Instructor Interview
Below, Dr. Eric Chu describes various aspects of how he and his colleagues taught 7.002 Fundamentals of Experimental Molecular Biology in the spring semester of 2025.
OCW: How does 7.002 fit with 7.003 Applied Molecular Biology Lab to form a sequence?
Eric Chu: 7.002 and 7.003 were split from the original 7.02 biology lab course. 7.002 focuses on biochemical techniques and protein engineering. 7.003 has two separate modules, including the genetics module and biochemical engineering module. 7.002 focuses on downstream biochemical engineering. The 7.003 genetics module focuses on genetic screening methods and gene expression analysis. The 7.003 biochemical engineering module focuses on applied molecular systems and engineered microorganisms. The 7.002 and 7.003 sequence completes different aspects of the central dogma of molecular biology, which is DNA, RNA, protein, and functions.
OCW: The lab work for 7.002 centers around ClpX, an enzyme found in the bacterium E. coli. What makes ClpX a useful object of study in an introductory-level molecular biology class?
Eric Chu: Students compared bacterial ClpX sequences to yeast, mouse, and human ClpX sequences in the computer lab. The ATPase and unfoldase domains are conserved structural modules found across all kingdoms of life. We drew the connection to the conserved functional domains in different species and the scientific and medical reasons to study ClpX. Multiple human diseases result from hyperactive ClpX activities, such as cancer and tumor progression, or hypoactive ClpX activites, such as metabolic and neurodegenerative disorders. Toward the end of the semester, we also discussed the novel application to manipulate ClpX as a motor protein in protein sequencing. The simple but essential technique performed in an introductory-level molecular biology class can be impactful and valuable to benefit scientific research.
OCW: You and Dr. Vanessa Cheung were the lab instructors and creators of the lab materials for this course; the teaching team also included Prof. Thomas Schwartz as faculty lecturer, as well as a series of guest lecturers. What has your experience of team teaching been like?
Eric Chu: 7.002 is listed in the “Other Academic Exploration Subjects.” We discussed different disciplines of biological research beyond the nitty-gritty details to perform the wet lab experiments in 7.002. The main goal of these guest lectures is to get the next generation of scientists excited about modern biology and introduce them to the scientifically diverse faculty, as well as the cutting-edge research of our department. We were particularly interested in inviting new faculties to discuss their research and recruit UROP participants from the pool of 7.002 students. I found myself very excited and motivated from participating in these fantastic discussions. We shared common experience in science and all learned a lot beyond our own unique field of studies. In the 7.002 final paper and presentation, we asked the students to connect their own 7.002 results and analysis with the inspiration from the faculty discussions. As a result, we have a wide variety of future directions to continue our 7.002 experiments. The diversity of knowledge and experience shepherd unlimited imagination.
OCW: How did you integrate laboratory safety instruction into the teaching plan for 7.002?
Eric Chu: At the beginning of the semester, the overall lab-specific safety instructions were delivered in two parts. Part 1 is a PowerPoint presentation of a guideline to lab safety and a list of commonly used short-term and long-term techniques for storage of biohazardous waste. Part 2 is a scavenger hunt to locate all the safety features, such as eyewash, fire hydrants and safety showers, as well as the fume hoods and waste storage locations. At the beginning of each lab day, TAs would instruct students on safety guidelines specifically relevant to the experiments of the day.
OCW: What would you like to share about teaching 7.002 that we haven’t yet addressed?
Eric Chu: In 7.002, we do not train the students to perform experiments like they do in MIT’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). We have a structured curriculum to train the students to follow protocols, to understand how experiments work, to properly collect and present their data, to troubleshoot unexpected observations, and to make conclusions from the results. Within a semester, students in 7.002 start with hypothesis and conclude with evidence. Senior students often regret having delayed 7.002 for prioritizing precious time in UROP, thereby missing out on the constructive method in designing the experiments and asking the right questions.
Assessment
Grade Breakdown
The students’ grades were based on the following activities:
- 20% Pre-lab preparation via MITx
- 25% Post-lab analysis
- 10% Discussion participation
- 25% Lab participation
- 5% Presentation of lab results and analysis
- 15% Final paper
Curriculum Information
Prerequisites
None
Requirements Satisfied
- General Institute Requirements (GIR) laboratory requirement
- 7.002 is required for the bachelor’s degree in Biology or Chemical-Biological Engineering.
- 7.002 can be applied toward a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Biology, Chemical Engineering, or Computer Science and Molecular Biology, but is not required.
Offered
Every semester
Student Information
Enrollment
57 students
Breakdown by Year
About 60% sophomores, along with a mix of first-year students, juniors, seniors and graduate students
Breakdown by Major
About 2/3 biology-related majors, 1/3 biochemical/biological engineering majors
Typical Student Background
The majority of the students had a clear understanding of recombinant biotechnology from previously completing 7.01x. But there was a wide range of wet lab molecular biology experience, from nil to 4+ years.
How Student Time Was Spent
During an average week, students were expected to spend 6 hours on the course, roughly divided as follows:
Lecture and Faculty Discussions
Met 1 times per week for 1.5 hour per session; 13 sessions total; mandatory attendance
Lab sessions
Met 1 times per week for 3.5 hour per session; 13 sessions total; mandatory attendance
Out of Class
Outside of class, students completed pre-lab preparation assignments and post-lab analyses, as well as preparing for presentations and writing the final paper.
