The Biotechnology Laboratory Methods certificate is designed for students who currently have previous coursework or experience equivalent to the core biotechnology AAS or AS program courses in biology and chemistry to quickly obtain additional laboratory training and update their current skills in order to broaden their job position or to obtain employment in biotechnology. The certificate includes the Biotechnology program capstone courses BIO 250 - Cell & Molec Bio-Nucleic Acids , BIO 251 - Cell & Molecular Bio-Proteins and Microbiology to provide them with more than 200 hours of hands-on lab experience, as well as Statistics to ensure graduates are able to interpret scientific data.
The certificate coursework is structured to allow students to develop marketable job skills, focusing on written and oral communications, critical thinking, problem-solving, computer skills and small-group collaboration. The hands-on laboratory work enables students to develop understanding and proficiency in the following wide variety of biotechnology laboratory methods:
| Nucleic Acids |
Protein Chemistry |
Microbiology |
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| Laboratory Safety |
Computer Modeling of Protein Structures and Interactions |
Oil Immersion Microscopy |
| Laboratory Notebooks and Documentation |
Solution Preparation |
Aseptic Transfers and Inoculation |
| Solution Preparation |
Measure Total Protein in Food Samples |
Wet Mount and Hanging Drop Preparations |
| Plant Tissue Culture |
Measure Enzyme Activity |
Staining Techniques: Simple, Negative, Gram, Acid-Fast, Capsule, Endospore, Flagella |
| Restriction Enzymes |
Test Effects of Concentrations, pH and Temperature on Enzymes |
| Restriction Digestion Analysis |
Chromatography Methods: |
Colony Morphology Analysis |
| Classic PCR |
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Size Exclusion |
Isolation Methods |
| Real-time PCR |
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Affinity |
Selective Media Analysis |
| Agarose Gel Electrophoresis |
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Ion Exchange |
Metabolic Analysis: |
| STR Analysis |
Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis |
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Carbohydrate, Protein |
| gDNA Extraction |
Protein Extraction & Purification |
Identification of Unknown Microorganism |
| GMO Food Testing |
Analysis of Extracted Protein |
Antimicrobial Susceptibility Analysis |
| Gene Cloning |
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SDS-PAGE |
Plaque Assay and Analysis |
| Nested PCR |
Enzyme Activity |
Total Coliform Determination |
| PCR Product Purification |
ELISA and Automation of ELISA’s |
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| Ligation into Plasmid vectors |
Western Blotting |
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| Clone Sequence Analysis |
2-D PAGE |
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| Bioinformatics |
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| Southern Blotting |
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Please check with the program chairperson for Biotechnology or an advisor for additional information or assistance. For more information about the Biotechnology program, please visit our website at www.dmacc.edu/programs/biotechnology.
Locations: Ankeny
Selected courses in this program are offered at other campuses.
Students start Fall or Spring semester.
Program Entry Requirements
- Complete an application for admission.
- Satisfy the assessment requirement.
- Attend any required information/registration session.
- BIO 112 , BIO 113 and BIO 146 .
- CHM 122 and CHM 132 OR CHM 165 and CHM 175 .
Graduation Requirements
To earn a Biotechnology Laboratory Methods certificate, a student must be accepted into the Biotechnology Laboratory Methods certificate program, complete all course work as prescribed and maintain a 2.0 grade point average.
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