Students will learn principles and practice of basic molecular biology techniques such as agarose gel electrophoresis, nucleic acid purification (plasmid and genomic DNA, RNA), nucleic acid quantification, DNA restriction digestion and analysis, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Sanger DNA sequenicng and basics computer based DNA sequence analysis and data acquisition over the internet. In addition, students will learn about the nature and selection of DNA cloning vectors, restriction enzymes and other reagents used in molecular biology techniques.