LECTURE The lecture section is fast-paced, media oriented, highly interactive, and makes extensive use of group learning to teach students how to problem solve and think critically about how major scientific discoveries are made. A variety of unique methods and approaches are used to teach students how to think critically about the questions addressed in lecture. Click here to browse the range of topics and questions addressed in lecture. Click here to browse the unique methods and approaches used to teach the lecture section. Click here to browse the HC70A course syllabus Making Science Come "Alive" In the Classroom One of the most rewarding aspects of being a scientist is experiencing the excitement that comes from seeing something "new' for the first time. This is what is most often left out of the traditional classroom education. HC70A in-class demonstrations and hands-on "mini-experiments" are used in HC70A and allow students to take part in a real scientific process, bringing science and the excitement of discovery into the classroom. Genotyping Students in the Class A cheek swab is taken from each student during class and each student's DNA is isolated using a commercial DNA kit. PCR reactions are carried out using D1S80 alpha VNTR primers to describe the range of D1S80 allelic diversity in the HC70A class. Students analyze the gel patterns, describe the range of D1S80 alleles, and calculate their own allelic frequencies relative to the whole class. Click on the link to download the protocol and see sample all-class gel results. Class DNA Fingerprinting Gel Results (JPEG Image) DNA Finger Printing Protocol Searching For Bacteria With Specific Genotypes Students carry out a simulated "cloning experiment" and select for bacteria with different antibiotic markers and genotypes. Students streak bacterial strains with different genotypes in class - no antibiotics, one antibiotic, or two antibiotics - and then take the plates home and observe the results. Students write up a "lab report" on their results, construct hypotheses to explain their results, and propose experiments to test their hypotheses. Click on the link to download the protocol for this experiment. Cloning Experiment Spooling DNA Students precipitate and spool DNA out of solution in class. Students discuss what the DNA "looks like," what tissue the DNA came from and how it was extracted, and propose hypotheses to explain its viscosity and ability to wind around a rod. Using Multimedia to Enhance Class Lectures HC70A makes extensive use of state-of-the art audio-visual equipment and handouts and so that students can listen in class, interact, and participate in discussions, rather than keep their heads down and scribble notes non-stop. Each class begins with several minutes of rock-and-roll music chosen by a student or Bob Goldberg in order to get class energy levels up and have some fun. Major concepts, diagrams, and student pictures are projected using a digitized overhead camera, and handouts of all notes and figures are scanned, digitized into a PDF-formatted file, and uploaded on the class web site for student use. Click here to view and download class handouts. Lectures are digitally streamed on the class web site and can be accessed 24 hours a day. Lectures are recorded using a standard DV-capable camera with an audio line-in for direct audio feeds from a wireless hand-held microphone. Students also use microphones to ensure that class discussions are captured on video. Lectures recorded by the digital camera are simultaneously fed into an Apple Powerbook G4 laptop, and the video is encoded simultaneously into a QuickTime movie using QuickTime Broadcaster. The encoded video lectures are uploaded onto a QuickTime Streaming Server housed in the MCDB central computing office and posted on the class website. Lectures are viewable within an hour after the class has ended. Click here or email ble@ucla.edu to obtain a precise protocol on how to simultaneously stream lectures and capture them in QuickTime. Click here to view any HC70A lecture during the past three years. UCLA Students Interacting With Kyoto Students Using the Live Video Screen

Dr. Michele Evans Answering Student Questions About In-Vitro Fertilization and Genetic Testing (0:54 minutes) Click on the picture to view clip If the video does not play, please download Quicktime 7 by clicking here for Mac or here for Windows. USING GUEST SPEAKERS AND FILMS AS A FOCAL POINT FOR ALL-CLASS DISCUSSIONS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SCIENCE AND SOCIETY Guest speakers and films are used to highlight the impact of genetic engineering on society.  Films include documentaries produced by Nova, Nightline, and the Discovery Channel, as well as full-length feature films made in Hollywood.  Documentaries deal with issues as diverse as the discovery of DNA as the genetic material, how genetic engineering was invented, pre-implantation genetic testing, use of DNA to solve crimes, history of agriculture, the gmo controversy, and bioweapons, among others.  Feature films provide life-like enactments and fictionalized stories dealing with how society uses emerging new genetic technology. These include the discovery of the DNA helix, how families are affected by genetic diseases, the consequences of selecting for "perfect" humans, and the potentical cultural clash between science and religion, among others.  