BREW: Bridging Research and Education Workshop

The Bridging Research and Education Workshop (BREW) focuses on budding yeast experiments for undergraduate teaching labs and approaches for bridging research and education. It was held July 13, 2020 as part of The Allied Genetics Conference (TAGC) Online #TAGC20. Organizers: Mary Miller, Pamela Hanson, Jill Keeney

Speakers:

Yeast Gene Discovery: Flexible Model for Challenging Times
Jill Keeney, Juniata College

yEvo: teaching Eukaryotic Genetics and Evolution with Yeast
Bryce Taylor, University of Washington Genome Sciences

Building a CURE for α-arrestins
Allyson O’Donnell, University of Pittsburgh

Yeasts in the Arena: Yeast Fights and More
Heather Hallen-Adams, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Hands on CRISPR/Cas9 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Katarina Jurikova, University of Bratislava

Engagement in authentic scientific research is a keystone to effective and impactful teaching. Students benefit from planning, hypothesis formation, data collection and interpretation…. all culminating in the communication of their work. Not just what they did, but why they did it and why it changes how we think of the living world around us. This is what the next generation of scientists expects, and needs, from our classrooms.

Why yeast? In addition to the speed and ease with which students can genetically manipulate yeast, S. cerevisiae has implications for biomedical sciences, food production and biofuels. As with all model organisms, similarities with other eukaryotes fosters exploration of foundational concepts of evolution.