Skits in Biochem Lab!

by Paige R., Panther Blogger

One of my favorite things about Ferrum is the faculty-to-student ratio and consequently, the small class size.  Because of these things, Ferrum students are often given the opportunity to do projects and activities that may not be possible at larger colleges or universities.

In Dr. Smelkova's biochemistry lab on February 27th last week, students used their theatrical skills to perform skits that represent signal-transduction pathways.  These signal-transduction pathways take place inside of our body regularly.  Examples of such pathways include the insulin receptor signaling which regulates metabolism, the epidermal growth factor hormone signaling which causes the growth of epidermal and epithelial cells, and the beta-adrenergic receptor signaling which binds with epinephrine.

I was in the beta-adrenergic receptor signal-transduction pathway skit group.  Our seven group members worked together to determine how to represent the pathway that has many components.  I think my fellow classmates would agree that these skits were a great way to learn the material and a fun activity to do in lab!  This was my favorite lab so far in biochemistry!