Guest speakers bring their personal life experiences into the classroom and include the ceo of a biotech company, the head of the Los Angeles DNA testing lab, a reproductive endocrinologist who uses in vitro fertilization to "make babies," and a bioethicist who thinks about genetic engineering, cloning, and the future of humanity. Guest Speakers How to Start A Biotech Company Dr. Richard Hamilton, Ph.D. President and CEO, Ceres, Inc. Thousand Oaks, CA GMOs: What's All the Fuss About? Dr. Alan McHughen, D. Phil. Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside Using DNA to Catch Criminals Officer Harry Klann, Criminologist, Los Angeles Police Department In Vitro Fertilization and Genetic Testing Dr. Michele Evans, M.D. Ob/Gyn, Reproductive Endocrinologist, Huntington Reproductive Center Ethical Issues in Human Genetics and Cloning Dr. Gregory Stock, Ph.D. Director, Program on Medicine, Technology, and Society, UCLA School of Public Health Film Discussions History's Harvest: Where Food Comes From (ASPB Education Foundation) (2002) In this film, Bob Goldberg explores the controversy of genetic engineering by putting the debate in an historical perspective. The film explores the scientific evidence behind the controversy over genetically modified (GM) food, presenting a sweeping view of 10,000 years of agricultural history. Click here to view clips from the film History's Harvest. Inherit the Wind (1988) Based on a real-life case in 1925, two great lawyers argue the case for and against a science teacher accused of the crime of teaching evolution. The Race for the Double Helix (1987) Watson and Crick race to find the structure of DNA before Linus Pauling, Maurice Wilkins, or Rosalind Franklin can find the key to unlocking the secret. Lorenzo's Oil (1992) A boy develops a disease so rare that nobody is working on a cure, so his father decides to learn all about it and tackle the problem himself. Biowar (Nightline) (1999) A special five-part ABC NEWS series about a terrorist biological attack. Kerry Mullis & PCR (Nightline) (1994) A documentary about the inventor of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). GATTACA (1997) Futuristic story of a genetically imperfect man and his seemingly unobtainable goal to travel in space. Perfect Baby (Nightline) 2002 A family tries to create a child through a cutting edge new medical technology that could determine with only a handful of cells whether an embryo would grow to be a baby free of a genetic disorder, and also a perfect match for a transplant. Genetic Prophesy (NOVA) This program shows the potential benefits and explores some of the social, economic, and ethical dilemmas stemming from the human genome project. Murder, Rape, & DNA (NOVA) (1992) This film describes and discusses the role of DNA fingerprinting in criminal and civil investigation by focusing principally on two major criminal cases: the kidnap and rape of a nine year old child in San Diego, California and a double rape/murder of two teenage girls in England. Planted DNA Evidence (NOVA) (1997) Forensic scientists performed DNA test on two seed pods and proved that they come from the same tree, thereby placing the murderer at the scene of the crime. Bioterror (Nova) (2002) Anthrax, Smallpox, Ebola, and more -- The frightening past and lethal future of biological warfare. Genetically Correct: Ensuring Perfect Babies (Discovery Channel) (1997) In this program, Dr. Mark Hughes discusses his pioneering IVF techniques that diagnose potential genetic diseases in embryos only days old. Knowledge or Certainty (The Ascent of Man) (1973) Moral dilemmas confront todays' scientists, from nuclear energy, to the development of weaponry, to human experiments. Jacob Bronowski offers his personal views. DNA (Educational Broadcasting Corporation and Windfall Films with Funding From HHMI) (2003) Narrated by Jeff Goldblum, this series looks back on the achievements that launched a new era in biology and human life itself. Along with an incredible array of renowned scientists, including five Nobel Laureates, these programs use beautifully realized animations and reconstructions of key experiments to reveal the molecular basis of life in a way never seen before. DISTRIBUTION OF STUDENTS THAT HAVE TAKEN HC70A - GENETIC ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE, AGRICULTURE, AND LAW One of the novel and fun aspects of HC70A is the breadth of undergraduate majors and levels represented by students in the class. For example, freshman debate seniors, entering life science students help non-science students, and classic majors exchange ideas with future biochemistry majors. A unique collective exists in which students representing the ideas, views, and backgrounds of a cross section of the UCLA campus come together to learn and discuss issues related to the impact of genetic engineering and genomics on society. During the past three years, 150 students took HC70A (including 30 from Kyoto University), representing 25 different majors. Approximately 30% of the students were undeclared, 51% of the students were non-science students, and 22% were life science students who had declared a major but were just beginning the core curriculum required of all life science students at UCLA. In addition, there was almost an even distribution between first, second, third, and fourth year students. The pie charts shown on this page summarize the HC70A student population over the past three years.

