Customer Reviews

Calculations for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology: A Guide to Mathematics in the Laboratory

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For most of my entry-level biotechnology students, it's not the science, it's the math.

Adults and students in my three-year biotechnology pathway (San Mateo Biotechnology Career Pathway) have weak, incomplete or dated math backgrounds. Dr. Stephenson's "Calculations for Molecular Biology anf Biotechnology" quickly and clearly explains and demonstrates how to make the most common calculations done in biotechnology research and manufacturing.

In a conversational way, that puts users of all levels at ease, the book does a particularly good job of presenting text in small, digestible amounts with practice problems and answers directly following.

For my program, Chapter 1 (Scientific Notation and Metric Prefixes) and Chapter 2 (Solutions, Mixtures, and Media) are excellent reviews and remediation of calculations taught in the first semester's standard lab training.

Other chapters include several sections that are used or could be used as reference for my second and third year students. Some of these include bacterial growth curves and cell culture concentrations (Chapter 3), DNA Quantitation using spectrophotometers and gels (Chapter 5), PCR reactants concentration and preparation (Chapter 8), Protein Quantitation using spectrophotometry (Chapter 10), and Data Analysis (Chapter 12).

One of the things I like best about the book is that there are so many topics presented that my students have proposed several new research ideas utilizing the techniques and calculations presented.

I recommend this book as a reference for technicians, researchers, students, and teachers who work or are training to work in biotechnology labs or manufacturing facilities.

I got myself this book by reading reviews. I should admit that it did have real good stuff for beginners although I did not find what I wanted. I was looking more of teaching how to do math when it comes to compound dilution from a stock concentration to a final concentration. Example, stockin mM to fianl of uM or nM in a well (96 well). I wanted to learn how to claculate the working concentration etc. How much volume to add and how to maintain the same concentration of DMSO till the end and stuffs like that. I wanted to learn some basics of qPCR calculation.

This book was really simplistic. For freshman, it is ok, for the practice.