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In the Biochemistry Authentic Scientific Inquiry Lab (BASIL) course-based undergraduate research experience, students use a series of computational (sequence and structure comparison, docking) and wet lab (protein expression, purification, and concentration; sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis [SDS-PAGE]; enzyme activity and kinetics) modules to predict and test the function of protein structures of unknown function found in the Protein Data Bank and UniProt. BASIL was established in 2015 with a core of 10 faculty members on six campuses, with the support of an educational researcher and doctoral student on a seventh campus. Since that time, the number of participating faculty members and campuses has grown, and we have adapted our curriculum to improve access for all who are interested. We have also expanded our curriculum to include new developments that are appearing in computational approaches to life science research. In this article, we provide a history of BASIL, explain our current approach, describe how we have addressed challenges that have appeared, and describe our curriculum development pipeline and our plans for moving forward in a sustainable and equitable fashion. 

Teaching students how to think like scientists is a critical but challenging goal in biochemistry education. The Biochemistry Authentic Scientific Inquiry Lab (BASIL) initiative was conceived by Dr Paul Craig from the Rochester Institute of Technology and is led by colleagues across multiple institutions. They have developed an innovative curriculum that transforms traditional cookbook-style laboratory courses into authentic research experiences, also known as a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE). By investigating real proteins with unknown functions, students learn essential scientific skills while expanding our knowledge of protein biochemistry.