Dr. Amal M. Harb

This course is for graduate level students to emphasize the basics of biotechnology and to discuss new techniques and developments in the area of biotechnology.  Students are asked to read and discuss recent literature in biotechnology.  In addition, small projects are conducted by the students as a preparatory step for their master thesis.

This course is taught for biology seniors.  In this course different topics in plant molecular biology were discussed: plant gene structure, expression and regulation,  plant mitochondrial and chloroplast genome, plant transcription factors, microRNA in plants, abiotic stress responses in plants, role of transcription factors in responses to environmental stress, role of microRNA in responses to environmental stress, model plants and cloning of plant genes.

Plant anatomy is situated between the study of plant morphology and cell biology. The focus of this course is to link plant’s structure to its function. In this course, each type of the fundamental plant tissues, its function, its characteristics, and location will be studied. The dermal tissue: epidermis organization, cell types, function, and trichome types also will be studied. In addition, the vascular tissues (xylem, phloem), vascular cambium, and the periderm will be studied. Then, the anatomy of different plant organs will be discussed.  The practical part of this course will help students to develop skills in preparation of wet mounts from different plant parts and skills in the proper use of the light compound microscope. Moreover, students will develop skills in scientific drawings of plant tissues and the anatomy of the different plant organs.

Biotechnology is a broad discipline in which biological processes, organisms, cells, or cellular components are exploited to develop new technologies. New tools and products developed by biotechnologists are useful in research, agriculture, industry, and the clinic.
Biotechnology is one of the branches of Biology that harnesses cellular and biomolecular methods to develop products and technologies that help improve our lives and the overall health of the planet. The concept of this field dates back to the times when biological processes of microorganisms were utilized to make and store useful dairy products such as cheese and bread. But how far has this reached? With the growth in Genetic Engineering and the advancement of research in Biotechnology, the scope of altering DNA to change the characteristics and functions of organisms has increased the chances of finding new alternatives. Not just this, Biotechnology has spread to different disciplines like Biochemistry, Genetics, Molecular Biotechnology, etc; where new discoveries are being made through this natural science field.