AP0705 - Current Topics in Biotechnology

You will learn through lectures in which the various topics are introduced and discussed. Your engagement here is important; you learn best by actively engaging in discussions and problem solving exercises during the lectures. In some lectures, we will make use of relevant research papers which we will read and analyse together. In preparation for the poster assignment, you will take part in a workshop in which you will work together with your peers and learn how to gather and analyse information, and communicate that in the form of a scientific poster.

All the lecture material, exercises, and extra support material will be made available on the module’s Blackboard site. A module guide with detailed information on the module itself, the time table and content of the individual sessions, and on the different assignments will also be present on Blackboard. There will be a link to the electronic reading list which enables you to access directed reading, videos, and other relevant support material.
In lectures, there will be problem solving exercises based on the topics under study. You will engage in a workshop focussed on producing a poster aimed to communicate science to the scientific community. There will be two individual tutorials to support you in your progress towards producing your own poster.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
?MLO 1 - Discuss the theoretical principles, key techniques and milestone achievements that have engendered the rise of Medical Biotechnology as solution to current health care challenges
?MLO 2 - Discuss and compare the different methodologies used in genetically transforming plants and animals
Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
?MLO 3 - Analyse primary research papers in the field of biotechnology, combine, compare and interpret the data and present these to a scientific audience
Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
?MLO 4 - Understand, discuss and evaluate the ethical, legal and social aspects of biotechnologal research and its impact on society

?Poster (60%) – you will produce a poster on a chosen topic in the field of animal or plant biotechnology, aimed at presenting at the level of a scientific conference. You will get formative feedback during both the workshop, and the two tutorials. Feedback will be provided via the SAS. (MLO 2,3,4)
?Coursework Medical Biotechnology(40%) - you will produce an essay which identifies and critically evaluates the key scientific papers that would enable a stem cell cure to a particular disease to get from lab-bench to bed side. This will be submitted electronically and feedback provided through the module site. (40%)(MLO 1,3,4)

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Biotechnology is a fast moving field, with a growing impact on society. In this module, we will explore some of the issues at the forefront in different areas of biotechnology. We will study the current and proposed biotechnological applications to problems in agriculture (genetically modified plants and animals) and in the biomedical world (stem cell research and cell products). Using current and relevant literature, we will study some of the most important (and sometime controversial) applications of biotechnology. In this module, you will gain not only knowledge and insight in the current “hot topics” of biotechnology, but you will also develop skills needed to analyse the complexity of the biotechnological solutions, and their ethical, legal and social impacts on stakeholders and society.