New Brunswick Faculty of Arts & Sciences

Department of Chemistry

Program name and description:     Introduction to Molecular Biophysics Research. Basic principles and methods of research followed by a research project involving preparation of biopolymer analogues, x-ray crystallography, spectroscopy, calorimetery, computer simulation, and other relevant physical techniques. The student projects in molecular biophysics will entail chemical and physical characterization of a small enzyme that cleaves phosphodiester bonds in RNA, ribonuclease-A (RNase-A), and its complexes with simple deoxyribodinucleotide inhibitors.

Course number (if applicable):  01:160:344        Credits:     3

Contact person:    Prof. Jean Baum     Telephone:    (732)445-5666    Ext.: 

Participants:   

Open to students with majors in appropriate disciplines (i.e., Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biochemical Engineering). Students must complete the prerequisites and obtain permission of the instructor. Enrollment is competitive because of space and equipment limitations.

Student products:    

The course is designed to prepare students to work in a research laboratory. The students will pursue a real, open-ended project with the exciting prospect of discovering something new. In addition, the course will serve to match students with faculty mentors so that they can carry out summer and senior (thesis) projects.

Edited 6/28/96