1.2 Students will be able to analyze critically and apply the major principles of cell and molecular biology

For my experience in the biology program at Longwood I was first introduced to cell and molecular biology during my freshman year when I took the Integrative Biology course (BIOL 120). During the lecture portion of the class we were introduced to a variety of cell and molecular biology topics. Topics that were included in the lectures were cell theory, cell structure, and biological diversity. For me personally my first experience with cell and molecular biology was in the first project I did for the class. In this project my group decided to test the efficacy of 2 different cleaning methods on the outside door handles of the Chichester Science Center. We collected multiple samples to see what bacterial colonies would grow on the agar plates. After collection as a group we were able to talk about the various morphological characteristics of the bacteria. Being able to apply what we learned in class to the project that we were doing was impactful and helped me learn about the cellular world in a more hands on way.

The topics that I learned in BIOL 120 allowed for me to expand my knowledge in Intro to Genetics and Cell Biology (BIOL 250). Topics like cell theory and cell structure I was able to learn more in depth information, and then I was able to learn about new topics like how the signaling pathways alter internal cellular activities, and I was able to expand on the various vocabulary that is used in the cell and molecular world. This expansion of knowledge can be seen in one of my homework assignments that I completed in the class.