Grant Proposal assignment and presentation: for advances in biotechnology 

Grant Proposal assignment and presentation:

Purpose/Objective: To critically evaluate an area of biotechnology and propose new experiments targeting a hypothesis. This assignment is a synthesis assignment that will be completed through research over the course of the semester.

Skills: The purpose of this assignment is to help you practice the following skills that are essential to your success in the biological sciences and in professional life beyond school:

· analyzing primary scientific studies

· integrating information from multiple sources

· synthesizing and summarizing information using writing skills

· applying biotechnology principles to an area of study

· presenting the information to your peers

Criteria:

The grant proposal requirements are described below and will be further discussed in class. All grant proposals will be submitted in Brightspace by the due date/time. The penalty for late submissions will be a 2 point deduction from the total points possible for each day the assignment is turned in late.

The grant proposal presentations will be given during our class the last two weeks of the semester. Each student will be assigned randomly a number to determine the order of presentations. Grading rubrics will be posted in Brightspace.

Grant proposal (written): 50 points

Students will:

· Choose an area related to biological science research that incorporates biotechnology; examples of topics are listed on the next page

· Research the topic and summarize the background and significance

· Develop a hypothesis advancing this area of research

· Identify 2 to 3 specific aims that will address studies that you would conduct to address your hypothesis.

· Explain the specific aims.

Written summaries must contain the following:

· 1 ½ to 2 page minimum

· Single spaced

· font no greater than 12 point

· one inch margins for all pages

· Background and Significance section (see examples) with appropriate citations

· Specific Aims (see examples) with brief description of biotechnology techniques utilized to address the question.

· A bibliography page

Grant proposal Presentation requirements: 50 points

Students will:

· present a 15 minute presentation of their grant proposal during our class session the last two weeks of the semester

· prepare a powerpoint that contains the appropriate background and significance related to their grant proposal topic.

· also include explanations of the specific aims with appropriate explanation of the biotechnology tools/techniques proposed in the grant proposal.

Presentations must contain the following:

· Appropriate background studies

· Identification of hypothesis for new studies

· Detailed explanation of specific aims including any biotechnology tools/techniques used in the study

· identify any concerns related to the study design

· expected outcomes

All students are expected to attend and participate in the presentations as listed in the course schedule. Failure to attend and participate in the presentations will be reflected in your grade. Specific presentation rubric will be posted in Brightspace.

Example topics (This is short list! There are numerous choices for topics…):

Circular RNA and cancer

Crispr and therapy delivery

Synthetic biology / De-extinction

mRNA vaccines

bioremediation

fish-farming practices

organoids

microfluidics

kidney on a chip

herbicide resistance: new ones

disease research

microbiomes

applications of new biotechnology to industry

Useful examples:

· You can look at funded NIH proposals here:

https://projectreporter.nih.gov/reporter.cfm

· Here you can find examples of the Background/Significance and Specific Aims

https://www.niaid.nih.gov/grants-contracts/sample-applications#r01

Specific Examples:

https://www.niaid.nih.gov/sites/default/files/R01-Faubion-app

pages 45 and 46

https://www.niaid.nih.gov/sites/default/files/R01_Jiang_Sample_Application

pages 32 and 33