Duration : 3rd July - 26th July 2009

Facilitated by : School of Biology, Newcastle University

Course Leader: Dr. Martin Edwards

Marketed by : Scientity Inc.

Biotechnology International Summer School

As one of the UK’s leading universities, Newcastle University has a world-class expertise, the largest concentration of life sciences researchers in the North East and a proven track record of bio-entrepreneurialism. In biology we carry out interdisciplinary research and enjoy an international and national reputation, achieving a rating of 4 in the last Research Assessment Exercise.

Programme Outline:

Molecular Biology and Biotechnology have the potential to answer many of the problems raised in our pursuit to live a more sustainable existences in a World where pressures from climate change and antibiotic resistance are becoming increasingly realised.

This programme is intended to offer applicants an overview of modern molecular biology techniques that relate to biotechnology, and how it can be applied in the wider commercial field. The main emphasis of the programme is towards a “hands on” experience of the techniques, and this will be supported by several key lectures on applications in the real world and the processes of taking in idea through to commercial realisation.

The programme will follow two main themes of i) sustainability of Agricultural Biotechnology and ii) exploitation of novel antimicrobial products. Using a range of molecular biological techniques students will screen for natural products that can be used to address these themes.

Students will have the opportunity to experience some of the cutting edge techniques that the School of Biology have to offer such as genomic and proteomic analysis. Furthermore using our strong links to local industries we will visit a laboratory supplies company to view their state of the art production facilities.

Who Should Attend:

This course is aimed at those students who are approaching their final year of Undergraduate studies in the fields of biology, molecular biology or biotechnology. The high levels of practical based teaching will complement your pre-existing knowledge and it is our goal that this will stimulate you own critical thinking of the subject areas covered.

Although aimed at the above category the course is open to all Graduate Students who are looking to broaden their knowledge of this growing area of research, however some pre-existing knowledge of molecular biology and DNA recombination would be advantageous but by no means restrictive.

Preparation and Assessment:

Students will be given advance notice of all pre-programme reading material.

Students will be assessed on their practical work that will presented in the form of a scientific paper that will be reviewed by the course leader. At the end of the summer school students will be awarded a certificate stating the programme studied and their grade.

This summer school in biotechnology has been designed to impart life changing knowledge to the students of Biology.