Docudrama Play "When Science Takes the Witness Stand" (5:13 minutes) Click on the picture to view clip If the video does not play, please download Quicktime 7 by clicking here for Mac or here for Windows. UNDERGRADUATE SEMINAR The HC70A discussion section is taught as an undergraduate seminar, and focuses on Scientific American articles, plays, and debates that simulate "real-life" genetic engineering situations.  The articles expand on topics covered in lectures and teach students how to read and think about science.  These topics include: (1) the origins of genetic engineering, (2) how genetic engineering is used in agriculture, medicine, and the law, (3) gene therapy, (4) bioweapons, (5) use of genetic engineering to treat cancer, and (6) DNA testing, among others.  Students are asked to read the articles critically and focus on four general questions: (1) What is the question being addressed by the article?  (2) What are the technologies and approaches being discussed?  (3) What is the significance of the technology, and how does it apply to real-life situations?  (4) What ethical issues arise as a consequence of the new technology?  The plays and debates challenge students to apply the scientific knowledge they have learned in simulated "real-life" situations.  They include: (1) a court trial using DNA evidence, (2) a debate on using transgenic animals and plants in medicine & agriculture, and (3) potential environmental problems brought about by the use of genetic engineering.  A novel aspect of the discussion section is that it is taught by undergraduate teaching fellows who use the Socratic method to maximize interactions in the class.  Teaching fellows call on students by name and ask them to discuss and interpret the experimental results presented in the article(s) read each week.  The teaching fellows also moderate lively student discussions and debates on the impact of emerging new genetic technologies on society.  Click on the HC70A class web site for a list of discussion topics, plays/debates, and Scientific American articles that are read by the students. Docudramas That Put Students in "Real Life" Situations That Deal With Science and Society Plays written by Bob Goldberg and the undergraduate teaching fellows allow students to act out "real-life" situations dealing with how genetic engineering technology affects society. These plays are performed during discussion section, and include a court trial that uses DNA evidence, a protest involving genetically-modified plants, and an environmental spill of genetically engineered microbes. Each play requires students to understand the scientific concepts covered by the "real-life" situation, read Scientific American articles that provide background material, take on the role of specific characters using relevant costumes, and make charts, diagrams, and/or visuals that enhance their roles. A novel aspect of the DNA evidence play is that students use the UCLA Law School Moot Courtroom that provides an actual court setting for them to carry out the "trial of the century." All of the plays are videotaped, digitized and posted on the class web site. Click the links below to view the DNA evidence play and download other plays used in HC70A. Click here to view the DNA evidence play "When Science Takes the Witness Stand". Click here to download the "Golden Rice" play. Click here to download the "When Science Takes the Witness Stand" play. Group Oral Exams The group oral exams teaches students how to speak in public and think on their feet. Exam questions utilizes an integrative approach that emphasizes experiments, problem-solving, and connections between different subjects. The oral exam consists of groups answering questions as well as challenging other groups with questions. This format fosters student/student exchanges that challenges students to become "their own teachers". Click here to check out students tackling questions in the oral exam. Click here to download sample exam questions and the format for the group oral exam. Students Write, Produce, & Film an All-Class Science Video Project on "Science and Society" The science video project enables the students to take what they've learned throughout the course (genetic engineering, cloning, ethical and social issues, etc.) and present the material in a "fun" way. Furthermore, this project encourages student-student interactions and team work. HC70A Winter 2003 All-Class Science Video Project (8:40 minutes) Click on the picture to view clip If the video does not play, please download Quicktime 7 by clicking here for Mac or here for Windows. WEEKLY CLASS DINNERS TO PROMOTE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN BOB GOLDBERG AND HIS STUDENTS Bob Goldberg takes groups of students to dinner each week throughout the quarter.  These dinners provide an opportunity for student-professor and student-student interactions in an informal setting.  Guest speakers are also included if one is scheduled for the week.  Class dinners allow students to discuss a range of issues: including their future goals, science and society, science politics, local and national politics, and what its like to be a professor, among others. HC70A Students Enjoying the Weekly Class Dinner.