Over the last four years, lifeedu.org has piloted a new course that has been offered at both Connecticut College and the University of Rhode Island called, The Way We Work With Life: Issues in Biotechnology.  Funding for the development of this course has been provided by Pfizer and the Amgen Foundation.  The success and positive feedback generated from this course has lead to the development of a 30 DVD lecture series geared to the general public, non-science staff, undergraduates and teachers.  The series is comprised of three sections; The Mechanics of Life: How does it work?, Applications of Biotechnology: The future is now, and Biotechnology: Ethical Issues and Concerns.  (Lectures detailed below).

Also available are the supplemental CDs which include the complete PowerPoint Slides, Glossary, and additional Web Resources.  The DVD and CD series together provide the basis for lifeedu.org's educational kits for teaching biotechnology at the middle and high school levels.  The flexibility of these teaching components encourages a broad utilization that can be applied to specific interest topics and individual modules can be constructed accordingly (ie: Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Agricultural Biotechnology, Forensics, etc.).  In this way, a group or class could use all or a portion of the foundational materials on the mechanics of DNA and choose which application to subsequently pursue in greater detail.

There are no prerequisites or previous experience required.  The series aims to accomplish three goals: 1) to provide basic knowledge about DNA and gene expression that is fundamental to how biological life functions, 2) to present the current applications in biotechnology, and 3) to examine issues and ethics concerning the future of biotechnology and our society.  This course has evolved and has been adapted to the general public as well as modules that will serve education purposes for the non-science staff in life sciences companies, government and legal institutions on the various topics.

Contact lifeedu.org at 401.874.9911 or email: DVD Series for more information.  The DVDs are available for purchase or rent, individually or as the complete series.

	Setting the Stage A brief overview of What is Life
	The Future is Now DNA, genes, proteins, replication, transcription, expression, amino acids, gene cloning, separation, gel electrophoresis, PCR
	The Flow of Life - Part 1
	The Flow of Life - Part 2
	Techniques in Biotechnology
	Pathways, Feedback Loops and Gene Expression
	Genes and Development
	Evolution and the Genomics Revolution - Part 1
	Evolution and the Genomics Revolution - Part 2
	Agricultural Biotechnology - How is it Done?
	Agricultural Biotechnology - Issues and Controversies
	Agricultural Biotechnology - Panel Discussion
	Medical Biotechnology - Part 1
	Medical Biotechnology - Part 2
	Pharmaceutical Biotechnology - Part 1
	Pharmaceutical Biotechnology - Part 2
	Pharmacogenomics and Drug Discovery
	Embryonic and Adult Stem Cells
	Stem Cells - The Science and the Controversy
	Stem Cells - The Controversy and the Reality
	Animal Cloning and Genetic Engineering
	Marine Biotechnology
	Aquiculture Biotechnology
	Nanotechnology
	Forensic DNA Based Biotechnology
	Bioterrorism History and Update
	Medical Ethics and Clinical Research
	Stem Cell Research, An Ethical Perspective
	Careers, Job Compensation, and Gender in Biotechnology
	Diagnosing Secrets and the Right to Know
	Biotechnology Patents and Regulatory Affairs
	Anthropological Based Biotechnology - Part 1
	Anthropological Based Biotechnology - Part 2