Animal and Plant Biotechnology (APB)
Animal and Plant Biotechnology, a specialization course in the CASE program of study, provides students with experiences in industry appropriate applications of biotechnology related to plant and animal agriculture.
About This Course
Animal and Plant Biotechnology, a specialization course in the CASE program of study, provides students with experiences in industry appropriate applications of biotechnology related to plant and animal agriculture. Students are expected to become proficient at biotechnological skills involving micropipetting, bacterial cultures and transformations, electrophoresis, and polymerase chain reaction.
Students maintain a research level Laboratory Notebook throughout the course documenting their experiences in the laboratory. Students develop and conduct a research project following the National FFA Agriscience Fair guidelines. From background research through data collection and analysis, students investigate a problem of their choice and conclude the project by reporting their results in the forms of a research paper and a research poster.
CASE resources and professional development provide extensive preparation for the teacher to be proficient and confident in their ability to provide proper instruction of biotechnology skills and concepts.
Course Content
The Animal and Plant Biotechnology areas of study include:
- Laboratory Protocols & Safety
- Cells
- DNA & Protein
- Genetically Modified Organisms
- Micropropagation
- Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Research in Biotechnology
Prerequisites
Due to the pace and rigor of the course, certain prerequisites are necessary for student success. The preferred method of student acceptance into Animal and Plant Biotechnology is through a CASE sequence of courses. Students should take Introduction to AFNR followed by either Principles of Agricultural Science - Animal or Principles of Agricultural Science - Plant prior to enrolling in this course.
An alternative route could be Biology, Chemistry, foundational agricultural science for plants and animals and a strong background in student-directed, project-, and inquiry-based learning.
Resources
Development of the CASE Animal and Plant Biotechnology course was made possible by contributions from MetLife, Inc. and the United Soybean Board as a special project of the National FFA Foundation.
