cargill/Dow

Biopol Microbial/plants Monsanto

1,3 propane diol Microbial DuPont

“Although classical chemical engineering and the material sciences will remain extremely important well into the future, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to maintain the benefits of developed economies and extend them to developing countries in a sustainable manner without employing biotechnology". [DuPont website]

Current ChE curriculum does not reflect this trend Introduce new courses to cover this new technology

Motivation: Educational Problem-based learning

– Open-ended problems

– Learning based approach

– Students direct learning of the topic

– Problems provide motivation for learning

Multidisciplinary – Team-based approach

ABET criteria– Life-long learning

Curriculum Structure

Four new 1-credit laboratories - each associated with an existing or new ChE undergraduate/ graduate level biotechnology related theory course

Each laboratory course has one open-ended design project topic and list of desired outcomes

Students work in teams of three - each team has a student with a biology/biochemistry background

Opportunity for problem-based, student-directed, multidisciplinary team-based learning

Bioethics component

Curriculum Structure- Chemicals from Biorenewables

MetabolicEngineering (ChE 525)

Metabolic EngineeringLab (new)

Product Development

Polymeric Biomaterials(ChE 595G)

Tissue Engineering Lab (new)

Downstream Processing

Bioseparations (ChE 562)

BioseparationsLab (new)

UpstreamProcessing

Biochemical Engineering (ChE 415)

Bioinformatics Lab (new)

General Lab Course Outline

First three weeks: Common component for all the lab classes - Teach students statistics, bioethics, how to work in teams, experimental techniques, etc. Faculty member plays role of instructor

Next three weeks:Literature review, coming up with plan for solving the problem, team roles. Faculty member plays role of coach

Next eight weeks: Implementation of plan, experimental design. Faculty member plays role of coach

Last two weeks: Wrapping up, written and oral presentations

Description of Laboratory Courses

Bioinformatics - (offered Spring 03: Reilly) - Development of bioinformatic and virtual reality techniques for investigating and predicting enzyme structure and function

Metabolic Engineering - (offered Spring 02: Shanks) - Combination of experimental methods with mathematical analysis of the metabolism of ethanol fermentation from the yeast S. Cerevisiae

Bioseparations - (offered Fall 02: Glatz) - Development of a process for recovering recombinant proteins expressed in an oilseed

Tissue Engineering - (offered Fall 02: Mallapragada, Narasimhan) - Development of a bioreactor to cultivate bioartificial skin in vitro on suitable biodegradable polymer scaffolds

Impact

Make ChE education more relevant for our undergraduate students

Teach students – problem-based learning techniques

– develop their metacognitive abilities

– life-long learning

Coupling these educational techniques with valued new technologies

Integrate some of these new experiments in a non open-ended manner into the required ChE undergraduate laboratories

Assessment Self-assessment and peer-assessment using

– Teamwork rubric

– Design rubric

– Written report rubric

– Oral presentation rubric

Acknowledgment NSF Combined Research and Curriculum

Development Grant EEC 0087696