Resumen de Incorporation of a Virtual Proteomics Module into the Undergraduate Analytical Curriculum
Kathryn L. Kapp, Renã A. S. Robinson, Susan Verberne Sutton, Kaitlyn E. Stepler
Proteomics, or the study of the set of proteins in an organism, tissue, or cell, is a rapidly growing field within bioanalytical chemistry that can be used to investigate many biological questions. However, proteomics is not fully integrated into the undergraduate chemistry curriculum because of a lack of access to expertise, the cost of required analytical instrumentation (liquid chromatography [LC] and mass spectrometry [MS]), and the time required for proteomics experiments. A virtual proteomics module was developed for flexible learning environments (i.e., in-person, hybrid, online) to introduce undergraduate Analytical Chemistry students to proteomics without the need for expensive instrumentation. This module teaches students about proteomics sample preparation and data acquisition, provides real LC-MS/MS data from unknown plasma samples for students to analyze, and provides experience with Mascot, a free online data analysis platform that can be used to identify the species of origin. The module was implemented in Introduction to Analytical Chemistry in two ways: (1) as a laboratory (online; ∼120 min) and (2) as a lecture (hybrid; ∼75 min). Students reported improved knowledge of proteomics after exposure to this module with average quiz scores increasing from 27% to 73%. In the lecture implementation, >90% of students successfully identified their unknowns, with almost 80% correctly justifying their conclusions. Additionally, students demonstrated increased interest in proteomics by formulating more complex research questions on the post-quiz (average of 40 words) than the pre-quiz (average of 18 words). This module was effective for students across majors and years and is a valuable educational tool that incorporates proteomics into the undergraduate chemistry curriculum across learning environments.
